-Alexander'/eathe.son out to be a I man-in-bmr,rn t I ). Nor. Oilaralonlrs Lj.brettor.2 fo! Donlzetti reffects little of this, hl'6 stolv i.s not @ slavishfy basedl eithex on Dupln or Scrile, or fo? that matter on Syron or alrArlincourti lt nereLy rlalLcules.the opera buffa in one act. genrer nonlzettj.rs targEt was Rona.nticlsm in general June 1Br1 - lrima: l6th anal, ilrArlincourt, maklng perhaps a 3e11in1*, Ieat?o Fondo, liapoli (2 perfornances only) via felnt at cel not in aDX Dalicious sptrlt but just rnaking fun of Lib-e Lto: Domen.Lro ;i la - ^loni operatlc conventlons in the }Iay he haal often enjoyeal in the l,a rcna-nziera is an opera b,lffa ,,rith one ioke" It ts pasi ("/i* 11 fortunato ineanno (1S2r) and J€_99!y94-g4!,9, not ?eal1y surpr.ising that Neapol-ltan aualiences soon Btop- ;eatr;Ie ( 1E7?--J):---tIf;;a;iG lext could have been no ])ed lau€hing. Its her:oine 1s a letulant youn3 l,loman Hhor he1! at all, it is at once terse, v.apial, a;nat repeiitlve, rrot aetttng her o-!m !,ay at hone, deci,les to becorne a The opera sta?ts out !re11, but nothing in fact ever trans- nousscauesqne hearnrit, a role she !r.n!t1y alrandons {ithin pires anil the Berganasc rnaestrors delicious nuslc is erpen- the space of one auetto and t,Io terzettl. ded on a handful of setpleces, a1l !e1L-v?itten, all B+atio .... e lruono ne"o? );o racism is lnvolvedr the ,eference and al.l of then - in the absenc€ of a vlable p1ot, forgEt- ls an obscule otle that even in T8r1 nust have eludleC most Lab1e. We are glad in fact tha! they are nor forgotton of the listeners. The opera in fact ls an ancesto? of and thar they !./i11 reappear (no doubt this tlme accompanying ?atience, a parody, that nay have made sense at the tine a hilarious text) but in A€Iish,'at the Collegiate Th6atre, but one vhose barbs require special kno\'1edge for todaJrrs Gordon Squar6, l,ondon from the 1?th to the 20th lra"ch 1982 audiencesi the rblack maxr in questlon ficst lrobably t,as ( togettrer vilh IIe!99S9g-g!-I9iI) at ?.rorm. LtHorfire Noirr the tit16 (and title-ro1e) of aI eiisne en ur, Ia ronarlziera e lruotno nero, which ironlcally enough, e de veulevl l lesqS) , rliven in Paris at the thF€tre follo eal faBt on the heals of Donizettirs mature ronartic Vaudevill.e on the 18th ltrovember 1820 anal wriiten by Jean_ score @g_I919!q (18J0), dsBed its olrn Llnited target con- Hcnrj Dupin (1791-lee-) anr rFelixr (,r'hich aas a !seu jonJ.r,r p1ete1y, it \,ras an absolute failule - but lrith lYa4escc aj! of EuEiine scrloe). :lor :nis ya'rdevilie - a rordy and ellip- iorx(lbit ) hJllever ir markeal a rurlr in his fortE;f-ii6i'- ticaL curtain-raj.ser - t.o was a la?odyr an ilL locusseC EEIIdfo"ti', his opere serie oulal meke him ferou6 (3;111nl twln barrelled po!-qur affair aimed at Byron and n mo?e urg- nust have found Ittile to crov about ln j4LE failure). ent targer - that oi:he rPi'ince lrs:lonantiquesr, n1 less tlan Charles-Victr: P:Jvosr vicJnte dtArlincourt, vrhose *1 Even Rossini ca'r be included rithi.n their range aB the Li Solitairp woull be all the rage very soon (to their tblack nanis'sDng at the enil of the vaudevllle was set to ffiffi,,ce-).? the music ol b_W-_lgg, thea tho ht a perfectly Arlincou:_t has a p]rce in opgrar not o:'t1J u,as his !q romantic score, (18,1 C"1 (lib, PlanlrC. cpira conj .ue x2 Ci.Lardoni I s lib"etto is the subject cf a startllng Solitaire-gz:) ) rct 5t' 1fa EiI-" -nd r'.).;'. Jrcc..ss bLrL he'ras latet l' be txe ultimatun on the part of the managenent of 'i;'le theatre. 0r1 B.ulce of llollanirs libletto for.lg-:Eg419gg Bet by a'we11- the 17th June a letter: was vritten to Barbaja saying that kno!.rn lopul:lr: idol in llalLes. i{e speciallseal in anguj.shed if ihe libretlo \ras not in print by ntd.day the followiirg and ul"tra-mrsteriolls outcasts from society, hemits an.l day (ie the day of the prima) the perfomance {cu1d }e for ].eclusive enilesi' l.r;{orone lloi!r, the absurdLy nelo4ra.ratic biiden. rdas a libretto p?inted? There seems to be none in :iyster:r*ma.1r of the vaude./iI1e (for the @coxd LrHomre e4 exlstance, not even in Sa,ples. The perforiance uent ahead )il;ir - be simlly ,ears black clothes)is even ilescribeili-n even so. I ar0 lnd.ebted to }!. John }lack for thls fa6cln- L,ords that uncanni:J presage Le iolita.ire r11 sait toutt ating infor.rnatlon as well as for the cor-ect datc of the prina iI connatt tout' i,nrl *,". L"EGiEiIi.-it in-ioke hu,Dour and for a 1lveLy dlscussion on thls obscure r.oi(. at altArlincourtrs exlense. (I-e Solitaire lndeeal xouLd turn +, Ncedless to say naklng even gentle fun of SeUlol [ouId have been asking for trouble in NapLes; eElocia11y for a Contlnued/ rforeigrlerr liko nonlzettl. Neealless to say too, a. Ialentical opening statements rnugically but Doumful for Floriroo would have haal a hot Lin6 to his cata.nese frienal. ,qntonina, lnduLgently syalathetic for lllidloro. Could this have been an ad.aled reason for the operars t. Uiddle section in thllds partlally. fallur€ ? Vocal asreenent rNe r No[xs c. on boschi trove.rc ognl, conmoditi No.l.Terzetto (Chlarina, Iedelc and Tomrlasso) olenin€ w. LA RoI{ANZIEXA Vocal Score! Schone[berge?, ?a"is c1855 Tolllrasso I s cy[ical philosophy 1l. fragaootacl inteljections fr. the two orhers v,,ho graalually in an engEglng CsBt! CEITRINA l4S ANIoNINA In,PPolINA Sop Join trlo, So! No.5. D.retto (Chlarina and Fllidoro) opens CARLINo le4or trEDELE Ienor CoNIIE fS aflegro modlerato 35 EIIInono swlft exchanges of diialogue rche pau?a suf gaimbeF GIAPPOI,IE 3S NICOIA TOMiIASSO 3s - - le 35 eggo astendo lruonro nero' (l) T:here a?e 7 nuabers in this scorel No.6. Recilr.and terzetto (Antonina, Nicola and Tomnaeso) No.1 lntroduzlone opening recit. mock heroic. Tranqull andante tDopo ta.nte e I,to.z s-6Eii: cava-tina (Sop) 'ft di ros6 inshir'l anatate , tante penet from ,i-ntonina unalexneath whlch NlcoLa carrieB N.. j D'ret-;;G;;;A-Dd ) idi"t: 6" ver mio Fl1idoro' on a mutte?eal comnentary, joining Antonlna as the vocal Liue No.4 Terzetto(!Eop, tenor and 3S)rCinque sens: .plena natol becomesfiore florid. Uusic changes to allegro es Tollllnasso No.5 htetto(lE;oD and BS) rche oaurar ioins then..,,,. Wo.6 E;Fe terzetto (Sop and-2 BSi)'Iuggtam, fugglanl No.7, Ronalo finale. t brilliart int"oductlon hera:.dls an ro.? EdiiSJiiJG-1-sop) '3i colpevole son io' infecilous ad.a cantabife rsi qolpevole son io! of the chastened. .A.ntonina. fhe Conte tNe plir I,Io" 1. After a 7 bar oleninsrlqEglg&lg (:n time) isponds nai ! rouantlcismo?r rNo nai piir.IlI*lgIg. lrontre eal Gila1tColll rs text strikes boldIy fron th6 first anal has an 'l-escio i f.mtasnigli astri...?r Antonina. rlascio 11 s&lice ed 11 aleoat laconlc econony of neans. it soon however becomcs I I wc1I-nigh iocoeprehenEible. oipresso, 1rufrla, 11 ceDer€ ed il pianto . toroo al balIo, toraro al ca.ntor, rlascio 11 lugu}le casteLLo, nrscello A alespairlng duetto betr,,een Canllno and ciappone, inter- il rE criatallino, tomo a1lr opexa I . .a11 ln increasinaly rupted rudely by lne Conte fia poter d€l mondo..r(uhich vivacious fioriture. !R.oshul.r1 Leaals to a risible greeting froir Carlino to the latter.... addlo pgr seaot6r. rSuo These vild _vocallEations are completcdl bi a brl6f concertato selvolAddlo Carllno polttoner.) Aftex some dialogue to finish (17 tars). thls is follolred by a ridlculous buffo a.rla for TonrDasso rIl mondo d rrn vasiroceano, v, jnterjections and succeealeal by a concertato. ANNOUNCI]E lHE PUBLICAIION OF A }T ]}IPORIINT No.2. A sho?t duetto introiluces a tongue-in-cheek romenza ADDXIION TO THE DOI{IZETII L IBRARI for Antonina (w. harp accompaniment) ,fu ?ose di lnghirlan- DONUETIIIS OPEMS IN MEES dater in nock-3elllnian cantilena and egged. on by llolrDasso! th16 has a derisive post-scrilt! , ca.nzonetta \"r. tremolando 1822 - I8l+8 backing (6trange but effeclive and labelled No.2 bis) by by Fllidoro rNon v'\ naggior iolore', JOHII BIACX No.r.... is a gra,n r aluetto by the largulshing Antonina and Introduatlon -Stetlstl.cs - Apperdlcot T0 the rEughty lilidoro roielt fla ver mio Filldoro' (a dig? BE PUBLEHED SEPTEUBEB 1982 rN r-Xtr:15trItrltfEtrTl-rlFTaEDs at hi6 own and cllardonirs ll9cu.i,gJli Ron. ? ). Antonina, efter a rebufl from the ConTETE-Jlfl6iEieatens to iie or €5.00 (t12 ) If otd6r.d bcforo 3oth Juri6 1982 possitly ente? a cloister. tr'llidoro ls doultful alout (46.00 on publlcatlor) death. rForse un chiostro?' ti trivlalet runa fuEa P."t.c@g og-.aryry occulta?' i ,rn idea senLimentalc...; url prblirr"d t/ lAhr. id;a ;igant- The Do rr(l Soclety esca ln verlt 56 Hrrbut Ro.d, London SWU 2RB Englrad.