Li zite 'ngalera
Li zite 'ngalera (The Newlyweds on the Galley)[1] is a commedia per musica in three acts by the Italian composer Leonardo Vinci, first performed at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, Naples, on 3 January 1722. The libretto, by Bernardo Saddumene, is written in the Neapolitan language which characterizes it as commeddeja pe mmuseca.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast: 3 January 1722[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Ciomma | soprano | Rosa Cirillo |
| Federico Mariani | bass | |
| Belluccia | soprano | Ippolita Costa |
| Ciccariello | soprano (en travesti) | |
| Carlo | soprano (en travesti) | Giacomina Ferrari |
| Titta | contralto | Filippo Calantro (Calandra) |
| Rapisto | bass | Giovanni Romaniello |
| Meneca | tenor (en travesti) | Simone de Falco |
| Colagnolo | tenor | |
| Assan | bass | |
| Schiava (slave girl) | soprano | Laura Monti |
Synopsis
The young man Carlo abandons his old love Belluccia in favour of a new one, Ciomma. Disguised as a man, Belluccia pursues Carlo. She manages to make several local ladies, including Ciomma herself, fall in love with her. When Belluccia's father, the galley captain Federico, arrives, he threatens Carlo with death, but Belluccia takes pity on him and the couple are reconciled and married. At the end of the opera we see the newlyweds sail back to their old hometown on Federico's galley (hence the title).
Recordings
- Li zite 'ngalera, Cappella della Pietà de' Turchini, conducted by Antonio Florio (Opus 111, 1999) 2CDs[3]
References
- ^ Treadwell, Nina (July 1998). "Female Operatic Cross-Dressing: Bernardo Saddumene's Libretto for Leonardo Vinci's Li zite 'n galera (1722)". Cambridge Opera Journal. 10 (2): 131–156. doi:10.1017/S0954586700004900. JSTOR 823671. S2CID 191614577.
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Le zite ‘ngalera, 3 January 1722". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- ^ Treasures of Naples Vol. 8 – Vinci: Li zite 'ngalera at AllMusic
Further reading
External links
- Le zite 'ngalera: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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