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Musicology (work in progress):
L'Italiana in Londra is a commedia per musica in two acts by Domenico Cimarosa, with a libretto by Giuseppe Petrosellini. It was Cimarosa's first international success, and greatly increased his fame throughout Europe. It premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome, in 1779. A papal edict was in effect at the time prohibiting women from singing on stage and performing opera. The cast, therefore, was all male, and featured the highly acclaimed soprano castrato Giordlamo Crescentini as the lead prima donna. Only seventeen at the time, he was nevertheless a triumph in the role of Livia. The opera, also known as Love Triumphant, was staged in many Italian theaters after its initial success in Rome, and also traveled to other countries. It was translated into German, Danish, Russian, Polish, French, and Swedish. It was revived in the early part of the twentieth century to a receptive audience, and has formed a part of the Cimarosa renaissance that seeks to place his opere buffe next to Mozart and Rossini, where they rightfully belong.
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L'Italiana in Londra, opera in 2 actsYear: 1779
- Overture. Allegro con spirito
- Overture. Andante
- Overture. Presto
L'Italiana in Londra was an important milestone for Cimarosa. In it, he begins to write concerted numbers that liven the dramatic and musical pacing while providing varieties of vocal textures and moods. The Finales are what are known as "chain" finales, and make use of several numbers that relate to one another in tempo, pulse, and musical material. They build to the ending by compressing the auditor's sense of time. This technique was a direct influence on the young Rossini, who in turn invented the Rossini accelerando/cescendo. Many other composers were also influenced by Cimarosa's greater use of the concerted vocal ensemble, and began to explore their dramatic and musical potential in their operas.
In this opera, Cimarosa expanded his orchestra from the standard operatic orchestra of the day to include a greater variety of wind instruments and timbres, such as the clarinet and bassoon. His palette now makes use of the harp and a more complex and independent viola line. The characterizations in the libretto are reflected more closely in the music. In the plot, which takes place in London, there is a homesick Neapolitan. To him Cimarosa gives music flavored with Neapolitan folk idioms. When one of the singers sings of her longing to visit Naples, he writes for her an Italian tarantella. The content of the dialogue is reflected in the musical style of the numbers. Cimarosa was interested in a closer unity between text and music, for the sake of communicating the story to the audience. The music is as witty and sparkling as the text is funny, and was one of his best compositions at the time.
The story of the libretto is noteworthy for its juxtaposition of different classes and nationalities. A London noble, a Dutch member of the middle class, and a Neapolitan are all contrasted effectively. Although not a "revolutionary" text, it does assert the equality of the classes within a humorous context. And an important element of tension between the characters is the tension between political and personal freedom, and obligation. Cimarosa keeps the mood light and the melodies sparkling, however, for his audience was still comprised of the wealthy classes, who wanted an evening's entertainment above all else.
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