Li zite 'ngalera
| Leonardo Vinci |
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Operas
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Li zite 'ngalera (The Newlyweds on the Galley)[1] is a commedia per musica in three acts by the Italian composer Leonardo Vinci. The libretto, by Bernardo Saddumene, is written in Neapolitan dialect. The opera was first performed at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, Naples on 3 January 1722.
Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere cast |
|---|---|---|
| Ciomma | soprano | Rosa Cirillo |
| Federico Mariani | tenor | |
| Belluccia | soprano | Ippolita Costa |
| Ciccariello | soprano (en travesti) | |
| Carlo | soprano (en travesti) | Giacomina Ferrari |
| Titta | contralto | Filippo Calandra |
| Rapisto | bass | Giovanni Romaniello |
| Meneca | tenor | Simone de Farco |
| 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).
Recording
Li zite 'ngalera Soloists, Cappella della Pietà de' Turchini, conducted by Antonio Florio (Opus 111, 1999) cuts to 2CD
Sources
References
- ↑ Nina Treadwell, "Female Operatic Cross-Dressing: Bernardo Saddumene's Libretto for Leonardo Vinci's 'Li zite 'n galera' (1722)", Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, Jul., 1998, pp. 131-156. Online at http://www.jstor.org/stable/823671