At The Opera, Ponchelli: La Gioconda October 26, 2013
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La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835. (This is the same source as Gaetano Rossi had used for his libretto for Mercadante's Il giuramento in 1837).
First performed in 1876, La Gioconda was a major success for Ponchielli, as well as the most successful new Italian opera between Verdi's Aida (1871) and Otello (1887). It is also a famous example of the Italian genre of Grande opera, the equivalent of French Grand-Opéra.
Ponchielli revised the work several times; the version that is played today was first given in 1880. There are several complete recordings of the opera, and it is regularly performed, especially in Italy. It is one of only a few operas that features a principal role for each of the six major voice types. This 1967 recording stars Renata Tebaldi and Carlo Bergonzi. Lamberto Gardelli conducts.
View an English translation of La Gioconda
http://www.impresario.ch/libretto/libpongio_e.htm
View a full score or vocal score to La Gioconda
http://imslp.org/wiki/La_Gioconda_(Ponchielli,_Amilcare)
8:00 p.m.
Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana, opera Intemezzo
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony; Ondrej Lenard, conductor
8:08 p.m.
Tebaldi/Bergonzi/Merrill/Horne
Ponchielli
La Gioconda
; L. Gardelli, conductor
11:18 p.m.
Carlo Bergonzi
Giuseppe Verdi
Ah si ben mio Di quella pira
MET Orchestra; Fausta Cleva, conductor Carlo Bergonzi
11:30 p.m.
Maria Callas Franco Corelli
Giuseppi Verdi
Aida: Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida (Atto III)
; Georges Pretre, conductor
11:39 p.m.
Maria Callas
Giuseppe Verdi
Macbeth: Una macchia e qui tuttora (Atto IV)
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Tullio Serafin, conductor Maria Callas
11:52 p.m.
Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana, opera Intemezzo
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony; Ondrej Lenard, conductor
11:56 p.m.
Czecho-Slovack Radio Symphony Orchestra
Giacomo Puccini
Edgar, opera: Prelude to Act III
Czecho-Slovack Radio Symphony Orchestra; Ondrej Lenard, conductor