Il matrimonio segreto

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Work data
Title: The secret marriage
Original title: Il matrimonio segreto
Title page of the libretto, Vienna 1792

Title page of the libretto, Vienna 1792

Shape: Dramma giocoso in two acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Domenico Cimarosa
Libretto : Giovanni Bertati
Literary source: The Clandestine Marriage (1766) by David Garrick and George Colman the Elder
Premiere: February 7, 1792
Place of premiere: Burgtheater , Vienna
Playing time: about 3 hours
Place and time of the action: Geronimo's house in Bologna, around 1780
people
  • Geronimo, rich merchant ( bass )
  • Elisetta, his older daughter (mezzo-soprano)
  • Carolina, his younger daughter ( soprano )
  • Fidalma, his sister, rich widow ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Count Robinson (bass)
  • Paolino, young sales assistant to Geronimo ( tenor )
  • Extras

Il matrimonio segreto ( The Secret Marriage ) is an opera buffa (original name: " Dramma giocoso ") in two acts by the Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa . It was his 54th opera. The libretto comes from the Italian lyricist Giovanni Bertati , who used the comedy The Clandestine Marriage by David Garrick , a London actor, and George Colman the Elder , which was successfully premiered at the Theater Royal Drury Lane in 1766 . Their comedy was inspired by an engraving by the English painter William Hogarth .

content

first act

The wealthy merchant Geronimo lives with his widowed sister and two daughters, without their mother, in a common household. Geronimo wants to marry off his daughters to aristocrats in order to move up in society. The younger daughter Carolina has been "secretly married" to the accountant Paolino for two months. The “Matrimonio segreto” has already taken place, only nobody knows about it, especially not Geronimo.

A letter announces the imminent arrival of Count Robinsone, to whom Geronimo's eldest daughter Elisetta has been promised with a dowry of 100,000 Scudi. Geronimo now announces the upcoming marriage of Elisatta and the count. Elisetta triumphs over her sister Carolina. Geronimo's sister also dreams of marriage, albeit with the young Paolino, with whom she has fallen in love.

Count Robinsone arrives and mistakenly recognizes his bride in Carolina, with whom he immediately fell in love. The count is immediately informed of the error. To Paolino's horror, however, the Count rejects Elisetta and insists on marrying Carolina. He even waived half of the dowry for this.

Elisetta is furious with jealousy when she finds the Count with Carolina. Fidalma joins them, but cannot calm the situation either. The hard of hearing Geronimo doesn't understand a word. In this confusion, the first act ends in a grand finale.

Second act

Geronimo learned in a clarifying conversation with the count that he preferred Carolina. With the prospect of saving the dowry of 50,000 Scudi for marrying Carolina, he agrees if Elisetta renounces her promised husband.

The desperate Paolino turns to Fidalma to put in a good word for him at Geronimo. But Fidalma takes the opportunity and confesses her love to Paolino. Carolina joins them, believes she has been cheated and angrily confronts Paolino. Paolino can clear up the misunderstanding. The last resort seems to them to be to flee together. Count Robinsone wants to dissuade Elisetta from marrying him. He is therefore pretending to be insane. To the astonishment of the count, Elisetta does not give up her decision to marry him.

The two rejected women, Elisetta from the Count and Fidalma from Paolino, join forces and decide to persuade Geronimo to send Carolina to the convent until the Count's wedding with Elisetta takes place.

Carolina would like to confess to her father the "secret marriage". Geronimo doesn't let her finish speaking and sends her to the monastery. Carolina is left alone in despair. The count arrives. He realizes that he cannot win Carolina's love and now promises to help her. Elisetta, Fidalma and Geronimo see the two in a familiar situation and see their suspicion confirmed that Count Carolina will marry.

Paolino and Carolina prepare to escape, but are stopped by noises in the house and have to hide. Elisetta suspects the Count is in Carolina's room and calls everyone over. To everyone's astonishment, however, the Count steps out of his own room.

Carelessly, Paolino and Carolina are discovered in their hiding place. They now confess their "secret marriage". Fidalma is devastated, Geronimo is once again enraged. The count now promises to marry Elisetta. Geronimo forgives and the day comes to a happy end.

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Work history

Cimarosa's opera was premiered on February 7, 1792 under the direction of the composer in the kk National-Hoftheater ( Burgtheater ) in Vienna. It sang Francesco Bussani (Geronimo), Anna Morichelli-Bosello (Elisetta), Dorothea Sardi-Bussani (Carolina), Maria Monza (Fidalma), Francesco Benucci (Count Robinson) and Paolo Mandini (Paolino). Emperor Leopold II, who had commissioned the opera, was also present. After the second performance, the play had to be repeated in full on the same evening at the behest of the emperor.

In the modern era, the opera became known again through Giorgio Strehler's production for the opening of the Piccola Scala di Milano on December 26, 1955. Today Il matrimonio segreto is Cimarosa's most famous opera (he wrote over 70 of them) and is regularly performed all over Europe.

Recordings

Web links

Commons : Il matrimonio segreto  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Friedrich Lippmann : Il matrimonio segreto. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 1: Works. Abbatini - Donizetti. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1986, ISBN 3-492-02411-4 , p. 593.
  2. February 7, 1792: "Il matrimonio segreto". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..