Imelda de' Lambertazzi is a melodramma tragico or tragic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti from a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the tragedy Imelda by Gabriele Sperduti. It received its first performance on 5 September 1830 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples.
| Imelda de' Lambertazzi | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Gaetano Donizetti | |
 Gaetano Donizetti c. 1835 | |
| Librettist | Andrea Leone Tottola |
| Language | Italian |
| Based on | Gabriele Sperduti's Imelda |
| Premiere | 5 September 1830 Teatro San Carlo, Naples |
Performance history
editThe opera was not a great success and performances of it are very rare. A concert performance was given on 10 March 2007 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, conducted by Mark Elder, which was recorded by Opera Rara.[1]
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 5 September 1830 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Imelda | soprano | Antonietta Galzerani |
| Bonifacio Geremei | baritone | Antonio Tamburini |
| Lamberto | tenor | Berardo Winter |
| Orlando Lambertazzi | tenor | Giovanni Basadonna |
| Ugo | bass | Michele Benedetti |
| Ubaldo | bass | Gennaro Ambrosini |
| Customers, followers of Lambertazzi, friends of Gieremei, soldiers, people | ||
Synopsis
edit
(This is a variation of the story of Romeo and Juliet.)
- Time: 16th century
- Place: Bologna[2]
Imelda Lambertazzi (of the family supporting the Guelfs) loves Bonifacio, heir of the Geremei (of the family supporting the Ghibellines). When Bonifacio proposes peace between the families, to be sealed by their marriage, he is met with the ire of Imelda's father and brother. When Bonifacio attempts to see Imelda, he is stabbed with a poisoned dagger by her brother. Imelda pleads for forgiveness from her father before expiring herself, having sucked the poison from Bonifacio's wound.
Recordings
edit| Year | Cast: Imelda, Lamberto, Orlando Lambertazzi, Bonifacio |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Floriana Sovilla, Diego D' Auria, Fausto Tenzi, Andrea Martin |
Marc Andreae, Italian Switzerland Radio/TV Orchestra (Recorded at performances in Lugano, 15–19 February) |
Audio CD: Nuova Era Cat: 6778/6779 |
| 2007 | Nicole Cabell, Massimo Giordano, Frank Lopardo, James Westman |
Mark Elder, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Geoffrey Mitchell Choir |
Audio CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC 36 |
References
editNotes
- ^ Ashley, Tim (17 April 2008). "Donizetti: Imelda de' Lambertazzi". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Osborne 1994, p. 192
- ^ Source for recording information: Recording(s) of Imelda de' Lambertazzi on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk Archived 2013-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
Cited sources
- Osborne, Charles, (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-71-3
Other sources
- Allitt, John Stewart (1991), Donizetti: in the light of Romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr, Shaftesbury: Element Books, Ltd (UK); Rockport, MA: Element, Inc.(USA)
- Ashbrook, William (1982), Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23526-X
- Ashbrook, William (1998), "Donizetti, Gaetano" in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One. London: MacMillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-333-73432-7 ISBN 1-56159-228-5
- Ashbrook, William and Sarah Hibberd (2001), in Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4. pp. 224 – 247.
- Black, John (1982), Donizetti’s Operas in Naples, 1822—1848. London: The Donizetti Society.
- Loewenberg, Alfred (1970). Annals of Opera, 1597-1940, 2nd edition. Rowman and Littlefield
- Sadie, Stanley, (Ed.); John Tyrell (Exec. Ed.) (2004), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-19-517067-2 (hardcover). ISBN 0-19-517067-9 OCLC 419285866 (eBook).
- Weinstock, Herbert (1963), Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Pantheon Books. LCCN 63-13703
External links
edit- Donizetti Society (London) website
- (in Italian) Libretto