Il diluvio universale explained

Il diluvio universale
Composer:Gaetano Donizetti
Image Upright:0.8
Librettist:Domenico Gilardoni
Language:Italian
Based On:Lord Byron's Heaven and Earth
Premiere Location:Teatro San Carlo, Naples

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]

Performance history

19th century

The opera premiered at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples on 6 March[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] The production of Il diluvio was also given at the St. Galler Festspiele 2010 when Mirco Palazzi, Majella Cullagh and Manuela Custer appeared.[5]

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.[6]

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, 28 February 1830
(Conductor: -)
NoèbassLuigi Lablache
JafetbaritoneGennaro Ambrosini
SemtenorGiovanni Arrigotti
CambassLorenzo Salvi
TesbitesopranoFabiani
AsfenesopranoCecilia Grassi
Abramezzo-sopranoEdvige Ricci
CadmotenorBerardo Winter
Sela, Azael's mothersopranoLuigia Boccabadati
Ada, Sela's friendsopranoMaria Carraro
ArtootenorGaetano Chizzola
Azael, childsilent
Chorus

Synopsis

The opera tells the biblical story of the great flood.

References

Notes

Cited sources

Other sources

External links

Notes and References

  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. Ashbrook and Hibberd 2001, p. 229
  4. http://www.art-tv.ch/6102-0-Klosterhof-SG-Il-diluvio-universale.html Impressions of the St.Gallen production on art-tv.ch
  5. Pardo, Daniel, Opera Today, 11 December 2005, online at operatoday.com. Retrieved 27 June 2010
  6. Web site: Il diluvio universale . 2024-08-07 . Donizetti Opera Bergamo . it-IT.
  7. Source for recording information: Recording(s) of Il diluvio universale on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk