Il diluvio universale (The great flood) is an azione tragico-sacra, or opera, by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Domenico Gilardoni after Lord Byron's Heaven and Earth and Francesco Ringhieri's tragedy Il diluvio (1788).[1]

Il diluvio universale
Opera by Gaetano Donizetti
Title page of 1830 libretto
LibrettistDomenico Gilardoni
LanguageItalian
Based onLord Byron's Heaven and Earth
Premiere
6 March 1830 (1830-03-06)
Gaetano Donizetti c. 1835

Performance history

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19th century

The opera premiered at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples on 6 March 1830.[2][3] It failed to become an instant success.

It is known that for the premiere production to be accepted, it had to be given to the church censors in the form of an oratorio, since its planned production date was within the period of fasting. It was only allowed due to its being a biblical story.

Donizetti revised the opera and a new production opened on 17 January 1834 at Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice.[4] But after another staging in 1837 in Paris, it disappeared for 147 years.

20th century and beyond

The opera was not presented again until 1985 in Genoa.

The first production in Switzerland took place at St. Gallen where, since 2006, an opera is presented in the open air in front of the Cathedral around the first weekend of July.[5] The production of Il diluvio was also given at the St. Galler Festspiele 2010 when Mirco Palazzi, Majella Cullagh and Manuela Custer appeared.[6]

In 2023 a new production was given at Festival Donizetti in Bergamo with Riccardo Frizza as director and Nahuel di Pierro, Susanna Gianfaldoni and Enea Scala performing in the main roles.[7]

Roles

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Role Voice type Premiere Cast, 6 March 1830
(Conductor: - )
Noè bass Luigi Lablache
Jafet baritone Gennaro Ambrosini
Sem tenor Giovanni Arrigotti
Cam bass Lorenzo Salvi
Tesbite soprano Fabiani
Asfene soprano Cecilia Grassi
Abra mezzo-soprano Edvige Ricci
Cadmo tenor Berardo Winter
Sela, Azael's mother soprano Luigia Boccabadati
Ada, Sela's friend soprano Maria Carraro
Artoo tenor Gaetano Chizzola
Azael, child silent
Chorus

Synopsis

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The opera tells the biblical story of the great flood.

Recordings

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Year Cast
(Noe, Sela, Ada, Cadmo)
Conductor,
Opera House and Orchestra
Label[8]
2005 Mirco Palazzi,
Bernadette Cullen,
Manuela Custer,
Colin Lee
Giuliano Carella,
London Philharmonic Orchestra and Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
Audio CD: Opera Rara
Cat: ORC 31

References

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Notes

  1. ^ Francesco Ringhieri: Il diluvio. Tragedia. Antonio Zatta e figli, Venice 1788 (Online-Resource).
  2. ^ Black 1982, p. 25: Black notes that 28 February was the intended date, but due to illness, the premiere had to be postponed.
  3. ^ Smart & Budden 2001.
  4. ^ Ashbrook and Hibberd 2001, p. 229
  5. ^ Impressions of the St.Gallen production on art-tv.ch Retrieved 27 January 2013
  6. ^ Pardo, Daniel, Opera Today, 11 December 2005, online at operatoday.com. Retrieved 27 June 2010
  7. ^ "Il diluvio universale". Donizetti Opera Bergamo (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  8. ^ Source for recording information: Recording(s) of Il diluvio universale on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

Cited sources

Other sources

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