Ricciardo e Zoraide
Ricciardo e Zoraide (Ricciardo and Zoraide) is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Berio di Salsa. The text is based on cantos XIV and XV of Il Ricciardetto, an epic poem by Niccolò Forteguerri.
Performance history
Ricciardo e Zoraide was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on 3 December 1818.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 3 December 1818 (Conductor: Nicola Festa ) |
|---|---|---|
| Agorante, King of Nubia, infatuated with Zoraide | tenor | Andrea Nozzari |
| Zomira, wife of Agorante | contralto | Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni |
| Zamorre, confidant of Agorante | tenor | Gaetano Chizzola |
| Elmira, confidant of Zomira | mezzo-soprano | Raffaella de Bernardis |
| Ircano, a Nubian prince | bass | Michele Benedetti |
| Zoraide, daughter of Ircano, in love with Ricciardo | soprano | Isabella Colbran |
| Ricciardo, a Christian paladin knight, in love with Zoraide | tenor | Giovanni David |
| Fatima, confidant of Zoraide | mezzo-soprano | Maria Manzi |
| Ernesto, friend of Ricciardo, Christian camp ambassador, | tenor | Giuseppe Ciccimarra |
Synopsis
The Nubian King Agorante, who is infatuated with Zoraide, has defeated her father, Ircano and captured her. Ricciardo, a Christian knight and Zoraide's lover, accompanies an emissary to plead for her release. Agorante's jealous wife, Zomira, arranges the capture of Ricciardo as well and plots to have the young lovers executed to protect her position as Queen. The opera ends with an army of Christian knights rescuing Ricciardo and Zoraide. Ricciardo spares Agorante's life.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Agorante, Zoraide, Ricciardo, Zomira |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label:[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Bruce Ford, June Anderson, William Matteuzzi. Gloria Scalchi |
Riccardo Chailly, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Prague Philharmonic Chorus | VHS Video: Bel Canto Society Cat: #619 |
| 1995 | Bruce Ford, Nelly Miricioiu, William Matteuzzi, Della Jones |
David Parry, Orchestra of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir |
Audio CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC 14 |
References
Notes
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).[http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco?r=&alm_giorno=03&alm_mese=12&alm_anno=1818&alm_testo=Ricciardo_e_Zoraide "Ricciardo e Zoraide, 3 December 1818"]. Almanacco Amadeus (Italian).
- Farr, Robert, Recording review: Ricciardo e Zoraide, Opera Rara, Music Web International.
- Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "Ricciardo e Zoraide" in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, London: Methuen; Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0931340713
- Osborne, Richard (1990), Rossini, Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1-55553-088-5
- Osborne, Richard (1998), Ricciardo e Zoraide, in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. Three, p. 1312. London: MacMillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-333-73432-7 ISBN 1-56159-228-5
- Servadio, Gaia (2003), Rossini, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-7867-1195-7
- Steen, Michael and Richard Osborne, The Lives and Times of the Great Composers: His Life and Works, Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 271–278. ISBN 0-19-518129-8
- Toye, Francis (re-issue 1987), Rossini: The Man and His Music, Dover Publications, 1987. ISBN 0486253961 ISBN 0-486-25396-1
External links
- Libretto in Italian Retrieved 13 December 2012