November 17, Saturday 15.00, Mirror Hall
November 17, 15.00
Mirror Hall
Lviv Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solomia Krushelnytska
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Libretto by Gennaro Antonio Federico
La serva padrona (The Servant Turned Mistress)
Opera buffa in1 act (performed in Italian)
Creators
Conductor – Iryna Stasyshyn
Director – Galyna Volovetska
Artist – Bohdan Luzhetsky
Costume designer – Khrystyna Kozak
Сast
Uberto, an old man – Dmytro Kokotko, Igor Mikhnevych, Volodymyr Dytchak
Serpina, his maid – Anastasia Kornutiak, Natalia Kuryltsiv, Anna Nosova, Maria Shram
Vespone, his servant – Vitaliy Rozdayhora, Ivan Samkov-Borhes
Harpsichord – Natalia Peleh, Mariana Samotos
The opera “The Maid Turned Mistress” (La Serva Padrona) by G. B. Pergolesi has extremely good stage luck. When a twenty three year old composer from Naples
created intermezzo to his opera seria “The Proud Prisoner” (Il prigionier superbo) – two comic compositions that are performed between acts of a larger musical work – he certainly did not know that the intermezzo “The Maid Turned Mistress” would outshine all his compositions and would bring him great success and fame of a founder of a new genre, Italian opera buffa. “The Maid Turned Mistress” has won popularity not only in Italy. After it was translated into French, the opera had more than 200 performances in Paris (1752). “The Maid Turned Mistress” charmed Europe.
SYNOPSIS
Intermezzo 1
Dressing room
Uberto, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his chocolate today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Uberto calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him from leaving the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Uberto thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.
Intermezzo 2
Same dressing room
Serpina convinces Vespone to trick Uberto into marrying her. She informs Uberto that she is to marry a military man named Tempesta. She will be leaving his home and apologizes for her behavior. Vespone, disguised as Tempesta, arrives and, without saying a word, demands 4,000 crowns for a dowry. Uberto refuses to pay such a sum. Tempesta threatens him to either pay the dowry or marry the girl himself. Uberto agrees to marry Serpina. Serpina and Vespone reveal their trick; but Uberto realizes that he has loved the girl all along. They will marry after all; and Serpina will now be the true mistress of the household.
The Harpsichord is provided by the Ukrainian-Swiss association
Haliciana Schola Cantorum
