GAETANO DONIZETTI
Francesca di Foix
ORC28
in association with
Box cover: Waiting for the King’s Favourite, Laslett John Pott
Booklet cover: Luigia Boccabadati-Gazzuoli, the first Francesca di Foix
Opposite: Gaetano Donizetti
CD face: King Ferdinando II of Spain
–1–
Gaetano Donizetti
FRANCESCA DI FOIX
Melodramma giocoso
Libretto by Domenico Gilardoni
Il Re The King, in the flower of his life....................................Pietro Spagnoli
Il Conte The Count........................................................Alfonso Antoniozzi
La Contessa, The Countess, Francesca di Foix..........................Annick Massis
Il Duca The Duke.......................................................................Bruce Ford
Il Paggio The Page, Edmondo.............................................Jennifer Larmore
Knights, Ladies, Peasants, Squires,
Members of the Countess’s Household
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Leader, Pieter Schoeman
Antonello Allemandi, conductor
–2–
Producer and Artistic Director: Patric Schmid
Managing Director: Stephen Revell
Assistant producer: Jacqui Compton
Assistant conductor: Robin Newton
Répétiteur: Nicholas Bosworth
Italian coach: Maria Cleva
Assistant to the producer: Gunnar Pruessner
Article, synopsis and libretto: Jeremy Commons
Recording Engineer: Chris Braclik
Assistant Engineer: Chris Bowman
Editing: Patric Schmid, Jacqui Compton and Chris Braclik
Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, London
March 2004
–3–
CONTENTS
Francesca di Foix by Jeremy Commons...............................................Page 9
The Story........................................................................................Page 32
Résumé de l’intrigue........................................................................Page 37
Die Handlung.................................................................................Page 42
La Vicenda......................................................................................Page 47
Libretto...........................................................................................Page 52
–4–
Patric Schmid (Producer) with Annick Massis
FRANCESCA DI FOIX
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
Dur
Introduzione – Il Duca, Il Paggio, Il Conte, Il Re, Coro
Coro – Senti senti... Già l’eco ripete
2’42
Duetto – Quest’è il loco stabilito
5’16
Scena – Ecco il Conte...
2’48
Cavatina – Grato accolse i vostri accenti
2’29
Cabaletta – Oh quale apporta all’anima
3’26
Recitative – Il Re, Il Duca, Il Conte, Il Paggio
Duca, è così?...
2’16
Recitative – Il Duca, Il Conte, Il Paggio
Voi non seguite il Re?
1’35
Cavatina – La Contessa
Aria – Ah! ti ottenni alfin
2’19
Cabaletta – Donzelle, se vi stimola
3’30
Recitative – La Contessa, Il Duca
Quest’è l’anello...
1’52
Duetto – La Contessa, Il Paggio, Il Duca
Signore, a dirvi il vero
3’52
Che siete una sciocca
2’15
Quante son delle civette
3’16
Recitative – Il Conte, La Contessa, Il Duca
Oh! Duca, mi rallegro!...
1’50
Canzonetta del Paggio, Coro
Vieni, e narra o bel paggetto
1’59
E’ una giovane straniera...
1’00
-6-
Page
53
53
55
60
61
61
63
66
66
67
69
71
74
75
80
80
Dur
[17] Che dan vita ad ogni festa
1’47
Recitative – Il Paggio, Il Conte, Il Re, Il Duca
[18] Edmondo?... Edmondo?...
3’51
Terzetto – Il Re, Il Conte, La Contessa
[19] Vi presento, o Baronessa
4’04
[20] Stretta – Questo acciar che il Sovrano vi affida
3’59
Recitative, Romanza – Il Duca
[21] Ve’ come il Conte segue al gran Tornéo
0’50
[22] Donne, che ognor più bella
4’23
Marcia – Coro
[23] La vaga straniera
2’41
Finale – Il Paggio, Il Conte, Il Duca, La Contessa, Il Re
[24] Scena – Ma via rasserenatevi...
2’23
[25] Marcia (reprise)
0’52
[26] Recitativo – Or sia l’opra appien compita
0’48
[27] Cantabile – Fausto sempre splenda il Sole
4’09
[28] Rondo – Per voi di gelosia
4’19
The performing edition for this recording was made by
Patric Schmid and Robert Roberts
from a copy of Donizetti’s autograph manuscript.
This manuscript is in the library of San Pietro a Majella at the
Conservatory of Music, Naples
-7-
Page
81
82
87
90
91
93
93
94
97
97
99
102
Antonello Allemandi
FRANCESCA DI FOIX
MOST OF US are so accustomed to finding operas with titles like Lucia di
Lammermoor, Rosmonda d’Inghilterra, Beatrice di Tenda, Elena da Feltre and
Emma d’Antiochia that, encountering for the first time one of Donizetti’s
least-known works, Francesca di Foix, we may be forgiven if we expect yet
another romantic tragedy, with the heroine eventually expiring either in an
effusion of elegiac lyricism or in a paroxysm of impassioned protest!
But the libretto of Francesca di Foix came from the pen of Domenico
Gilardoni, perhaps not one of the most able but certainly one of the more
imaginative, exploratory and eagerly experimental of Donizetti’s librettists;
and the text that he supplied on this occasion quite simply defeats all
expectation. Described in the printed text as a melodramma, it turns out to
be an opera semiseria rather than a tragedia lirica, and, what is even more
remarkable, a witty and often wry little satirical comedy. Donizetti himself
defines it, on the first page of his autograph score, as a melodramma giocoso,
‘a comic (‘jocular’) melodrama’. It is a salutory lesson for jealous husbands
who, far from trusting their wives, try to restrict their favours to themselves
by keeping them shut up at home away from public notice and the gaze
of prying eyes. It was, for 1831, a highly unusual choice of subject,
much more French than Italian in its intellectual climate, and there is no
denying that the resulting opera remains a quirky odd-man-out in
Donizetti’s output.
–9–
LUIGIA
BOCCABADATI-GAZZUOLI
The first Francesca
This soprano is remembered
mainly as a Donizetti interpreter.
She sang in many of his operas
throughout her career. This work
with the composer began in
Naples where she created five
of his operas:
1829
Il castello di Kenilworth
1830
I pazzi per progetto
Il diluvio universale
1831
Francesca di Foix
La romanzesca e l’uomo nero
Originally conceived under what may well strike us as the more
appropriate title of Il paggio e l’anello (‘The Page and the Ring’), it was based
on a French opéra-comique libretto, Françoise de Foix, written by Bouilly
and Dupaty and set by Berton in 1809. Quite apart from its setting at a
Renaissance French court, the wit, urbanity and pithy concision of the
dialogue – the thrust and parry of repartee as the characters size each other
up – unmistakably proclaim its French origins. The King who presides over
the action is, intriguingly, almost certainly the same François Ier (14941547) who was 21 years later to be the original of the Duke of Mantova in
Verdi’s Rigoletto. But if Victor Hugo shows us his supercilious and
inconsiderate libertarianism, Gilardoni shows us a rather more scrupulous
and benevolent figure, still a man of intrigue, flirtation and gallantry, but
ultimately also a king who is concerned for the happiness and well-being of
those around him. At the end of the opera Francesca pays tribute to him in
these words:
Per voi di gelosia
Son frante le catene;
Per voi godrò d’un bene,
Che mai potea sperar!
COUNTESS
to the King
With your help the chains
Of jealousy have been broken;
With your help I shall enjoy a benefit
Which I could never previously have
hoped for!
–11–
They are sentiments which, appropriate here, would be inconceivable in
the context of Rigoletto. Two fascinatingly different portraits, therefore, of
the same figure, a figure whom history records as the archetypal Renaissance
king, a man of cultivated intelligence, with a sincere passion for and
appreciation of letters and art, but also a man of innumerable dalliances and
amatory peccadilloes.
There is no denying that Francesca di Foix was a slightly odd subject for
an opera, but as some of the above remarks will suggest, it was by no means
unsuited to delicately and wittily nuanced treatment and intimate
presentation. Yet was this the right subject for Donizetti in 1831? Only a
few months earlier, on 26 December 1830, he had scored a momentous
success with Anna Bolena in Milan. The success had been so great that it
had altered the opinion of his music hitherto held by some of Italy’s most
influential critics, and had opened up new horizons for him: indeed the
years from 1830 to 1838 were to see a succession of remarkable tragedie
liriche, showing his powers at their most sensitive and lyrical: Parisina
(Florence, 1833), Lucrezia Borgia (Milan, 1833), Rosmonda d’Inghilterra
(Florence, 1834), Maria Stuarda (composed for Naples in 1834 but given
in Milan at the end of 1835), Gemma di Vergy (Milan, 1834), Marino
Faliero (Paris, 1835), Lucia di Lammermoor (Naples, 1835), Belisario
(Venice, 1836), Pia de’ Tolomei (Venice, 1837), Roberto Devereux (Naples,
1837) and Poliuto (composed for Naples in 1838, but not seen in Italy until
ten years later, Naples 1848). Placed alongside these soon-to-follow tragic
operas, Francesca di Foix looks more quirky than ever: an oddity the like of
–12–
which Donizetti was never to tackle again after the death of Gilardoni late
in this same year, 1831. We should probably be justified if we were to see
both this opera and the farsa which followed it, La romanzesca e l’uomo nero,
primarily as attempts to fulfil – in the quickest and easiest manner possible
– the requirements of a long-standing but increasingly irksome contract
with the impresario Domenico Barbaja. In the words of William Ashbrook,
‘Both [these operas] seem to express Donizetti’s desire to wind up this phase
of his Neapolitan career with the minimum exertion.’1 The fact that there
is not a single reference to Francesca di Foix in the composer’s collected
correspondence would seem to confirm that he probably entertained but
scant regard for it.
If we are justified, then, in doubting whether Francesca di Foix was the
right subject for Donizetti at this time, we may also query whether it was a
suitable choice for Naples in the intellectual climate of 1831. Ferdinando
II, the young, diffident and excessively earnest king of Naples, had come to
the throne in 1830, and in 1832 he was to marry Maria Cristina of Savoy,
a princess whose nun-like devotions were rapidly to make the court
resemble a cloister. Her influence led the censorship of the day to embark
upon a strict and most unsmiling castigation of morals: ballet dancers were
no longer permitted to appear in scanty and diaphanous costumes; subjects
such as incest and suicide were all but banished from the stage; and even
such a faintly risqué and titillating subject as Francesca di Foix would have
_________________________________
1
William Ashbrook, Donizetti and his Operas (1982), p. 68.
–13–
been considered meretricious and erring towards the immoral. Permitted in
1831, it could well have been prohibited by the censors of 1832 or 1833.
The fortunes of the opera were, moreover, certainly not helped by the fact
that it was composed for performance at the Teatro S. Carlo, the great royal
theatre of Naples, on the name-day of the new king on 30 May 1831.
Many established composers tried to avoid composing for gala occasions
such as this, for they knew full well that precious little attention would be
paid to their music. There are several instances on record of occasions when
impresarios were reduced to engaging inexperienced – and in the event, all
too often inept – composers to write for royal galas; and the texts chosen
were not infrequently short one-acters, slight of proportion and therefore as
undemanding as possible in their demands upon the audience’s powers of
concentration. But in this instance it was not only the occasion that was
unpropitious: so, too, was the actual theatre. As the press reviews that
followed the premiere made clear, the work was lost in the wastes of a vast
auditorium. The critic of the official Giornale del Regno delle Due Sicilie
(9 June 1831) remarked that it ‘seemed too small for the Teatro S. Carlo’,
while one of the many more ephemeral journals of Naples, Il Caffè del Molo
(Anno 1831, no. 36), advised the impresario of the S. Carlo ‘to make a
present of this melodramma to his colleague of the Teatro Nuovo’, a
minuscule theatre by comparison with either of the two royal theatres of
Naples, the S. Carlo and the Fondo. After two performances it was in fact
transferred to the Fondo, a considerably more intimate auditorium, where,
we are assured by yet another journal, L’Indifferente (July 1831), ‘it met with
–14–
ANTONIO TAMBURINI
Creator of the role of Il Re
A voice of great beauty and
flexibility combined with an
appealing stage presence made
this outstanding baritone an
essential part of these Donizetti
premieres:
Chiara e Serafina – 1822
L’ajo nell’ imbarazzo – 1824
Alahor in Granata – 1826
Le regina di Golconda – 1828
Gianni da Calais – 1828
Francesca di Foix – 1831
La romanzesca e l’uomo nero –
1831
Fausta – 1832
Marino Falliero – 1835
Don Pasquale – 1843
a better reception than upon the stage of the S. Carlo’. The Fondo would,
indeed, have been a kinder venue right from the start. Yet after only two
performances there, it was – for reasons unknown – taken back to the
S. Carlo. There it survived for another three performances, almost certainly
all ill-attended and unappreciated, before being finally and definitively
withdrawn from the boards. A total of only seven performances, therefore,
of which five were given in the larger and less appropriate theatre…
This confusion and unfortunate choice of venue was all the more
regrettable since the opera would seem to have been interpreted by a strong
cast. All the evidence suggests that Luigia Boccabadati would have been an
ideal Contessa Francesca. Aged about 30, she is believed to have made her
debut about the year 1817, but really made her mark when she returned to
Italy in 1823 from an engagement in Munich. Now at the height of her
powers, she was one of two reigning divas in Naples, vying for the favour of
the public with Adelaide Tosi. And whereas Tosi concentrated upon opera
seria to the exclusion of opera buffa, Boccabadati had established her
reputation in her early years in comic opera, and was now equally at home
in either genre. Described as dry and dark of complexion, she was a spry
little woman with a great sense of humour and a winning personality,
who would have relished the spirited role of the Countess, handling its
dramatic demands with aplomb and tossing off her roulades with
confidence and agility.
Singing opposite her as the King was Antonio Tamburini, overshadowed
in Naples through having to follow in the wake of Luigi Lablache, but
–16–
nevertheless one of the greatest of all Italian bass-baritones of the 19thcentury, famous for his good looks, the natural flexibility of his voice and
his perfect intonation. His wife, Marietta Gioja-Tamburini, the daughter of
the noted choreographer Gaetano Gioja, was cast as the page Edmondo,
and Lorenzo Bonfigli, a tenor of whom we have had occasion to speak when
introducing Mercadante’s Zaira and Federico Ricci’s La prigione di
Edimburgo, as the Duke. The all-important part of the jealous husband, the
Count, was taken by Giovanni Battista Campagnoli, a bass or bass-baritone
who was active at the S. Carlo and the Fondo from 1828 until 1832,
creating for Donizetti the roles of Akebare in the ill-fated Il Paria (1829),
and the Colonnello in Il giovedì grasso (1829). Other operas in which he
performed included Vaccaj’s Giovanna d’Arco, Julius Benedict’s I Portoghesi
in Goa, Rossini’s Le comte Ory and Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi.
Despite this far-from-ignominious career, he remains the most obscure and
elusive member of the cast.
The extraordinary thing about the reviews of the production, most of
them woefully short on detail, is that with only one exception they make
no mention of the singers’ performances whatsoever. The one exception was
L’Indifferente, and even it confined itself, after remarking that the opera
made a better impression at the Fondo than in the S. Carlo, to a single
sentence:
There [i.e. at the Fondo] Tamburini’s aria, sung with grace and
skill, and Signora Boccabadati’s cavatina were applauded; the rest
was heard with pleasure.
–17–
Regretfully, we must reconcile ourselves to the fact that we are dealing
with an opera which caused scarcely a ripple of lasting interest, and which,
after its meagre run, sank without trace. The music publisher Guglielmo
Cottrau summed up public reaction in a letter presumably written late at
night after the premiere, since it bears the same date, 30 May 1831:
For the King’s gala they gave Donizetti’s Francesca di Foix: be it
said between us, its music is very feeble.
There is also one piece of indirect evidence which would suggest that
Donizetti himself entertained qualified feelings regarding the opera’s
viability. In 1839, when another of his minor (and at that stage suppressed)
works, Gianni di Parigi, was given an unauthorised first performance in
Milan, it was reported in the press that one person in the audience, an
unnamed friend of the composer, remembered hearing him frequently say:
‘Perform all my Operas, except Francesca di Foix, Rosamonda [sic], and
Gianni di Parigi.’ While it is difficult to account for his including Rosmonda
d’Inghilterra in this short list, the mention of Francesca will admit of two
interpretations. Fifty years ago, before the Donizetti revival really got under
way, it would certainly have been construed as an indication that he was left
disillusioned by the scant success of the work and had but little opinion of
it. Nowadays, by contrast, we would be inclined to look at the matter rather
more analytically. As we shall see later in this introduction, he resorted, in
the years following the opera’s brief life in Naples, to using the score as a
mine from which to draw items and ideas for subsequent works. The fact
–18–
that so much of the score was recycled in this way would almost certainly
have left him feeling that, in a musical and theatrical world where audiences
were eager to pounce upon reminiscences and self-borrowings, Francesca
was compromised: it was no longer a work that could stand, and be
regarded as valid, on its own. In support of this latter interpretation we
would contend that the very fact that he was prepared to re-use so much of
the music argues a regard, rather than a disregard, for its intrinsic value.
Indeed, how justified do we find the generally adverse and dismissive
reaction that greeted Francesca di Foix upon its first appearance? Though
understandable in the intellectual climate of the day, it would seem to us
one of the minor tragedies of theatrical history – certainly of Donizetti’s
theatrical career – since, produced in a small theatre before a more worldly
and sophisticated audience, it could have been recognised as a sparkling
gem of impish satirical wit.
*
*
*
*
We have mentioned that Domenico Gilardoni was one of the more
imaginative, exploratory and experimental of Donizetti’s librettists. Even if
his lines are often awkward of expression, and not always euphonious to the
ear, his work is for several reasons deserving of greater study than has
hitherto been accorded it. For he was willing to tackle a wider range of
subjects than most of his contemporaries; he brought to them a lively and
sensitive feeling for construction and stagecraft; and he was able to match
the diversity of his subjects with an appropriate diversity of writing styles.
–19–
MARIETTA
GIOJA-TAMBURINI
Created the Page, Edmondo
The daughter of the
choreographer Ferdinando Gioja
and wife of the baritone
Antonio Tamburini, this contralto
sang in three Donizetti premieres:
Chiara e Serafina –
La Scala, 1822
Alahor in Granata –
Palermo, 1826
Francesca di Foix –
San Carlo, 1831
as well as
Mercadante –
Maria Stuart –
Bologna, 1822
Conti –
Giovanna Shore –
La Scala, 1822
His choice of subjects, for example, can range from the tragic (Il paria
and Fausta), through the romantic (Otto mesi in due ore), the biblical
(Il diluvio universale) and the semi-serious (Gianni di Calais), to the satirical
(Francesca di Foix and La romanzesca e l’uomo nero), the comic
(Il borgomastro di Saardam) and the farcical (Il giovedì grasso and
I pazzi per progetto).
His command of styles is similarly broad. Il paria and Il diluvio universale,
for example, show that in moments of heightened dramatic interest,
particularly in recitatives, he can achieve a passionate intensity and sincerity
of expression which make him a worthy successor of Metastasio and a
precursor of Cammarano. At the other end of the scale we would draw
attention to his text for the present opera: to the way, in the first tableau
(scene six), the Duke plays upon the Countess’s feminine vanity and
virtually piques her into allowing herself to be presented at court; to the
masterly manner in which they together handle – and admonish – the
Count in the following short scene; and, in the second tableau, to the
pointed, playful wit with which the page Edmondo prevaricates and parries
enquiry when the courtiers seek to sift him for intelligence concerning the
newly arrived and mysterious Countess:
E’ una giovane straniera...
E’ straniera...
PAGE
She is a young foreigner –
CHORUS
She’s a foreigner...
–21–
Che più tardi ognun vedrà;
Come fior di primavera
Fresca ride in lei beltà:
Se il suo nome è falso o no,
V’ha del dubbio, non si sa;
S’ella è nubile, o sposò,
E’ un’arcana verità!
Quel ch’è certo, divertir
Il Sovrano si potrà!
Ma il perchè?...
Non si può dir.
Ma tu il sai...
Da me si sa...
Che dan vita ad ogni festa
Due vaghissime pupille,
Come stille di ruggiada,
Che ravvivan prato e fior!
PAGE
Whom everyone will see in due
course;
As in a spring flower,
Her beauty sits fresh upon her:
But whether her name is true or false,
There’s some doubt, indeed no
knowing;
And whether she’s married or single
Is a truth still to be revealed!
The one thing that’s certain: the King
Is going to amuse himself!
CHORUS
But what’s the reason behind it all?...
PAGE
One cannot say.
CHORUS
But you’re in the know...
PAGE
From me you may learn...
That her two most fetching eyes
Lend life to every party,
Just like two drops of dew,
That revive both field and flower!
–22–
We have mentioned that Francesca di Foix is described in the printed
libretto as a melodramma and is, in fact, an opera semiseria. It is not,
however, a typical opera semiseria in which one comic character – in this case
the jealous Count – is introduced into an otherwise serious action.
Donizetti’s definition of it as a melodramma giocoso places it, instead, in a
much smaller category of operas in which the entire subject – action and
characters – hovers in a middle region between the serious and the comic.
The Count is certainly a comic figure, but an uncomfortably wry one: a
would-be serious figure who finds himself subjected to embarrassment and
ridicule. And the manner in which the King, the Page, the Duke and
ultimately the Countess are all willing to enter into the mischievous plot
which has been woven against him places them, too, in this middle ground.
They are serious characters who have become involved in a comic ruse. A
sensitive director should, we believe, try to achieve an appropriate sense of
poise, and show us serious characters who, a little uncharacteristically and
unexpectedly, are on holiday – on a spree salutory in purpose and not
without a twinge of malice. Such a ‘job description’, we would also suggest,
in no way limits a director’s freedom to experiment with the degree to
which any of the characters should remain serious or veer towards the
comic. We may note that in the present performance the limited ability, real
or assumed, of the Count to roll his r’s is put to good effect, and becomes
a way of characterising him and rendering him pompous and ineffectual.
A similarly subtle ambiguity surrounds the King. How is one meant to
play his first entrance? He proclaims himself the ‘benevolent’ monarch. Do
–23–
we take him seriously, and play him absolutely straight, or is Gilardoni,
behind this regal posturing, introducing the lightest touch of satirical
mockery?
The possible ambivalence of interpretation which can be brought to
many moments of the opera make it, we believe, much more suited to the
intellectual climate of our own 21st century than to the world of Naples in
1831. Given a subtle interpretation, poised between the serious and the
satirical, Francesca di Foix is an opera which could well today capture the
imagination of audiences and score the success that so conspicuously eluded
it when it was first created.
A first attempt to revive it – the first attempt since its creation in 1831 –
took place on 17 March 1982, when Opera Rara presented it in London at
the Camden Festival, conducted by David Parry, with Gillian Sullivan as
Francesca, Russell Smythe as the King, Donald Maxwell as the Count,
Kevin John as the Duke and Della Jones as the Page. On that occasion it
was given in English, in a witty translation by Don White. Well received
though the production was, amply justifying Don White’s confidence that
that the score would reveal a spirited vitality, we must admit that his
interpretation turned the action into burlesque and did not aim at the
subtlety and poise to which we have referred. Francesca di Foix still awaits a
revival which seeks to discover and respect the true semiserious nature of
the original.
*
*
*
–24–
*
And how did Donizetti manage the delicate balancing act between the
serious and the comic? To what extent was he able to capture in his music
the sly satiric tone of the words? Perhaps it would be asking too much to
expect him to have produced a masterpiece in this score – perhaps it would
have needed a Rossini, or in different times and in a different country a
Chabrier, a Ravel or a Poulenc, to have succeeded as subtly and as wittily as
we could wish. But Donizetti’s solutions to the challenges offered him by
the libretto are nonetheless, we believe, of considerable interest and add up
to a very considerable achievement.
His overall solution is to treat the libretto primarily as comedy. None of
the characters – neither the King nor the Duke nor the Countess – rises to,
or indeed aims at, the heights of imposing utterance that we should expect
in an opera seria. As one item follows another, we are everywhere, we feel,
in a world that is much closer to comedy than to serious opera.
But it is not simply a case of adopting a comic approach. Everywhere in
this score the composer writes with a delicacy and a point which show that
he is doing his utmost to achieve the right nuance and the appropriate
colouring. His orchestra is the normal theatrical orchestra of the time, and
he uses it, to all outward intents and purposes, in a perfectly normal
manner. Yet brass and percussion instruments are used sparingly. Horns, in
particular, may appropriately establish the royal hunt at the beginning of
the opera, and the full orchestra is used to convey the pageantry of the
tournament and the presence of the full court at the end. But for much of
–25–
the opera, we feel, the burden of the orchestration falls upon the strings and
the woodwind. The lightness of the filigree work assigned to the woodwind,
especially, bestows an elegance and a courtliness upon the score. It is almost
as if the woodwind writing becomes an aural counterpart of Renaissance
manners and of the jewel-encrusted silks and brocades of Renaissance
costumes. The clearest way of illustrating this is to direct the listener to a
passage we already know well from a different context: the chorus for the
courtiers which opens the second tableau, and which we know better as the
introductory chorus to Act I of L’elisir d’amore. Though the music is the
same, there are variants in the instrumentation. It is not a case of one being
better than the other. Rather it is a case of each being adapted to a different
context. In L’elisir d’amore the use of a drone adapts it to a rustic setting; in
Francesca di Foix the writing for the woodwind gives it a more elegant,
mischievous and lively character.
In one passage after another in this opera there is a piquancy of detail
which shows us a new and aurally sensitive Donizetti. There is a very short
but delicate and delicious postlude to the opening chorus; the duet for the
Duke and the Page has a distinctly unusual and witty cabaletta; the King’s
cavatina is marked by a disarmingly suave elegance; the cabaletta to
Francesca’s aria may have plenty of pyrotechnics, but it is almost more
French than Italianate in its lightness of touch, closer to Auber than to
Rossini.
–26–
And so one could go on. The duet for the Countess and the Duke
develops in a way that is not even suggested in the original libretto. After
the Duke has rehearsed the description of Francesca that has been bruited
about the court by the Count, she incredulously repeats his words – a
repetition that Gilardoni did not envisage – and invites and receives
confirmation of all that has already been said. There is a wit at work here
which is wholly Donizetti’s own.
Let us add that Donizetti, never one to let effective music go to waste, did
not hesitate to draw upon earlier works when composing Francesca di Foix,
and, following its rapid demise, to uplift parts of it for transfer to later
operas. William Ashbrook has pointed out that the Duke’s aria, ‘Donne,
che ognor più bella’, was almost certainly borrowed from some earlier
context, as yet unidentified, since there are, in Donizetti’s manuscript
(preserved in the library of S. Pietro a Majella, the Naples Conservatorium
of Music), changes in its text and its key which show that it has been
modified to accommodate it to this new situation. The text for which the
music was originally composed began ‘Questo la vaga intorno…’
There are numerous instances of passages from this score transferred into
later operas. The music which accompanies the first appearance of the
Count subsequently appeared in two later works: as the opening movement
of the first finale in Ugo conte di Parigi, and in exactly the same situation in
Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo. The phrase which a little later
accompanies the King’s departure for the Palace turns up again in Lucrezia
–27–
Borgia. As already mentioned, the melody of the courtiers’ chorus, ‘Vieni, e
narra, o bel paggetto’, which opens the second tableau, was used again, a
year later, as the introductory chorus, ‘Bel conforto al mietitore’, in L’elisir
d’amore; while Edmondo’s song which immediately follows, ‘E’ una giovane
straniera’, develops into a staccato theme which later reappeared in the
women’s chorus, ‘Saria possibile?’, in Act II of the same opera. The music
of the chorus, ‘La vaga straniera’, here for men only – music to which, a
little later, Francesca girds the King with the victor’s sword – reappears in
L’elisir d’amore as the opening chorus of Act II, ‘Cantiamo, facciam
brindisi’.
A particularly intriguing instance of self-borrowing arises in connection
with the aria finale, which, unusually, is divided between two characters,
the King singing the slow section, and the Countess Francesca the cabaletta.
The words of the slow section are identical to those which were printed in
the libretto of another Donizetti opera, Gianni di Parigi, when that opera
was eventually given a first (unauthorised) production in Milan in 1839.
This suggests that, as Donizetti composed Gianni di Parigi, it shared the
same aria finale with Francesca. It is, however, unfortunately impossible to
be absolutely certain of this, since, when we consult Donizetti’s autograph
score of Gianni, preserved in the library of the Naples Conservatorium, S.
Pietro a Majella, we find that, interspersed in a score which is
predominantly autograph, there are pages where other hands have added or
substituted new music, not necessarily by Donizetti at all. This is exactly
what happens when we reach the aria finale. Instead of ‘Fausto sempre’ (the
–28–
words of the first libretto and of the aria finale in Francesca), we have a new
aria of doubtful authenticity, in a hand that is not Donizetti’s. Even
assuming that, as Donizetti originally wrote the opera, the aria finale was
indeed ‘Fausto sempre’, we are still left with an unanswerable conundrum.
Gianni di Parigi is known to have been composed about the same time as
Francesca di Foix. But which came first? Is this an aria which was composed
for Francesca and then transferred to Gianni? Or vice versa? Put it another
way, which was the chicken and which the egg?2
It could well be that there are many other examples of self-borrowing
beyond those just listed. Donizetti was an inveterate self-borrower, and
until his entire oeuvre has been studied and catalogued, including all his
little-known early works, the many revisions he brought to works after they
had been produced, and the handful of scores which he left incomplete and
unperformed, we can never be certain that in any one work we have traced
all examples. But this is a task for scholars of the future…
_________________________________
2
It is worth adding that ‘Fausto sempre’ was published in Paris (with the same cabaletta as in
Francesca di Foix) ‘as sung by Boccabadati’. But unfortunately no opera is mentioned. Is this
the aria finale of Francesca (which Boccabadati created), or is it conceivably the aria finale of
Gianni di Parigi (which Boccabadati may have introduced into other contexts)? In this version
she appears to sing both slow section and cabaletta – it is not an aria shared with another
character, as in Francesca. Though, on balance, we feel that the existence of this published
version probably supports the theory that the aria was first written for Francesca, it does not
provide conclusive proof.
-29-
A new Donizetti? That is probably an exaggeration. We would probably
do better to regard this opera, and La romanzesca e l’uomo nero, as marking
a temporary farewell to the comedies composed during the 1820s. But both
operas nevertheless show us an extremely accomplished Donizetti who has
achieved the unexpected – achieved such a degree of subtlety that he adds
a new dimension to our appreciation of him as a composer. Guglielmo
Cottrau may have dismissed the score as ‘very feeble’, but he would have
done better, we may well think, to have listened rather more attentively and
sympathetically before betraying his own limitations.
© Jeremy Commons, 2004
-30-
THE KING
Pietro Spagnoli
THE STORY
SCENE 1
In a spot set aside for hunting, close to the Palace of the Louvre, peasants
are gathered to greet their King. The Duke and the Page, Edmondo, also
appear, for it is here that they hope to meet Francesca, the Countess of Foix,
Edmondo’s cousin. The Count, her husband, has proved so jealous and
possessive that he has been holding her a virtual prisoner, shut away from
the world, but the King, the Duke and Edmondo have concocted a plot to
release her. They have managed to duplicate the Count’s ring, briefly
removed from his hand while he was asleep, and have sent her the duplicate
in her husband’s name, instructing her to come to court. Edmondo insists
that she is a model of beauty and winning ways, even though the Count, to
avoid having to present her at court, has given out that she is ill-favoured,
misshapen and coarse, ‘uglier than any harpy’.
The Count, recently appointed Master of the King’s Hunt, rejoices in his
demanding duties, but laments that they necessitate his leaving his wife at
home on her own – a cause for concern in a world in which he believes the
worst of all his fellow-men.
The King acknowledges the acclamations of his subjects and flatters the
Count, assuring him that a propitious day is dawning for him. He then
dismisses the peasants and himself returns to the Palace, but not before
whispering to the Duke that, the moment Francesca appears, he should
conduct her to court and place her in the care of his sister. The Count
departs to attend to his duties, and the Duke and Edmondo mount a
nearby hill to see if there is any sign of Francesca’s approach.
–32–
Francesca has, in fact, arrived by a different route. She makes her entry,
rejoicing in her new-found liberty but mystified that her jealous husband
should so unexpectedly have changed his mind and summoned her to join
him. The Duke and Edmondo, returning, greet her. Edmondo goes to
inform the King of her arrival, and the Duke admits that it was the Page
and the King who sent her the ring, not her husband. He is unable to
explain further, since it is the King who has masterminded the plot and who
alone knows its details. Francesca is in two minds whether to stay or
whether to return to her prison, but when she hears that her husband has
reported her ‘a silly goose, a yokel, and mannerless… foul and lame’, she is
quite sufficiently piqued to be eager for revenge.
Before they can proceed to court the Count returns. Francesca hastily
covers her face with a veil and is presented to him as the Baroness of
Linsberg, the Duke’s widowed cousin who has arrived from England.
Although her stature and voice arouse the Count’s suspicions, he can only
hope that he will have an opportunity of ascertaining her true identity at
court, whither they all depart.
SCENE 2
In the royal apartments in the Louvre, the courtiers try to sift the Page for
information concerning the mysterious new arrival, but Edmondo parries
their enquiries, declaring only that it is the King’s intention to amuse
himself. He is also tackled by the Count, frustrated since he has had no
chance of seeing the lady’s face, even though he grows ever more suspicious
that she is really his wife.
–33–
The King instructs Edmondo to inform the lady that he wishes to make
her acquaintance and conduct her to a tournament which is about to take
place. She appears, with both the King and the Count vying with each other
– for different reasons – to behold her. It is a moment of supreme – and
supremely comic – climax. The King takes delight in presenting Francesca,
with exaggerated courtesy, to the Count. She plays up to the situation,
commiserating with the Count that his wife should be ‘oppressed in years…
a compendium of all ills’, and graciously enquiring after her health. The
Count himself writhes in agony, recognising her yet unable, after all he has
said, to claim her as his wife.
A trumpet call announces the Tournament. The King asks the Countess
to accept the task of presenting his sword to the victor. She, in turn, seeks
to mollify her husband – or perhaps to goad him still further – by exhorting
him to contest the prize and prove himself first in the field. And he can only
regret that advancing age precludes the possibility of his fulfilling her
wishes. All depart except for the Duke, who lingers a moment to admit that
he would probably be just as jealous as the Count, were he himself blessed
with such a wife.
SCENE 3
The tournament ground outside the Louvre, where the jousting has just
concluded. While all comment on Francesca’s charm and beauty, Edmondo
continues to taunt the Count who, tortured and miserable since he no
longer has any doubts regarding her identity, wonders whether he will ever
succeed in recovering her.
–34–
THE PAGE
Jennifer Larmore
Francesca asks the identity of the unknown knight who has won the
tournament, and it is revealed that it is none other than the King himself.
She girds him with the victor’s sword, and he, in turn, expresses a wish to
see her joined in marriage with someone who has long admired her: the
Duke. She consents, but only upon condition that he will not prove as
jealous as her previous husband, whom she describes as deceased. As the
King gives them his blessing and is about to unite them, it all becomes too
much for the Count, who protests that the lady is his wife. He is obliged to
eat humble pie, and confess that all he has said about her was a lie.
The Page explains the mystery of the duplicated ring, and the opera ends
upon a note of celebration as all hope that the Count has learned his lesson
and will, in future, show the fair sex greater respect and prove less jealous
and severe.
© Jeremy Commons, 2004
–36–
RÉSUMÉ DE L’INTRIGUE
SCÈNE 1
Sur un terrain réservé à la chasse, près du palais du Louvre, des paysans se
sont réunis pour saluer le roi. Le duc et le page Edmondo se présentent en
ce lieu dans l’espoir d’y rencontrer Francesca, cousine d’Edmondo et
comtesse de Foix. Le comte, son époux, est si jaloux et possessif qu'il la
retient pratiquement prisonnière, à l’écart du monde. Aussi le roi, le duc et
Edmondo ont-ils conçu ensemble un plan pour lui rendre la liberté. Ils ont
réussi à faire faire un double de la chevalière du comte – qu’on lui a
brièvement ôté du doigt pendant son sommeil –, et se sont servi de ce
double pour mander la comtesse à la cour. Edmondo n’a que louanges pour
la beauté et le charme de sa cousine, que le comte, pour éviter de présenter
son épouse à la cour, a décrite comme une femme déplaisante, difforme et
vulgaire, « plus laide qu’une harpie ».
Le comte, récemment nommé Grand Maître d’équipage par le roi, se
félicite de s’être vu confier cette tâche difficile, mais se désole d’avoir à
laisser sa femme seule en province – inquiétude d’autant plus grande pour
lui qu’il pense le pire de tout le monde.
Le roi répond aux acclamations de ses sujets et flatte le comte en
l’assurant de sa bonne fortune. Il congédie ensuite les paysans et rentre au
palais, non sans avoir ordonné à voix basse au duc de faire conduire
Francesca à la cour, dès son arrivée, et de la confier à sa propre sœur. Le
comte quitte la scène pour aller remplir ses fonctions, tandis que le duc et
Edmondo se rendent au sommet d’une proche colline pour voir approcher
Francesca.
–37–
En fait, Francesca est arrivée par un autre chemin. Heureuse de sa liberté
retrouvée, elle se demande toutefois pourquoi son jaloux mari a si
brusquement changé d’avis et l’a fait mander. Le duc et Edmondo viennent
la saluer. Edmondo va prévenir le roi de l’arrivée de Francesca, tandis que le
duc lui avoue que c’est le page et le souverain qui lui ont envoyé la
chevalière, et non pas son mari. Il n’en sait guère plus car c’est le roi qui a
dirigé le complot et lui seul en connaît les détails. Partagée, Francesca ne sait
pas si elle doit rester ou retourner à sa prison, mais lorsqu’on lui dit que son
mari la traite publiquement de « dinde, de péquenaude et de rustre…
immonde et boiteuse », elle est suffisamment piquée dans son amourpropre pour vouloir se venger.
Le comte revient avant qu’ils n’aient pu se rendre à la cour. Francesca se
voile rapidement le visage pour ne pas être reconnue et le duc la présente
comme sa cousine la baronne de Linsberg, veuve arrivée d’Angleterre. Bien
que son apparence et sa voix éveillent les soupçons du comte, il n’a pour seul
espoir que de pouvoir s’assurer de sa véritable identité une fois à la cour, vers
laquelle ils se dirigent ensemble.
SCÈNE 2
A l’intérieur des appartements royaux du Louvre, les courtisans essaient de
tirer des renseignements du page concernant la mystérieuse nouvellearrivée, mais Edmondo élude leurs questions en déclarant seulement que le
roi a l’intention de s’amuser. Il est aussi interrogé par le comte qui, frustré
de n’avoir pu voir le visage de la jeune femme, se doute de plus en plus qu’il
s’agit en fait de son épouse.
–38–
Le roi dit à Edmondo de faire savoir à la dame qu’il souhaite faire sa
connaissance et l’accompagner à un tournoi sur le point de commencer.
Lorsqu’elle fait son entrée, le roi et le comte essaient l’un et l’autre
désespérément, pour différentes raisons, de découvrir son visage. La scène
est d’une intensité dramatique – et d’un comique – absolument
extraordinaire. Le roi se délecte à présenter Francesca, avec une courtoisie
exagérée, au comte. Elle profite de la situation pour dire au comte combien
elle compatit d’apprendre que sa femme « accablée par l’âge … est bien mal
lotie », et s’enquiert aimablement de la santé de celle-ci. Le comte, quant à
lui, est à l’agonie : il reconnaît bien sa femme mais, après tout ce qu’il a dit
d’elle, se trouve dans l’incapacité de la réclamer.
Une trompette annonce le début du tournoi. Le roi prie la comtesse de
bien vouloir remettre son épée au vainqueur. De son côté, elle cherche à
apaiser son époux – ou peut-être à le provoquer davantage – en l’exhortant
à participer au tournoi et à faire ses preuves « dans le champ ». Il ne peut
que regretter que son âge avancé l’empêche de répondre à ses vœux. Tout le
monde quitte la scène sauf le duc, qui s’attarde un instant pour avouer que
s’il avait la bonne fortune d’avoir une telle femme, il se montrerait sans
doute aussi jaloux que le comte.
SCÈNE 3
Le terrain proche du Louvre où le tournoi vient de s’achever. Toute la cour
s’extasie sur le charme et la beauté de Francesca. Cependant, Edmondo
continue de tourmenter le malheureux comte, qui est au martyre : n’ayant
plus aucun doute sur l’identité de Francesca, il se demande s’il réussira
jamais à récupérer sa femme.
–39–
Francesca s’enquiert de l’identité du chevalier inconnu qui a remporté le
tournoi : il s’avère qu’il s’agit du roi en personne. Elle lui passe l’épée du
vainqueur à la ceinture et, en retour, il exprime le vœu de la voir épouser un
homme qui l’admire depuis longtemps : le duc. Elle consent, mais
seulement à condition qu’il ne fasse pas preuve à son endroit de la même
jalousie que feu son premier mari. Alors que le roi leur donne sa
bénédiction et s’apprête à les prononcer mari et femme, le comte incapable
de se retenir plus longtemps déclare en protestant que Francesca est son
épouse. Obligé de s'humilier en public, il avoue que tout ce qu’il a dit d’elle
était faux.
Le page explique le mystère de la chevalière, et l’opéra s’achève sur une
note réjouissante et l’espoir que le comte aura compris la leçon et
manifestera à l’avenir plus de respect pour le beau sexe, moins de jalousie et
plus de douceur.
© Jeremy Commons, 2004
–40–
THE DUKE
Bruce Ford
DIE HANDLUNG
1. SZENE
In einem Jagdgebiet in der Nähe des Louvre-Palasts haben Bauern sich
versammelt, um ihrem König zu huldigen. Auch der Herzog und der Page
Edmondo stellen sich ein, denn sie hoffen, hier Edmondos Kusine
Francesca zu treffen, die Gräfin von Foix. Der Graf, ihr Mann, ist derart
eifersüchtig und besitzergreifend, dass er sie praktisch als Gefangene der
Welt fern hält. Deshalb haben der König, der Herzog und Edmondo einen
Befreiungsplan geschmiedet. Es ist ihnen gelungen, den Ring des Grafen zu
kopieren, den sie ihm im Schlaf kurz vom Finger nahmen, und ließen
Francesca diese Kopie im Namen ihres Mannes bringen mit der
Aufforderung, bei Hofe zu erscheinen. Edmondo beteuert, dass sie der
Inbegriff von Schönheit und Liebreiz ist, obwohl der Graf sie als
verunstaltet und derb, „hässlicher als eine Hexe” bezeichnet, um sie nicht
bei Hof vorstellen zu müssen.
Der Graf, der vor kurzem zum Meister der königlichen Jagd ernannt
wurde, freut sich über diese anspruchsvolle Aufgabe, ist aber voll Sorge, weil
er seine Gemahlin alleine zu Hause lassen muss – und das in einer Welt, in
der er von seinen Mitmenschen stets das Schlimmste erwartet.
Der König nimmt die Huldigungen seiner Untertanen entgegen und
schmeichelt dem Grafen mit der Versicherung, dass ihm ein
verheißungsvoller Tag bevorstehe. Dann entlässt er die Bauern und kehrt
selbst zum Palast zurück, doch zuvor flüstert er dem Herzog zu, dass dieser
Francesca gleich nach ihrem Eintreffen zum Hof geleiten und der Obhut
–42–
seiner Schwester anvertrauen soll. Der Graf geht davon, um seinen
Aufgaben nachzukommen, während der Herzog und Edmondo auf einen
Hügel steigen, um nach Francesca Ausschau zu halten.
Diese hat jedoch einen anderen Weg genommen. Sie tritt auf und
frohlockt über ihre wiedergewonnene Freiheit, äußert aber auch Erstaunen,
dass ihr eifersüchtiger Gemahl so unvermittelt seine Meinung geändert und
sie zu sich an den Hof bestellt haben soll. Der Herzog und Edmondo
kehren zurück und heißen sie willkommen. Während Edmondo dem
König Bericht von Francescas Ankunft erstattet, klärt der Herzog sie auf,
dass nicht ihr Gemahl ihr den Ring hat zukommen lassen, sondern der Page
und der König. Weitere Erklärungen könne er ihr aber nicht geben, da der
König selbst den Plan ausgearbeitet habe und der Einzige sei, der ihn in
allen Einzelheiten kenne. Francesca ist unschlüssig, ob sie bleiben oder in
ihr Gefängnis zurückkehren soll, doch als sie erfährt, dass ihr Gemahl sie als
„dumme Gans, als Landpomeranze ohne jeden Benimm ... abscheulich und
lahm" bezeichnet hat, willigt sie aus Zorn in den Racheplan ein.
Doch bevor sie zum Hof aufbrechen können, kehrt der Graf zurück.
Rasch zieht Francesca einen Schleier vor ihr Gesicht und wird ihm als
Baroness von Linsberg vorgestellt, die verwitwete Kusine des Herzogs und
soeben aus England eingetroffen. Ob ihrer Gestalt und ihrer Stimme
schöpft der Graf sofort Verdacht und hofft, am Hof ihre wahre Identität
herausfinden zu können. Gemeinsam brechen sie dorthin auf.
2. SZENE
In den königlichen Gemächern im Louvre bedrängen die Höflinge den
Pagen nach Auskunft über die geheimnisvolle Dame, aber Edmondo wehrt
alle Fragen ab und erklärt nur, der König wolle unterhalten werden. Auch
–43–
der Graf dringt in ihn, denn bislang hatte er zu seinem Leidwesen noch
nicht die Gelegenheit, das Gesicht der Unbekannten zu sehen, auch wenn
sein Verdacht wächst, dass es sich bei ihr um seine Gemahlin handelt.
Der König trägt Edmondo auf, der Dame mitzuteilen, dass er ihre
Bekanntschaft zu machen und sie zu einem Turnier zu geleiten wünsche,
das in Kürze beginnen werde. Als sie erscheint, wetteifern sowohl der König
als auch der Graf darum, einen Blick auf ihr Gesicht zu werfen – allerdings
aus unterschiedlichen Gründen. Es ist ein höchst spannungsreicher und
ungemein komischer Moment.
Mit großem Vergnügen und übertriebener Höflichkeit stellt der König
Francesca dem Grafen vor. Sie spielt das Spiel formvollendet mit, bedauert
den Grafen, dass seine Gemahlin „fortgeschritten in Jahren ... ein Inbegriff
aller Übel” sei, und erkundigt sich angelegentlich nach ihrer Gesundheit.
Der Graf, der sie erkennt, doch nach allem, was er über sie verbreitet hat,
unmöglich als seine Gemahlin zu erkennen geben kann, durchleidet
Höllenqualen.
Ein Fanfarenstoß verkündet den Beginn des Turniers. Der König bittet
die Gräfin, dem Sieger am Ende sein Schwert zu überreichen. Sie ihrerseits
fordert ihren Gemahl auf – sei es, um ihn zu beschwichtigen, sei es, um ihn
noch mehr aufzustacheln –, um den Preis zu kämpfen und sich auf dem
Turnierfeld zu behaupten. Bedauernd muss er ablehnen und erklären, sein
vorgerücktes Alter gestatte ihm nicht, ihren Wunsch zu erfüllen. Alle treten
ab bis auf den Herzog, der einen Moment verweilt und gesteht, dass er
vermutlich ebenso eifersüchtig wäre wie der Graf, wenn ihm eine derartige
Gemahlin vergönnt wäre.
–44–
3. SZENE
Der Turnierplatz vor dem Louvre, wo der Kampf soeben zu Ende ging.
Während sich alle in Lobpreisungen über Francescas Liebreiz und
Schönheit ergehen, reizt Edmondo den Grafen immer mehr, der
mittlerweile keinerlei Zweifel mehr an der Identität der Dame hat, Qualen
aussteht und sich fragt, ob er sie wohl je wieder zur Seinen wird erklären
können.
Francesca erkundigt sich nach dem unbekannten Ritter, der soeben das
Turnier gewonnen hat, und erfährt, dass es niemand anderer ist als der
König selbst. Sie gürtet ihn mit dem Schwert des Siegers, und er spricht von
seinem Wunsch, sie mit einem Mann zu vermählen, der schon lange große
Bewunderung für sie hege: dem Herzog. Sie willigt ein, aber nur unter der
Bedingung, dass dieser nicht ebenso eifersüchtig sei wie ihr erster Gemahl,
der ihrer Auskunft nach verstorben sei. Während der König dem Paar
seinen Segen erteilt und sie gerade trauen will, platzt der Graf heraus, dass
es sich bei der Dame um seine Gemahlin handelt. So ist er gezwungen, zu
Kreuze zu kriechen und zu gestehen, dass er bislang nur Lügen über sie
verbreitet hat.
Der Page erklärt das Geheimnis des kopierten Rings, und die Oper endet
auf einer freudigen Note, denn alle hoffen, dass der Graf seine Lektion
gelernt hat und dem schwachen Geschlecht in Zukunft mehr Achtung
erweisen und sich weniger eifersüchtig und streng verhalten wird.
© Jeremy Commons, 2004
–45–
THE COUNT
Alfonso Antoniozzi
LA VICENDA
SCENA 1
In una riserva di caccia, vicino al palazzo del Louvre, i contadini sono
riuniti per salutare il loro re. Arrivano anche il Duca e il paggio Edmondo,
che sperano di incontrare qui Francesca, contessa di Foix e cugina di
Edmondo. Il conte suo marito è talmente geloso e possessivo da tenerla
praticamente prigioniera, lontana dal mondo, ma il Re, il Duca ed
Edmondo hanno architettato un piano per liberarla. Sono riusciti a creare
una copia dell’anello del Conte, sottraendolo momentaneamente a lui
mentre dormiva, e l’hanno inviata alla donna a nome del marito,
chiedendole di recarsi a corte. Edmondo insiste che la donna è un modello
di bellezza e modi seducenti, anche se il conte, per evitare di presentarla a
corte, ha fatto capire che è sgraziata, deforme e rozza, “brutta più di
un’arpia”.
Il Conte, di recente nominato capocaccia reale, è lieto dei suoi difficili
doveri, ma si lamenta perché lo costringono ad abbandonare sola in casa la
moglie; la cosa lo preoccupa, in un mondo in cui è impossibile fidarsi del
resto dell’umanità.
Il Re ascolta le acclamazioni dei sudditi e lusinga il conte, assicurandolo
che per lui questo è un giorno propizio. Poi licenzia i contadini e ritorna al
Palazzo, ma non prima di ordinare sottovoce al Duca di condurre a corte
Francesca, non appena sarà arrivata, e affidarla alle cure di sua sorella. Il
Conte si allontana per adempiere ai suoi compiti e il Duca ed Edmondo si
appostano su una collina vicina per spiare il sopraggiungere della donna.
–47–
In realtà Francesca è arrivata da un’altra strada. Entra, lieta della ritrovata
libertà, ma perplessa dell’inaspettato cambiamento d’idea del geloso marito
che le ha chiesto di raggiungerlo. Il Duca ed Edmondo, di ritorno, la
salutano. Edmondo va a informare il Re del suo arrivo e il Duca ammette
che sono stati il paggio e il re a inviarle l’anello, non il marito. Non è in
grado di spiegare altro: il piano è stato architettato dal sovrano, l’unico a
conoscerne i particolari. Francesca è combattuta e non sa se rimanere o
tornare alla sua prigione, ma quando viene a sapere che il marito l’ha
descritta come una donna brutta, sciocca e priva di buone maniere, è
sufficientemente risentita da volersi vendicare.
Prima che la donna possa proseguire verso la corte, ritorna il Conte.
Francesca si copre in fretta il viso con un velo e gli viene presentata con il
nome di Baronessa di Linsberg, una cugina del Duca vedova giunta
dall’Inghilterra. Sebbene la sua statura e la sua voce suscitino i sospetti del
Conte, l’uomo può solo augurarsi di avere una possibilità di accertare la sua
vera identità a corte e tutti si allontanano.
SCENA 2
Negli appartamenti reali del Louvre i cortigiani cercano di strappare al
Paggio informazioni sul misterioso nuovo arrivo, ma Edmondo schiva le
domande, dichiarando solo che il Re ha intenzione di divertirsi. Viene
anche affrontato dal Conte, spazientito perché non ha avuto la possibilità
di vedere in volto la donna, anche se sospetta sempre di più che si tratti
veramente di sua moglie.
Il sovrano ordina a Edmondo di informare la signora che desidera fare la
sua conoscenza e condurla a un torneo che sta per svolgersi. Compare la
–48–
donna mentre il Re e il Conte fanno a gara per osservarla, per ragioni
diverse. È un momento di grandissima comicità. Il Re si diverte a presentare
Francesca, con esagerata cortesia, al Conte. La donna si presta al gioco e
compiange il Conte che ha una moglie “oppressa dagli anni… un
compendio di tutti i mali” e chiede generosamente notizie della sua salute.
Il Conte si contorce tra i tormenti: l’ha riconosciuta, ma non può
ammettere che è sua moglie, dopo tutto quello che ha detto prima.
Una tromba annuncia il torneo. Il Re chiede alla Contessa di accettare il
compito di donare la sua spada al vincitore. La donna, a sua volta, cerca di
addolcire il marito, o forse di provocarlo ancora di più, esortandolo a
partecipare e dimostrarsi il primo in campo. E l’uomo non può che
rimpiangere il fatto che l’età avanzata gli impedisca di poterla soddisfare.
Tutti si allontanano, tranne il Duca, che si attarda un momento per
ammettere che probabilmente sarebbe geloso come il Conte, se avesse la
fortuna di avere una moglie così.
SCENA 3
L’arena davanti al Louvre, dove il torneo si è appena concluso. Mentre tutti
parlano del fascino e della bellezza di Francesca, Edmondo continua a
stuzzicare il Conte il quale, tormentato e infelice dal momento che non ha
più dubbi sulla sua identità, si chiede se riuscirà mai a riprenderla.
Francesca chiede l’identità dello sconosciuto cavaliere che ha vinto il
torneo e si scopre che è il Re in persona. La donna lo aiuta a cingere la spada
del vincitore e il re, a sua volta, esprime il desiderio di vederla sposata con
una persona che l’ammira da molto tempo: il Duca. La donna acconsente,
ma solo a condizione che non si dimostri geloso come il marito precedente,
–49–
che definisce defunto. Il Re li benedice e sta per unirli; questo è troppo per
il Conte, il quale protesta che la signora è sua moglie. È obbligato a
umiliarsi e confessare che tutto ciò che ha detto era falso.
Il Paggio spiega il mistero della copia dell’anello e l’opera si conclude con
una nota di festeggiamento: tutti si augurano che il Conte abbia imparato
la lezione e impari a rispettare il sesso debole, dimostrandosi meno geloso e
severo in futuro.
© Jeremy Commons, 2004
–50–
THE COUNTESS
Annick Massis
FRANCESCA DI FOIX
Melodramma in one act
Libretto by Domenico Gilardoni
First performance 30 May 1831
Teatro San Carlo, Naples
Il Re The King, in the flower of his life……....................Antonio Tamburini
Il Conte The Count…..….............................Giovanni Battista Campagnoli
La Contessa The Countess, Francesca di Foix.................Luigia Boccabadati
Il Duca The Duke..............................................................Lorenzo Bonfigli
Il Paggio The Page, Edmondo...............................Marietta Gioia-Tamburini
Chorus of Knights, Ladies, and Peasants (both men and women).
Squires, Members of the Countess’s household
The action takes place in France, partly in the palace of the Louvre, partly
in the environs.
The time is near the beginning of the 16th-century.
Lines of the libretto not set by Donizetti are preceded by
double quotation marks.
–52–
OPERA IN ONE ACT
A spot set aside for hunting, close to the Palace of the Louvre.
SCENE I
A chorus of peasants of both sexes, all with garlands of flowers in their hands.
[1]
CHORUS OF PEASANTS
Senti senti... Già l’eco ripete
Listen, listen... Already the echo repeats
Della caccia il gradito segnale...
The welcome call to the hunt...
Or la belva cadrà nella rete;
Now the wild animal will fall into the net;
Di qua lunge il Monarca non è.
The King is not far hence.
Oh, qual giubilo! Incontragli andiam! Oh, what joy! Let us go to meet him!
Qual ei schiude letizia ne’ cori...
What joy he excites in our hearts...
Non s’indugi; incontrarlo voliamo.
Let us not delay, but let us fly to meet
him.
Questi fiori al suo pie’ deponghiamo,
Let us lay these flowers at his feet
Sì, come omaggi d’amore, di fe’.
Yes, as tokens of love and fidelity.
They depart.
SCENE II
The Page, and the Duke
[2]
Quest’è il loco stabilito,
Di già l’ora s’avvicina;
PAGE
This is the place agreed upon,
Already the hour approaches;
–53–
Jennifer Larmore
La cugina – prigioniera
Qui suoi ceppi frangerà.
Oh bisbetico marito,
Quell’ingiusta gelosia
E’ pazzia che pria di sera
Il Sovran ti guarirà.
Mi figuro la Contessa
Nel ricevere l’anello...
Dunqu’è bella, proprio bella?
E’ un modello
E di grazia e di beltà.
Dalle donne spesso ottieni
Colle buone affetto e amore;
Non si compra col rigore
La bramata fedeltà.
[3]
Ecco il Conte...
Ecco il geloso...
Pien di fumo e vanità.
When my imprisoned cousin
Will here break free from her chains.
DUKE
Oh perverse and fantastical husband,
This groundless jealousy of yours
Is a madness of which the King will
cure you
Before this evening comes.
PAGE
I can just imagine the Countess
As she received the ring...
DUKE
She’s beautiful, then – truly beautiful?
PAGE
She’s a model
Of grace and winning ways.
TOGETHER
Often gentle behaviour will gain you
The affection and love of women;
The fidelity you hope for
Is not to be bought with severity.
PAGE
Here comes the Count...
DUKE
Here’s our jealous man...
TOGETHER
Filled with self-conceit and vanity.
–55–
Bruce Ford and Alfonso Antoniozzi
SCENE III
The Count, and those already on stage.
Che vita, della caccia
E’ l’esser Direttore!...
E’ grande in ver l’onore,
Ma immenso è il galoppar!
(Aver di moglie bella
Fatto segreto acquisto;
Pensar che il mondo è tristo,
Che sola deve star...
E’ un certo crepacuore
Da farti disperar!)
Ma l’esser Direttore
E’ onore – singolar!
Che carica!
Cospetto!
Ne parla ogni città!
Davvero?... (Ma se l’ho detto,
Ch’è somma dignità!)
COUNT
What a life it is, to be
The Master of the Hunt!...
Great indeed is the honour,
But the galloping hither and yon is
endless!
(To have secretly acquired
A beautiful wife;
To reflect on how wicked the world is,
And that she must be left on her own...
Oh, to be sure, it’s a heartbreak
That will bring you to despair!)
But to be the Master of the Hunt
Is a singular honour!
PAGE
What a weighty office!
DUKE
Begad!
TOGETHER
Every city in the kingdom is abuzz with it!
COUNT
Really?... (But though I say it myself,
It’s the greatest honour!)
–57–
The sound of several hunting horns is heard close at hand.
DUKE
Do you hear?
COUNT
Altra preda.
They’ve made another kill.
PAGE
Su, corriamo.
Come, let’s run.
OFF-STAGE CHORUS
Viva il nostro Sovran – Viva – Viva.
Long life to our Sovereign – Long life!
Long life!
DUKE
Che il Monarca?...
It seems the King…?
COUNT
Egli stesso?...
He himself?...
PAGE
Sì, arriva.
Yes, here he comes.
DUKE
Guarda com’egli è già in gravità!
Look how serious he looks already!
COUNT
Il Sovrano!... Ci vuol gravità!
The Sovereign!... It’s time for us to be
serious!
ALL
Viva il Re! Viva il Re!
Long live the King! Long live the King!
Ascoltate?
–58–
Pietro Spagnoli
SCENE IV
The King, followed by the peasantry and by his guards, and those already on stage.
[4]
Grato accolse i vostri accenti
KING
O my faithful friends, he who rules
over you,
Chi voi regge, o fidi amici,
He who will spend his life
Chi per rendervi felici
Trying to make you happy,
La sua vita spenderà!
Gratefully receives your acclamations!
Conte, evviva...
Count, long life to you…
to the Duke
Molto esperto
He’s highly qualified
Nel suo ramo?... Duca, è vero?...
In his field?... Duke, is that not true?...
to the Count
E per voi, di più, lo accerto,
I confirm, what’s more, that this day
Questo giorno brillerà.
Will shine propitiously upon you.
PAGE & DUKE
to the Count
Quanto siete fortunato;
How fortune smiles upon you;
Certo, ognun v’invidierà!
Certainly, everyone will envy you!
COUNT
Sono in ver mortificato;
I am indeed humbled;
E’ bontà di Sua Maestà!
Such generosity upon Your Majesty’s part!
CHORUS
Questo giorno avventurato
This momentous day
Mai più bello tornerà!
Will remain unparalleled!
–60–
[5]
Oh quale apporta all’anima
Soave e bel diletto,
Veder felice il popolo,
Lieto per me gioir!
Al par degl’anni accrescere
Sento per voi l’affetto;
In voi regnare e vivere
E’ il solo mio desir!
Oh come l’alme inebria
Quel lusinghiero detto;
Mille ridenti immagini
Leggiam nell’avvenir!
[6]
Duca, è così?... La vostra vedovetta
Cugina, a quel che par, non vi
mantenne
La già data parola?...
KING
Oh how it brings a sweet
And welcome delight to my soul
To see my people happy
And rejoicing on my account!
I feel that my affection for you
Will increase with the passing of the years;
My one and only desire
Is to live and reign for you!
ALL
Oh how his fair and flattering words
Set our spirits rejoicing:
We read a thousand smiling
Pictures in the future!
KING
Duke, is it as I hear?... Your young
widowed
Cousin, it seems, has not kept
The promise she made you?... I’m sorry
that
Mi spiace che al Tornéo manchi
She alone will be absent from the
ella sola.
Tournament.
DUKE
A che pensar non so.
I do not know what to think of it.
KING
Conte, e voi sempre
Count, will you always
–61–
Persisterete nel privar noi tutti
Persist in depriving us all
Del piacer di conoscer vostra moglie?
Of the pleasure of knowing your wife?
COUNT
(E siam da capo!) Maestà, vel dissi,
(Here we go again!) Your Majesty, I’ve
told you,
E’ così sconcia, scontrafatta, rozza,
She’s so ill-favoured, ill-formed and
coarse,
Più brutta d’un’arpia,
Uglier than any harpy,
Che men vergogno...
That I feel ashamed of her...
PAGE
(Un schiaffo ogni bugia!)
(A box on his ear for every lie!)
KING
Davvero?...
Is it truly so?...
COUNT
Dimandate
Ask
Al Paggio.
The Page.
KING
(Che costanza!) E’ tarda l’ora;
(What steadfastness!1) But the
hour is late;
Al Palagio io ritorno.
It is time I returned to the Palace.
to the peasants
Il vostro puro affetto
My loyal people, I shall keep your
disinterested
Scolpito serberò, miei fidi, in petto.
Affection written in my heart.
They depart. The King then turns back to the Duke, and says in an undertone:
_________________________________
1
A pun. We take it that the King comments on the Count’s ‘constancy’ to such a wife, and
upon his ‘consistency’ in the accounts he gives of her.
–62–
(Soli vi lascio in questo loco.
(I leave you alone in this place.
indicating the Page
Appena
The moment
Arrivi la Contessa
The Countess arrives,
Da mia sorella voi la condurrete.
You will conduct her to my sister.
Vo’ dar una lezione
I wish to teach her jealous consort
Al geloso consorte!)
A lesson!)
Conte, mio Duca, a rivederci in
Count, Duke, till I see you again at
Corte.
Court.
He departs, followed by the guards.
[7]
DUKE
to the Count
Voi non seguite il Re?
You do not follow the King?
COUNT
Per or la nuova carica mel vieta...
For the moment my new duties prevent
me...
DUKE
Che! Forse qui restate?...
What! Do you perhaps intend staying
here?...
COUNT
Ci aveste qualche intrigo?
Have you some intrigue in progress?
DUKE
Eh!...
Eh!...
COUNT
Vado via...
I’ll go away...
to the Page
(Edmondo, segretezza!...
(Edmondo, be secret!...
–63–
Se parlan di mia moglie
Di’ ch’è più brutta ancor di quel che
ho detto!)
If they talk about my wife, say that
She’s even uglier than I’ve suggested!)
PAGE
I understand.
The Count departs.
Ho capito.
Geloso maledetto!
Cursed jealous husband!
DUKE
In somma, tu quel fosti che l’anello
To recapitulate, it was you who stole
Rubò al Conte?...
The ring from the Count?...
PAGE
Sì, quello.
Yes, it was I.
DUKE
E pensasti ad averne?...
And what did you think to gain by it?...
PAGE
Un altro eguale,
To have another copied, identical,
Per liberar l’amata mia cugina
In order to liberate my beloved cousin
Dal castello in cui chiusa
From the castle in which the most jealous
Count
Il Conte gelosissimo l’avea,
Had incarcerated her – it was only
E sol con questo mezzo uscir potea!
By this means that she could be released!
DUKE
Dunque a veder andiamo
Well then, shall we go and climb
Sull’altura vicina,
The nearby eminence, to see
Se giunga?
If she’s approaching?
–64–
Annick Massis
PAGE
Sì, vediam dalla collina.
Yes, let’s keep a lookout from
the hill.
They leave.
SCENE V
The Countess, followed by a few members of her household.
[8]
Ah! ti ottenni alfin, beata,
Sospirata – libertà!
Ma... donarmela ad un tratto!...
Questo fatto – come va?...
Mentre a doppia sentinella
COUNTESS
Ah! blessed, longed-for liberty!
I have secured you at last!
But... to grant it to me so suddenly!...
How has this come about?...
While my husband was having me
watched
Me vegliar facea lo sposo,
And under double guard,
Sospettando ognor geloso,
Ever jealously suspecting
Ch’io mancassi di virtù,
That I might be found wanting in virtue,
Da inattesa e ignota mano
By an unexpected and unknown hand
M’ebbi un foglio, in cui rinvenni
I had a letter, in which I found
Quel felice talismano,
This ring – this happy talisman –
Che mi tolse a schiavitù!
Which delivered me from my thraldom!
[9]
Donzelle, se vi stimola
Young women, if you should be
stimulated
Desìo di farvi spose,
By the itch to make yourselves wives,
Fuggite ognor quegli uomini
Forever shun those men
–66–
Gelosi nell’amor.
Son aspidi, son vipere
Malvage, velenose:
Fia meglio l’esser libere,
Che vittime di lor!
[10]
Quest’è l’anello... Il designato loco
E’ questo, in cui dovea
Ritrovar chi mi avesse addotta
in Corte...
E chi fuor del consorte esser potria?...
Ei di me sì geloso!...
Ma... intanto alcun non vedo...
Che trascorsa
L’ora fosse?...
Who are jealous in love.
They are serpents, they are vipers,
Wicked and poisonous:
You would do better to remain at liberty
Than fall victim to them!
This is the ring... this the appointed place
Where I must meet the person
Who is to introduce me at Court...
And who, apart from my husband, could
that be?...
He who is so jealous of me!
But... as yet I don’t see anybody...
What if
The hour were already past?...
SCENE VI
The Page, the Duke, and the Countess.
PAGE
to the Duke
Venite...
Come...
DUKE
E’ dessa?
Is this she?
PAGE
Appunto.
Exactly.
–67–
DUKE
(And we were waiting for her on the hill.)
COUNTESS
Edmondo, qui sei tu?...
Edmondo, you here?...
PAGE
running to embrace her
Sì, mia cugina...
Yes, cousin...
Sei sprigionata alfine...
You’re free from your prison at last...
Oh quanto rideremo...
Oh, how we’re going to laugh about this...
Il Duca t’accompagna...
The Duke will escort you...
COUNTESS
to the Duke 2
Come!... voi?...
How’s this!... You?...
PAGE
Vo’ ad avvertirne il Re…
I am off to inform the King...
COUNTESS
Ma... senti...
But… listen…
PAGE
making his escape
Poi.
Later.
He departs.
(E noi l’aspettavam dalla collina.)
COUNTESS
And my husband?...
DUKE
Nulla sa...
He knows nothing of this...
__________________________________
E il mio marito?...
2
sic: but it might make even better sense if this were addressed to the Page.
–68–
COUNTESS
Che dite?...
E l’anello ch’io m’ebbi?...
What do you say?...
And the ring which I received?...
DUKE
Edmondo istesso
Edmondo himself
Ve lo spedì.
Sent it to you.
COUNTESS
L’oggetto?...
To what purpose?
DUKE
E’ al Re sol noto.
The King alone knows that.
COUNTESS
(Che ascolto!)
(What is this I hear!)
DUKE
Vi turbate?...
You are upset?...
Il Sovran vi desia...
The Sovereign wishes you...
COUNTESS
(Oh Cielo!... E quale imbroglio!...)
(Oh Heavens!... What a confused
tangle!...)
DUKE
Volete?...
Do you want...?
COUNTESS
In ver... che so... voglio...
Truly... I don’t know... I want... and I
e non voglio!...
don’t want!...
[11]
Signore, a dirvi il vero,
Sir, to tell you the truth,
Qui non ci vedo schietto...
I do not see clearly here at all...
Mi nasce nel pensiero –
There arises in my thoughts –
Che so? – qualche sospetto...
I know not – some suspicion…
–69–
Conosco il mio consorte...
Ah s’ei mi vede in Corte!
Che imbarazzo!... Ohimè!...
Ritorno?... Resto?... Vo’?...
I know my husband...
Ah! if he sees me at Court!
What an embarrassment!... Alas!...
Shall I go back?... Shall I stay?... What is
it I want?...
Ah più non sono in me...
Ah! I’m no longer in my right mind...
Risolvermi non so!
I don’t know what to decide!
DUKE
Signora, incerta siete?...
My Lady, are you uncertain?...
Il Re veder vi brama...
The King wishes to see you...
Voi che in beltà vincete
You who in beauty eclipse
Ogni più bella Dama,
All other fair Ladies,
A torto vi smarrite;
You are wrong to be disconcerted like this;
Al gran Tornéo venite...
Come to the great Tournament...
Quel palpitar perchè?...
Why should you tremble in this way?...
Deh non mi dite no;
Pray do not deny me:
Ah! fidatevi di me:
Ah! entrust yourself to me:
Il Conte io placherò.
I shall placate the Count.
COUNTESS
on the point of leaving
Non posso…
I cannot...
DUKE
Che! vorreste?...
What! would you really wish...?
COUNTESS
Sì... Duca... perdonate...
Yes... Duke... forgive me...
Riedo al Castel...
I am returning to the Castle...
DUKE
Che fate?...
What are you doing?...
–70–
Decisi. Io vo’ partir.
E il Re?
Vo’ partir.
Partendo affermerete
Ciò che di voi si dice...
Di me?...
Di voi.
Se lice,
Di me che dir si può?
[12]
Che siete una sciocca,
Villana, sgarbata;
Che al fuso, e alla rocca
Sembrate voi nata;
Che lurida e zoppa
Formovvi natura;
Che fate paura,
Destate pietà!
Io? Di me tutto questo?...
COUNTESS
I have decided. I wish to leave.
DUKE
And the King?
COUNTESS
I wish to leave.
DUKE
If you leave you will confirm
What people say about you...
COUNTESS
About me?...
DUKE
About you.
COUNTESS
If I may ask,
What are they able to say about me?
DUKE
That you’re a silly goose,
A yokel, and mannerless;
That you seem to have been born
For the spindle and the distaff;
That nature created you
Foul and lame;
That you put folk to fright,
That you are an object of pity!
COUNTESS
with repressed anger
Me? All this they say about me?...
–71–
Annick Massis and Bruce Ford
DUKE
I have not said the half of it.
COUNTESS3
Ch’io sono…
That I am…
DUKE
Brutta…
Ugly…
COUNTESS
Ch’io sono…
That I’m…
DUKE
Zoppa.
Lame.
Villana…
A peasant…
COUNTESS
Villana?
A peasant?
DUKE
Sgarbata…
Without manners...
COUNTESS
Sgarbata…
Without manners...
DUKE
Che al fuso...
Born to the spindle...
COUNTESS
Son nata,
Born to the spindle...
Che lurida e zoppa
That nature created me
Formovvi natura,
Foul and lame,
Che faccio paura,
That I put folk to fright,
Che desto pietà.
That I’m an object of pity.
_________________________________
Non dissi metà.
3
It should be noted that the following lines, in which the Countess rehearses what the Duke
has just said, clearly in incredulity and growing pique, did not form part of the original
libretto. The idea of playing upon the lines in this way was almost certainly Donizetti’s.
–73–
DUKE
Yes, that you put folk to fright,
That you’re an object of pity!
COUNTESS
Chi fu il menzognero?...
Who was it told these lies?...
DUKE
Il vostro consorte,
Your husband,
Che il disse alla Corte
Who told all this to the Court
E al Re...
And to the King...
COUNTESS
Fino al Re!...
Even to the King!...
(Ingrato!)
(Thankless husband!)
DUKE
(E’ il veleno
(The poison’s poured
Versato!)
To good effect!)
COUNTESS
(Vendetta, sì vendetta!)
(I’ll be revenged, yes, revenged!)
DUKE
Ebben?...
Well then?
COUNTESS
Alla Reggia
Let us bend
Rivolgasi il piè...
Our steps towards the Court...
(Malnato! Bugiardo!
(Ill-born wretch! Liar!
Dei farla con me!
You’ll have to answer to me for this!
[13]
Quante son delle civette
All the arts of coquetry,
L’arti fine e più perfette,
The most subtle and most perfect wiles,
Quante grazie amore aduna
All the graces that love brings together –
Sì, che fate paura,
Destate pietà!
–74–
Vuo’ sfiorarle ad una ad una;
A chi un vezzo, a chi un occhietto,
Quei la man, questo il braccetto;
I’ll put them into practice one by one;
I’ll wheedle this man, cast glances at that,
Give my hand to that man, go arm in arm
with this;
E il marito – indispettito
And my husband, taunted and teased,
Dalla rabbia fremerà!)
Will be beside himself with rage!)
DUKE
(La scintilla ha preso fuoco,
(The spark has ignited a flame,
Già si spande a poco a poco;
Already little by little it spreads;
Un incendio in lei divampa,
A fire is leaping up inside her,
Vedi il volto come avvampa;
You can see from her face how she blazes
within;
Oh marito poveretto,
Oh poor mite of a husband,
Ti si appresta un bel giochetto;
It’s a fine little diversion that’s hatching
for you;
Quest’inganno – per tuo danno,
This deception – be it on your head –
Caro assai ti costerà!)
Is going to cost you extremely dear!)
As they are leaving...
SCENE VII
The Count, the Duke, and the Countess.
[14]
Oh! Duca, mi rallegro!...
COUNT
Oh! Duke, I’m delighted!...
COUNTESS
(Mio marito!)
(My husband!)
She covers her face with a veil.
–75–
Antonello Allemandi (Conductor),
Maria Cleva (Italian coach),
Alfonso Antoniozzi and
Annick Massis
DUKE
Thanks, my dear Count...
to the Countess, in an undertone
(Dite che voi siete
(Say that you are
La Baronessa di Linsberg...)
The Baroness of Linsberg...)
COUNT
Adesso
Now
Capisco a che soletto
I understand why you wished
Restar qui volevate...
To be left here on your own...
Per vagheggiar l’errante pellegrina.
To admire this errant pilgrim.
COUNTESS
Signor, non offendete
Sir, do not insult those Ladies
Quelle Dame, che ancor non
With whom you are not yet acquainted.
conoscete.
COUNT
(Qual voce!... La figura!...)
(What voice is that!... That figure!...)
COUNTESS
E rispettate in me la Baronessa
And respect in me the Baroness
Di...
Of...
DUKE
(Linsberg...)
(Linsberg...)
COUNTESS
Di Linsberg...
Of Linsberg...
DUKE
La mia cugina
My widowed cousin
Vedovetta, che vien dall’Inghilterra
Who has arrived from England.
Grazie, mio Conte...
–77–
COUNT
(What a resemblance!.. But the ring’s
safely here!...)
DUKE
Cugina, a che indugiamo?...
Cousin, what are we waiting for?...
Ci permettete, o Conte?...
With your permission, Count... We are
Noi partiamo.
on our way.
COUNT
Ed io vi seguo...
And I follow behind you...
DUKE
(Me la pagherai!...)
(You will pay me for this!...)
The Duke and the Countess leave.
(Qual somiglianza!... Ma l’anello
è qua!...)
COUNT
following the Countess
Così bassotta! Giurerei!... Ma in Corte So short of stature! I would swear!...
But at Court
M’accerterò s’è quella...
I’ll make certain whether or not it’s her...
E se fosse?... Le spacco le cervella!
And if it should be?... I’ll crack her skull
open!
He leaves.
–78–
Nicholas Bosworth (Répétiteur) with Jennifer Larmore
SCENE VIII
A private room in the Royal apartments. A table upon which there is a sword. A chorus
of Knights, leading on – with a degree of secrecy – the Page.
[15]
Vieni, e narra, o bel paggetto,
Giovinetto – d’anni ancor,
Ma di trappole provetto,
Ma perfetto – nell’amor,
Tu saprai chi è quella Dama
Arrivata poco fa;
Dillo a noi, come si chiama?...
A che venne?... Che vorrà?
[16]
E’ una giovane straniera...
E’ straniera...
Che più tardi ognun vedrà;
Come fior di primavera
Fresca ride in lei beltà:
Se il suo nome è falso o no,
V’ha del dubbio, non si sa;
S’ella è nubile, o sposò,
E’ un’arcana verità!
CHORUS
Come, and tell us, pretty little page…
You who are still young in years,
But experienced in ruses and traps,
And expert in the ways of love;
You will know who the Lady is
Who arrived a short while since;
Tell us: what is her name?...
Why has she come?... What does she
want?
PAGE
She is a young foreigner –
CHORUS
She’s a foreigner...
PAGE
Whom everyone will see in due course;
As in a spring flower,
Her beauty sits fresh upon her:
But whether her name is true or false,
There’s some doubt, indeed no knowing;
And whether she’s married or single
Is a truth still to be revealed!
–80–
Quel ch’è certo, divertir
Il Sovrano si potrà!
Ma il perchè?...
Non si può dir.
Ma tu il sai...
Da me si sa...
[17]
Che dan vita ad ogni festa
Due vaghissime pupille,
Come stille di ruggiada,
Che ravvivan prato e fior!
Ah sei furbo, o bel paggetto,
Giovinetto – d’anni ancor,
Ma di trappole provetto,
Ma perfetto – nell’amor!
Ve lo giuro; il vero ho detto;
Io non sono mentitor!
The one thing that’s certain: the King
Is going to amuse himself!
CHORUS
But what’s the reason behind it all?...
PAGE
One cannot say.
CHORUS
But you’re in the know...
PAGE
From me you may learn...
That her two most fetching eyes
Lend life to every party,
Just like two drops of dew,
That revive both field and flower!
CHORUS
Ah! but you’re sly, pretty little page,
You who are still young in years,
But experienced in ruses and traps,
And expert in the ways of love!
PAGE
I swear to you: I have told the truth;
I’m not one to tell fibs!
The Chorus leaves.
–81–
SCENE IX
The Count, and the Page.
[18]
Edmondo?... Edmondo?...
COUNT
Edmondo?... Edmondo?....
PAGE
(Ahimè ci siamo!)
(Alas, now we’re in for it!)
COUNT
Quella
That
Dama velata...
Veiled lady...
PAGE
La vedeste?
Have you seen her?
COUNT
In volto?...
Seen her face?...
No... Ma un sospetto... un dubbio...
No... But I have a suspicion… a doubt…
Dimmi un poco,
Just tell me,
Avessi tu svelato,
Is it possible that you’ve revealed
Che mia moglie...
That my wife...
PAGE
Nemmeno per pensiero...
Not so much as even in thought...
Ma... e perchè?...
But... why do you ask?...
COUNT
Questa dama maledetta
This accursed lady
Ha un gesto, una statura,
Has a way of gesturing, and her stature...
Un tutto che a mia moglie raffigura;
Everything about her reminds me of my
wife;
E quando assicurarmene potea,
And when the King’s sister could have
–82–
La sorella del Re col più bel garbo,
Se la mise a braccetto,
E seco la condusse in gabinetto.
Reassured me in the politest fashion,
She took her arm in arm,
And led her away into her private
apartment.
PAGE
Ma l’anello?...
But what about the ring?
COUNT
Oh! Sta qui... Se non l’avessi,
Oh! that’s here... If I didn’t have it,
Non metterei la cosa
I would no longer be in any doubt about
Più in dubbio... Solamente...
The matter... Only....
PAGE
Il Re s’avanza.
The King approaches.
SCENE X
The King, the Duke, the Count, and the Page.
KING
The jealous husband! Now let me enjoy
myself...
to the Duke
Con segretezza intanto
Meantime, prepare my armour
L’armadura preparami, ed appena
For me secretly, so that as soon as all
Saranno i Cavalieri tutti accolti
The Knights are assembled,
Della tromba lo squillo io senta,
I may hear the call of the trumpet
Ond’esserne avvertito.
And so be duly warned.
Ecco il geloso! Divertir mi voglio...
–83–
(Or viene il bello! Povero marito!)
Edmondo, se la Dama
E’ visibile, dille,
Ch’io bramo di conoscerla,
Di condurla al Tornéo.
DUKE
(Now comes the best moment! Poor
husband!)
He goes out.
KING
Edmondo, if the Lady
Is presentable, tell her
I wish to make her acquaintance,
And lead her to the Tournament.
Edmondo goes out.
Conte?... La Baronessa di Linsberg
Count... do you find the Baroness of
Linsberg
E’ bella?...
Beautiful?...
COUNT
E chi la vide?...
And who has seen her?... She was so
Stava così ravvolta in doppio velo...
Wrapped up behind a double veil...
KING
L’han descritta sì amabile e gentile,
They’ve described her as so amiable and
well-bred
Che desìo di vederla ardentemente!
That I desire most ardently to see her!
COUNT
(Ardentemente!... Se mia moglie fosse, (Most ardently!... If she should prove my
wife,
Di qua non esce viva!...)
She’ll not leave this place alive!...)
KING
E quando vien?...
And when will she be here?...
–84–
SCENE XI
The Page, and those already on stage.
PAGE
La Baronessa arriva.
The Baroness approaches.
KING
to the Count, who burns with eagerness to see her.
Ebbene?... Che cos’è?...
Well then?... What’s the matter?...
Voi siete più curioso assai di me.
You are even more curious than I am.
COUNT
Sono impaziente di mirarla anch’io,
I too am impatient to behold her,
A dir la verità,
To confess the truth,
Se lo permette Vostra Maestà.
And if Your Majesty will allow me to.
KING
Se il permetto?... Che dite?...
If I allow you?... What are you saying?...
Io stesso presentar vi voglio a lei.
I wish to present you to her myself.
COUNT
Amor! Deh fa ch’abbia tremato invano! O Love! Ah, let my fears prove to have
been groundless!
KING
Eccola, o Conte.
Here she is, Count.
–85–
Patric Schmid (Producer) with
Alfonso Antoniozzi
SCENE XII
The King, the Count, the Countess, and the Page.
COUNTESS
as she sees the Count
(Ahimè!)
(Alas!)
PAGE
to the Countess
Quegli è il Sovrano.
That one there is the Sovereign.
The Page leaves.
[19]
Vi presento, o Baronessa,
Della caccia il Direttore,
Di mia Corte lo splendore,
Primo fior di nobiltà.
KING
I present to you, Baroness,
The Master of the Hunt,
The splendour of my Court,
The first flower of nobility.
COUNTESS
Troppo onore!... Ah quest’è il Conte,
I am excessively honoured!... Ah this is
the Count
Ch’ha una moglie oppressa d’anni,
Who has a wife oppressed in years,
Ch’è un compendio di malanni?...
A wife who is a compendium of all ills?...
Poveretta!... Come sta?
Poor dear!... How is she?
COUNT
(Poffar Bacco!... Son morto!...
(Great Heavens!... I’m turned to stone!..
Il mio anello ha partorito!...
My ring must have given birth to its
double!...
–87–
Me l’han fatta!... m’han tradito!...
Mi domanda come sta!)
They’ve done for me!... betrayed me!...
And she asks me how she is!)
KING
Conte?... Ebben?... Quei vaghi rai
Count?... Well then?... Is it possible that
V’hanno forse sbalordito?...
Those fair eyes have rendered you
speechless?...
Ah! son vinto, anch’io rapito
Ah! I am vanquished – I, too, am ravished
Dal poter di sua beltà!
By the power of her beauty!
COUNTESS
Ah, Signor, mi confondete...
Sire, ah! you fill me with confusion!...
(Si contorce; stringe i denti!)
(He writhes; he grinds his teeth!)
Tai non merto complimenti...
I do not deserve such compliments…
(Riscaldando ahimè si va!)
(Alas! he’s getting more and more worked
up!)
COUNT
(Ahi! che brutta pantomima!...
(Ugh! what an ugly pantomime!...
Egli fa la controscena!...
The King mimics my own infatuation!..
Come incalza! Oh! Che pena!
How he pursues her! Oh! What agony!
Ehi?... Contessa?... Fatti in qua!)
Eh!... Countess?... Come here!)
A trumpet call is heard.
La tromba...
(Manco male!...)
Al gran Tornéo ci chiama.
KING
The trumpet...
COUNT
(Just as well!...)
KING
It summons us to the great Tournament.
–88–
Alfonso Antoniozzi
and Annick Massis
He goes and takes the sword which is on the table.
Count…
COUNT
Vengo…
I’m coming…
to the Countess
Di grazia?... Bella Dama?...
I beg you... Fair Lady?...
Anch’ella?...
You’re coming, too?...
COUNTESS
Che vi par?...
What do you think?...
[20]
KING
placing himself suddenly between them: to the Countess
Questo acciar che il Sovrano vi affida, This sword that your Sovereign entrusts
to you,
Là sul campo di gloria, d’onore,
There on the field of glory and honour
Sarà premio dovuto al valore,
Will be the prize to be granted to valour:
Da voi stessa il più forte l’avrà!
The victor will have it from your very self!
Oh felice il guerrier che l’ottiene
Oh happy the knight who receives it
Dalla man di cotanta beltà!
From the hand of such a beauty!
COUNTESS
to the Count
Su, correte – Volate al cimento;
Away, make haste – Fly to the combat;
V’adornate di spada e cimiero;
Gird yourself with sword and helmet;
Siate in campo tra’ forti il primiero;
Be you first in the field, first among the
brave;
Il piegarvi sarebbe viltà!
To capitulate would be cowardice!
Ah vincete: e d’un serto la fronte
Ah! be you the victor: and this hand will
Questa mano fregiarvi saprà!
Crown your brow with a garland.
Conte…
–90–
COUNT
to the Countess, with bitter irony
Fu già un tempo che in mezzo
There was a time when in the midst of
alle pugne
battles
Riportava trionfo e vittoria,
I carried off triumph and victory,
E con questo, sia detto a mia gloria,
And for this, be it said to my glory,
Mai di serto mi vinse beltà!
Beauty never subdued me with a garland!
E volete donarmelo adesso?...
Yet you wish to give it to me now?...
No, Signora, non è più l’età!
No, Lady, I’m no longer of an age for such
things!
(Me la paghi, Contessa briccona!)
(You will pay me for this, rascally
Countess!)
Pronto sono a seguirvi, Maestà.
I’m ready to follow you, Your Majesty.
They leave.
SCENE XIII
The Duke.
[21]
DUKE
Ve’ come il Conte segue al gran
See how the Count follows the Sovereign
Tornéo
Il Sovran, la consorte!...
And his wife to the great Tournament!...
Va là, va pur! che dirle una parola
Go, go by all means! for you will not be
Non ti sarà concesso!...
Allowed to say a word to her!...
Ma non a torto in ver, di sì leggiadra
Yet in truth it’s not out of place that he
should be
–91–
Bruce Ford
Moglie è vigil custode!...
Ah forse anch’io ’l sarei,
Se mi rendesse imene
Felice possessor d’un tanto bene!
[22]
Donne, che ognor più bella
La vita a noi rendete,
Rose gentili siete,
Che ognun desìa per se;
Scherzanvi l’aure intorno,
Ogni ape in voi si posa!...
Misero chi riposa
Sulla giurata fe’!
The watchful guardian of such a lissome
wife!...
Perhaps I should be just the same
If Hymen were to make me
The happy possessor of such a blessing!
O ye women, you make our lives
Ever more attractive for us;
You are gracious roses
Whom every man wishes for himself;
The breezes play about you,
But every bee alights upon you!...
Wretched the man who places his trust
In your sworn faith!
He leaves.
SCENE XIV
The exterior of the palace of the Louvre, brilliantly illuminated. The King’s guards are
drawn up all around. Chorus of Knights.
[23]
La vaga straniera
Non donna ma Dea,
Che in mezzo alle belle
Più bella splendea,
Destava in pensiero
Del Franco guerriero
CHORUS
The charming foreigner –
Goddess rather than woman –
Who in the midst of our beauties
Shone forth more beautiful than they,
Has awakened in the thoughts
Of every French knight
–93–
La fervida brama,
Il nobile ardor
D’onore, di fama,
Di gloria, d’amor.
The fervent wish,
The noble desire,
To win honour, fame,
Glory, love.
SCENE XV
The Page, the Count, and those already on stage.
[24]
Ma via rasserenatevi...
PAGE
But that will do, calm yourself...
COUNT
Che parli di sereno?... Non vedesti
You tell me to be calm?... Did you not see
Quanti l’eran d’intorno?...
How many there were clustering round
her?...
E che appena a parlarle m’accostava,
Hardly had I approached to speak to her
A guisa di concerto,
Than, as if it were planned in advance,
Si succedea l’un l’altro,
One after another they butted in
Facendomi restare sempre in ultimo!
So that I was always left last in the queue!
PAGE
Ma siete poi sicuro,
But are you certain, then,
Ch’è vostra moglie?...
That it’s your wife?...
COUNT
Va!... Te ne scongiuro!...
Oh! Be off with you!... I’ll swear it!...
Il dubbio è sol se torni in mano mia!... The only doubt is whether I’ll ever get her
back!...
Parlo?... Oh, le beffe... Taccio?...
If I say anything?... How they’ll mock
Inghiotto arsenico..
me… If I remain silent?... It’s like
–94–
swallowing arsenic...
“L’affare dell’anello è inconcepibile! “The affair of the ring is beyond
comprehension!
PAGE
“E intanto?
“And meantime?
COUNT
“La Signora
“My Lady
“Commise un tradimento!”
“Has betrayed me!”
PAGE
Eccola.
Here she comes.
COUNT
sempre a fianco supplemento.
And forever with her bevy of
followers in tow.
SCENE XVI
The Duke, and the Countess, who is followed by another little page carrying the sword
upon a rich cushion; and those already on stage.
DUKE
Baroness, has the jousting
Been to your liking?...
COUNTESS
Moltissimo… amerei
Very much... I should like
Saper chi fu l’incognito guerriero
To know the identity of the unknown
knight
Vincitore?...
Who was the victor…
La giostra, o Baronessa,
A voi piacque?...
–95–
COUNT
(Le piace anche l’incognito!)
(Even the unknown pleases her!)
DUKE
Lo vedrete al momento,
You will find out in the moment
Che a lui farete il dono della spada.
When you award him the sword.
PAGE
facing the entire assembly
Il vincitore del Tornéo.
The victor of the Tournament.
COUNTESS
Dov’è?...
Where is he?...
SCENE THE LAST
The King, and all those already on stage.
DUKE
Behold him.
COUNTESS
Il Monarca!
The Monarch!
COUNT
Ei stesso!
The Sovereign himself!
ALL
Il Re!
The King!
KING
Gloria sublime è quella,
It is a sublime glory
Di più lance spezzar per una bella!
To break several lances for a fair lady!
Miratelo.
–96–
Cingetegli la spada.
(Anche questa!)
DUKE
to the Countess
Gird him with the sword.
COUNT
(Even this I must endure!)
[25]
MARCH
During the reprise of the march the Countess attaches the sword to the King’s side.
[26]
KING
to the Countess
Or sia l’opra appien compita;
Now let our good work reach its
conclusion;
Per voi già so che il Duca da
I know that the Duke has
gran tempo
long nourished
Nutriva amor...
A love for you...
COUNT
(Nuove scoverte!)
(Yet new discoveries!)
KING
Io stesso
I myself
Vo’ farvi sua consorte.
Wish to make you his consort.
COUNTESS
Son pronta, ma col patto,
I am ready, but on one condition:
Che di me non diffidi il Duca a torto, That the Duke will not wrongly mistrust
me,
Nè sia geloso al par di quel ch’è morto! Or be as jealous as him who is dead!
DUKE
A questa legge in tutto io m’assoggetto. I subject myself utterly to this law.
–97–
Pietro Spagnoli
COUNT
(E in mia presenza va a secondo letto!) (In my presence she goes to her second
marriage-bed!)
[27]
KING
taking the Duke and the Countess by the hand
Fausto sempre splenda il Sole,
May the Sun shine ever kindly upon you,
Sempre il fato a voi sorrida;
And Fate smile upon you for all time;
Di costanza la più fida,
May this sacred knot be your reward
Sacro nodo sia mercè!
For your most faithful constancy!
Scorra ognor la vostra vita,
May your lives forever run
Qual ruscello in via fiorita,
Like a stream through flowery meads,
Dall’amore fecondata,
Rendered fertile by love,
Coronata – dalla fe’!
And crowned by mutual trust.
COUNT
(Ora scoppio dalla bile!
I’m bursting with gall!
Io son quasi fuor di me!)
I’m all but beside myself!)
COUNTESS
(Ora scoppia dalla bile!)
(Now he’s bursting with gall!)
COUNTESS & DUKE
(Me la godo per mia fe’!)
(’Pon my faith, I’m enjoying his
dicomfiture!)
The King is about to unite the Duke and the Countess.
Ah Sovrano, v’han tradito!...
No, non è la Baronessa...
COUNT
Ah, my Sovereign, they have deceived
you!...
No, that is not the Baroness...
–99–
Rehearsal at Henry Wood Hall
E’ mia moglie la Contessa,
Che dal carcere fuggì!
It is my wife, the Countess,
Who fled from her prison!
KING
Siete pazzo!... Vostra moglie
You’re mad!... Is not your wife
Non è inferma?...
Infirm?...
COUNT
No, Signore...
No, Sire…
KING
Dunque siete un traditore?...
Are you then a liar?...
COUNT
Traditore... Signor, sì...
A liar... yes, Sire...
Ma l’anello?...
But the ring?...
PAGE
coming forward
In una notte,
One night,
Ch’eravate in sonno assorto,
When you were fast asleep,
Un artefice il più accorto
A most skilled artesan
Altro eguale ne formò,
Made an exact copy of it,
E racchiuso in un viglietto
And the King sent it, wrapped
Il Sovran glielo mandò.
In a note, to the Countess.
KING
giving the Countess back to the Count
Onde apprendervi che a torto
To teach you that it was wrong
S’oltraggiava un fido cor!
To outrage a faithful heart!
ALL
Questo scherzo l’ha istruito;
This joke has taught him his lesson;
Deporrà quel suo rigor!
He will lay aside his severity!
–101–
Dunque, o sposo, sei pentito?...
Mi ravvedo dell’error.
[28]
Per voi di gelosia
Son frante le catene;
Per voi godrò d’un bene,
Che mai potea sperar!
Ah! se da tal follia,
V’è ancor chi non si arrenda,
Vegga il mio caso, e apprenda
Le belle a rispettar!
Sempre sì lieto e fausto
Di bel sereno adorno,
Il declinato giorno
Si vegga ritornar!
COUNTESS
Well then, husband, are you repentant?...
COUNT
I acknowledge my wrong-doing.
COUNTESS
to the King
With your help the chains
Of jealousy have been broken;
With your help I shall enjoy a benefit
Which I could never previously have
hoped for!
Ah! should there still be anyone
Who remains undelivered from such
madness,
Let him witness my case, and learn
To respect the fair sex!
ALL
Ever as joyful and as auspicious as this,
Ever decked with blessed peace,
May we see the return
Of each declining day!
THE END
–102–
Sir Peter Moores