Elixir Do Amor - Libreto

O P E R A I N

ENGLISH

CHANDOS

PETERMOORES FOUNDATION

CHAN 3077 Great Operatic

ARIASGreat Operatic

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GreatOperatic

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Dulcamara in SanDiego Opera’sproduction of

Donizetti’s The Elixirof Love

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Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)

from The Barber of SevilleBartolo’s Aria ‘Dare you offer such excuses’ 6:39 [p. 65](A un dottore della mia sorte)from CHAN 3025(2) The Barber of Seville

from The Italian Girl in AlgiersIsabella and Taddeo’s Duet‘All the changes in my fortune’ –‘Ah, yes, as friends united’ 8:00 [p. 66](Ai capricci della sorte)with Della Jones (Isabella)from CHAN 3049 Great Operatic Arias with Della Jones

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

from Don GiovanniLeporello’s Catalogue Aria ‘Look here: this not so little volume’ –‘Pretty lady, I have something to show you’ 5:54 [p. 68](Madamina, il catalogo è questo)from CHAN 3057(3) Don Giovanni

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Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)

from The Elixir of LoveDulcamara’s Cavatina‘Attention! Attention! You country folk!’ 7:56 [p. 56](Udite, udite, o rustici)with Geoffrey Mitchell Choir

Nemorino and Dulcamara’s Recitative and Duet ‘Good doctor, beg your pardon’ –‘It was Tristan who employed it’ 8:04 [p. 58](Voglio dire… lo stupendo elisir)with Barry Banks (Nemorino)

Adina and Dulcamara’s Duet‘How he loved me!’ —‘With a look of love and laughter’ 7:09 [p. 61](Quanto amore)with Mary Plazas (Adina)

Act II finale ‘It will give you cheeks like peaches’ 2:35 [p. 64](Ei corregge ogni difetto)with Mary Plazas (Adina), Bary Banks (Nemorino), and Ashley Holland (Belcore),Geoffrey Mitchell Choirfrom CHAN 3027(2) The Elixir of Love

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Gaetano Donizettifrom Don PasqualeMalatesta and Pasquale’s duet ‘She’ll be here by midday’ –‘Quite unexpectedly passions inflame me’ 2:52 [p. 68](Un foco insolito, mi sento addosso)with Jason Howard (Malatesta)

Pasquale and Norina’s duet ‘Well good evening! You’re in a hurry’ 5:50 [p. 69](Signorina, in tanta fretta)with Lynne Dawson (Norina)

Malatesta and Pasquale’s Duet ‘Don Pasquale…’ –‘Ah brother… a living corpse is standing here before you’ 10:05 [p. 71](Cognato, in me vedete un morto che cammina)with Jason Howard (Malatesta)from CHAN 3011(2) Don Pasquale

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Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)

from FalstaffHonour Monologue‘Hey, Page boy!’ 4:55 [p. 75](L’onore! Ladri!)from CHAN 3079(2) Falstaff

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Philharmonia Orchestra (tracks 1–4 & 7)

London Philharmonic Orchestra (tracks 6 & 8–10)

David Parry (tracks 1–4 & 6–10)

English National Opera Orchestra (tracks 5 & 11)

Gabriele Bellini (track 5)

Paul Daniel (track 11)

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Andrew Shore in the titlerole of English National Opera’sproduction of Verdi’s Falstaff

Andrew Shore in the titlerole of Opera North’sproduction of Berg’s Wozzeck

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norm, even for operas in Russian or in Czech.Covent Garden – where in the postwar yearsKirsten Flagstad and Hans Hotter relearnedThe Valkyrie and Ljuba Welitsch relearnedSalome in English, and Boris Godunov, TheQueen of Spades, Jenuºfa were as a matter ofcourse translated – has become a foreign-language, ‘exotic’ house, its performancesdistanced from its audiences. MeanwhileEnglish National Opera, at the Coliseum, hassustained the ideals of the men who inventedopera: drama directly understood, and givennew force by music’s power. Wagner and Verdiwere well aware of, and complained about, thedistortions introduced by translation, yet theywelcomed it, enjoined it, believing that thegains outweighed the losses. But they wantedthe translations to be good.

Enough! On this disc Andrew Shore singscomic opera. (The rather special case of DonGiovanni is discussed below.) The argumentspro and con change somewhat when comedy’sin question. Incominciate! – or, as the standardEnglish translation of Pagliacci puts it, ‘Ringup the curtain!’ – on scenes from some of thegreatest comic operas.

The old arguments about ‘opera in the originallanguage’ versus ‘opera in the language of thelisteners’ never cease. Nor should they: there istoo much to be said on both sides. It was notopera as such but, specifically, Italian opera inLondon that Dr Johnson famously describedas ‘an exotic and irrational entertainment’.And in a 1711 Spectator Joseph Addisonwrote:

There is no question but that our great Grand-Children will be very curious to know theReason why their Forefathers used to sit togetherlike an Audience of Foreigners in their ownCountry, and to hear whole Plays acted beforethem in a Tongue which they did notunderstand.

But nearly three hundred years later peopleare doing it still. During the second half of thetwentieth century, opera in the original – whatthe great American baritone David Bisphamcalled ‘the foreign-language fad’ – gained newimpetus. And in the great houses of Milan,Munich, Paris, Vienna, where foreign operasused regularly to be presented in the languageof the audience, and in many of the smallerhouses too, ‘original language’ became the

Donizetti: The Elixir of LoveWe were told in book after book that TheElixir of Love was an opera written at speed;the manager of the Canobbiana Theatre inMilan, at his wits’ end when a commissionedcomposer suddenly failed to produce, beggedDonizetti to revamp one of his own old operasto fill the gap. And Donizetti replied: ‘Are youjoking? I’m not in the habit of touching upmy works, or anyone else’s. Let’s see whether Ican write a new opera for you. Send forRomani!’ And to Felice Romani, Donizettithen said: ‘A new opera is due from us in afortnight’s time; I’ll give you a week to preparethe libretto.’

Be that as it may, a gem of comic operaappeared at the Canobbiana on 12 May 1832.The Canobbiana, built at the same time asLa Scala, by the same architect, was for muchof the nineteenth century La Scala’s ‘secondhouse’. It specialised in comic operas but alsohad a reputation for introducing interestingnovelties from abroad, such as Le Comte Ory,Robert le Diable, Martha. The Elixir of Lovewas revived there the following two seasons –by which time it had already been widely andinternationally performed.

Romani took his plot from ‘Scribe’s latest’,the libretto for Le Philtre, an Auber opera that

was staged at the Paris Opéra in 1831. (Thedashing sergeant in both works was created bythe same singer, Henri-Bernard Dabadie.) Agood deal of Romani’s work is straighttranslation. (Compare the hero’s openingcavatina: ‘Qu’elle est jolie!… Elle sait lire…Moi, je ne suis qu’un ignorant’ and ‘Quanto èbella!… Essa legge… Io son sempre unidiota’.) But to the Scribe comedy Romaniadded a vein of semiseria romance. Theparallels with Bellini’s Sonnambula aredeliberate, I believe. (La sonnambula, whichalso has a Romani libretto after Scribe, hadappeared in Milan in 1831.) The tender duets‘Son geloso del zefiro errante… Son, miobene, del zefiro amante’ (in La sonnambula)and ‘Chiedi all’aura lusinghiera… Chiedi alrio perchè gemente’ (in L’elisir) are in similarvein, and similarly placed. Le Philtre had no‘Una furtiva lagrima’.

The heroine’s first words in L’elisir are ‘È lastoria del Tristano’. She reads the story to thecompany. (Wagner’s version of it was still wayin the future.) When the travelling charlatanDulcamara arrives in the village, ‘Attention!Attention!’ (track ) is his lively sales-patteras he peddles his wondrous ‘elixir’ – a specificagainst every ill that flesh is heir to. Thelovelorn Nemorino approaches him: does he

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its premiere the opera was deferentiallyentitled Almaviva, or The Useless Precaution;only later that year, in Bologna, was it billedwith Paisiello’s title.

Dr Bartolo tries to keep his lively youngward, Rosina, whom he hopes to marry,securely under lock and key. But she’s beenserenaded by a young man who calls himselfLindoro (he’s really count Almaviva), has fallenfor him, and has written to him a letter to besmuggled out by Figaro, the barber.Dr Bartolo notices an ink-blot on Rosina’sfinger: ‘That’s where I burned my finger and Iput some ink on it.’ He counts the sheets ofwriting paper on the desk: only five, whenbefore there’d been six: ‘I used one of them towrap up some chocolates for Marcellina’. Thenwhy’s the quill inky?: ‘The pen… I used todraw a flower on my sewing.’ Dr Bartolo isn’ttaken in, and bursts into his splendidly,comically pompous aria (track ).

It proved difficult for its early performers.It was replaced, after a few performances, by asimpler number, ‘Manca un foglio’ (‘There’s asheet missing’), composed by Pietro Romani.The substitution became general: in thenineteenth-century Boosey score of TheBarber, edited by Arthur Sullivan, both ariasappear, ‘for the convenience of those using this

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edition as a handbook, since “Manca unfoglio” is now very generally substituted for“A un dottor”.’ But ‘Manca un foglio’ is nowthe rarity.

The first English performance of The Barberof Seville, in a translation by John Fawcett andDaniel Terry, was performed at Covent Gardenin 1818. The translation here used is by Amandaand Anthony Holden.

Rossini: The Italian Girl in AlgiersIn 1813, in Venice, young Rossini had hisfirst two big hits: Tancredi, at the Fenice on6 February, established him as the master ofopera seria; and The Italian Girl in Algiers, atthe Teatro San Benedetto on 22 May,established him as the master of comic opera.The Italian Girl, like Donizetti’s The Elixir ofLove, was composed when another composerfailed to produce. To save time, an old librettowas brought into service: Angelo Anelli’s, setby Luigi Mosca for La Scala in 1808. It wassomewhat revised. It lacks the shapeliness ofThe Barber, the Pirandellian by-play of TheTurk in Italy, the moral truths that makeCenerentola moving as well as entertaining.Yet the slightly ramshackle action is clad innumber after number of such invention,vivacity, and beauty that the score transcends

by any chance stock the potion that arousedthe passions of Queen Isolda? ‘Why, I brewedit myself ’ Dulcamara replies (in the originalItalian), and sells Nemorino a bottle of cheapwine. Nemorino is delighted: soon thedisdainful Adina is bound to find himirresistible (track ).

The potion doesn’t act fast enough.Nemorino needs more, but has no moremoney. He enlists in the army, and withtwenty scudi of sign-on money thus earnedhe buys more elixir. Soon every girl in thevillage is flocking round him: they know thathis rich uncle has died and that he is now amillionaire. He doesn’t know; he thinks it’sthe potion at work. Adina’s heart is touched,at last, when she learns that in an endeavourto win her, Nemorino has sacrificed hisliberty (track ). Dulcamara urges her tobuy some of his potion, to make sure ofdetaching Nemorino from his flock of newadmirers, but Adina knows a surer way:‘I need no magic potion… For my eyes willwork the spell.’

She redeems Nemorino’s enlistment papers,and all ends happily (track ). Dulcamaradeparts, acclaimed by everyone – exceptSergeant Belcore, who had hoped to haveAdina for himself.

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The Elixir of Love was first performed inEnglish at the Surrey Theatre and then DruryLane, in 1839. The translator wasT.H. Reynoldson. The Arthur Jacobs translationused here was first performed by the MaidstoneOpera Group, in 1964. Arthur Jacobs(1922–1986 ) translated many operas, includingworks by Handel, Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss(The Silent Woman), Schoenberg (Erwartung),and Berg (Lulu). Also Rossini’s Cenerentolaand (see track ) The Italian Girl in Algiers.

Rossini: The Barber of SevilleRossini’s The Barber of Seville was one of theoperas that – unaccountably, it now seems –flopped at its premiere (at the TeatroArgentina, in Rome, on 20 February 1816).Madam Butterfly was another. But The Barberwas a success at its second performance, and asuccess it has remained ever since. Rossini,who loved Mozart’s music, responded to thechallenge of setting the Beaumarchais play towhich The Marriage of Figaro had been asuccessor. There was already a famous Barberopera, Giovanni Paisiello’s (1782), andPaisiello was still alive. (He died three monthsafter the premiere of Rossini’s version). Rossiniwrote to him in advance, apologetically, andreceived the elderly composer’s blessing; but at

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its source, producing, in Stendhal’s famousphrases, ‘a sweeping enchantment, a kind ofmusical frenzy that takes hold of orchestra andaudience alike, sweeping one and all away onwaves of uncontrollable delight.’

Isabella, sparkling, resourceful, intrepid, hassailed from Leghorn in search of her belovedLindoro. (He has been captured and is a slaveof the Bey of Algiers.) Travelling with her isher elderly admirer and cicisbeo, Taddeo.Shipwrecked on the shores of Algiers, they arecaptured by pirates. Taddeo is to be sold as aslave. Isabella will become a prize piece in theBey’ seraglio; he’s been wanting an Italianwoman. They pretend to be uncle anddaughter, inseparable. They quarrel, and thenmake up again (track ).

The Italian Girl in Algiers was first sung inEnglish at the Princess’s Theatre, London, in1836, the translator unnamed. The translationby Arthur Jacobs heard here was first sung byEnglish National Opera at the Coliseum in1968. For a note on Arthur Jacobs see The Elixirof Love, above.

Mozart: Don GiovanniAll the items on this disc, I said, come fromcomic operas. Don Giovanni ? Well, it defiesclassification. On the playbill of the first

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performance, at the Prague National Theatreon 29 October 1787, it was called a drammagiocoso, a jolly drama. Winthrop Sargeant, mypredecessor on The New Yorker, called it ‘aprofound essay on the subject of mortality’, itsprotagonist ‘not a character but an archetype’.His essay concludes: ‘The celebration of amyth is a rite, not a performance, and when Igo to a performance of Don Giovanni I feel Iam in the presence of a rite.’ Gounod declaredthat the harmonic progressions after theopening chords of the overture ‘freeze one’ssoul with terror’. Edward J. Dent, striving toprovide a corrective to the nineteenth century’sromantic awe, stressed the buffo aspects in hisinfluential Mozart’s Operas.

The scenes with Donna Elvira – theburlesque serenade, her sudden arrivals atinopportune moments, her last-pleaappearance at Don Giovanni’s supper – minglemirth and heart-break. Yes, she is ratherridiculous. She’s also poignant, tragic.Leporello’s catalogue aria, (track ), isanother scene with Elvira. His part of it is abuffo aria, its text close-modelled on GiovanniBertati’s Don Giovanni for Giuseppe Gazzaniga(which appeared in Venice eight monthsbefore Mozart’s opera, and was da Ponte’smain source). Elvira’s part in it is mute, but

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her reactions to what she hears are, in thetheatre, an important element of the scene.Is Leporello in this account of his master’s‘scores’ simply being amusingly and brutallyfrank? Or is he being intricately, sympatheticallybrutal in a deliberate endeavour to persuadepoor Elvira to shed her illusions? In otherscenes he expresses sotto voce sympathy for herplight, and open disapproval of Giovanni’s wayof life. Is he perhaps deliberately exaggeratingthe totals? Should there be reproof, rather thangusto, in his recalling of the many conquests?Or maybe a touch of both? About DonGiovanni questions never cease.

Don Giovanni was first sung in English atCovent Garden, in 1817; the translator wasIsaac Pocock. Amanda Holden’s translation, hereused, has been used by many British companies,and was specially revised for the Chandosrecording. For a note on Amanda Holden, seeFalstaff, below.

Donizetti: Don PasqualeI have a friend of about Don Pasquale’s agewho finds Donizetti’s dramma buffo – aboutyoung people ganging up and duping the oldboy – not at all funny. Well, he’s exaggerating,and knows it; but Don Pasquale is far frombeing just foolery. The opera was first

performed at the Théâtre Italien, in Paris, on3 January 1843, during those fevered last yearsof activity when the composer poured out onefine opera after another. Donizetti has beencalled a Shakespeare of the lyric stage. Hisidentification with his characters, his ability toshare their plights, to express their feelings,was great. The libretto of Don Pasquale wasbased on Ser Marc’Antonio by Angelo Anelli –the same man whose Italiana had servedRossini – which had been set for La Scalathirty years before by Stefano Pavesi. It’s a newversion of the amorous-old-man-outwittedplot; others versions are The Barber andStrauss’s The Silent Woman (based on BenJonson); Lorca’s oft-set Don Perlimplin is atragi-comic variant.

Don Pasquale has elected his nephewErnesto as his heir, but when he learns ofErnesto’s choice of bride, the impoverishedNorina, Pasquale decides to get married andraise a family of his own. His doctor,Malatesta, proposes as bride his demure littlesister, Sophronia; and (track ) the old boy isdelighted. ‘Sophronia’, of course, is reallyNorina, Ernesto’s beloved, who is all shynessand sweetness before a (mock) marriageceremony, but becomes a virago once thecontract has been signed. She runs up some

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stupendous bills. And on the wedding nightDon Pasquale (track ) finds her dressed togo out to the theatre. In the first part of athree-movement duet, he tries in vain to asserthis authority. She smacks his face. In atouching central section, Pasquale feels that hisworld has come to an end, while the ‘real’Norina, in asides, feels sorry for him. In thethird section (omitted here) she reassumes hervixen role. Sweeping out, she carefully drops –for him to find – a letter arranging anassignation that night in the garden. Theshattered Don Pasquale summons Malatesta(track ) and tells him what has happened.Malatesta proposes that together they shouldcatch ‘Sophronia’ with her lover. If she’s reallyguilty, he’ll take his ‘sister’ away.

Need one add that all ends happily? In afinal twist of the stratagem, ‘Sophronia’declares that she will leave the house if anotherwoman, Norina, dare enter it. So Pasqualeorders Ernesto to marry Norina at once. Whenhe learns the truth, he’s also learned a lesson.He blesses the young couple.

Don Pasquale was first performed in Englishat the Princess’s Theatre, London, in 1843; thetranslator, as of The Elixir of Love four yearsearlier, was T.H. Reynoldson. The translationhere used is by David Parry.

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Verdi: FalstaffIn his last opera, produced at La Scala on9 February 1893, when he was eighty, Verdibrought together strands that had run throughhis long career: among them his lifelongdevotion to Shakespeare, his mistrust of thefickle public, his generous love of humanity,his tenderness toward young love, his respectfor craftsmanship, his instinctive feeling fortheatrical effect. And now there is a mellowacceptance – no longer bitter, but joyful – thatnew young men have risen to take the centreof the stage, even while the old man can stillshow them a trick or two. The score is amiracle of grace, beauty, mercurial invention,and fine but never intrusive detail. High spiritsand poetic refinement go hand in hand. Oftenrecitative and aria seem to have become one.The vocal line moves freely in response toBoito’s polished text, but there are glimpsesalong the way of the old, regular forms.Within the space of a few bars the composercatches the essence of a number that mighthave spread over pages in an earlier opera.Alice’s reading of Falstaff ’s letter, ‘Come unastella’, is at once parody of a high romanticaria and a beautiful melody in itself. A second‘aria’ for her, complete with cabaletta, is woveninto the first scene of Act III. Falstaff ’s eight

bars beginning ‘So che se andiam, la notte’ is abuffo aria in miniature. Falstaff ’s HonourMonologue, here recorded (track ), hasseveral ‘sections’ (Boito fashioned its text fromthree different Shakespeare scenes), yet it flowsas a whole. The composer Stanford, who wentto Milan to hear the premiere of Falstaff, andwrote two eloquent essays on the work, calledit the smiling counterpart of Iago’s Credo inOtello. It begins like accompanied recitative,moves into more regular periods, grows freeagain, but with subtle motivic underpinning.A ‘cabaletta’, beginning ‘Quickly! Quickly!’,lasts (counting the orchestral close) justtwenty-two bars. It’s all scored in wonderfullysubtle colours.

Falstaff was published with Italian,English, German, and French texts. The firstperformance in English (translation byW. Beatty Kingston, revised by Fritz Hart) wasgiven by students of the Royal College of Music,at the London Lyceum in 1896. Stanfordconducted. Amanda Holden, whose translation isheard here, has translated more than fifty operas.Falstaff was the first of them. It was firstperformed by the City of Birmingham TouringOpera, in 1987.

© 2002 Andrew Porter

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Andrew Shore is acknowledged as Britain’spremier buffo baritone and an outstandingsinger/actor. He has worked with EnglishNational Opera, The Royal Opera, OperaNorth, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Scottish

Opera and WelshNational Opera,and has appearedabroad with SanDiego Opera,New IsraeliOpera, OpéraNational de Paris-Bastille, OpéraComique, GranTeatre del Liceuin Barcelona, as

well as in Lyon, Nantes, Santa Fe, Montpellier,Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Vancouver andOttawa.

His many engagements have included thetitle roles in Wozzeck, Falstaff, King Priam,Gianni Schicchi and Don Pasquale, as well asDulcamara (The Elixir of Love), Don Alfonso(Così fan tutte), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro),Papageno (The Magic Flute), King Dodon(Le Coq d’or), Leandro (The Love for ThreeOranges), Dikoy (Kát’a Kabanová), DrKolenaty (The Makropulos Affair), Shishkov

Sarah Pring as Despina and Andrew Shore as Don Alfonso inGlyndebourne Festival Opera’s production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte


(From the House of the Dead ), Frank(Die Fledermaus), Baron (La Vie parisienne),Baron Trombonok (Il viaggio a Reims),George Wilson (The Great Gatsby), Alberich inconcert performances of Das Rheingold,Varlaam (Boris Godunov) and Faninal(Der Rosenkavalier).

Recordings include the title roles inFalstaff and Don Pasquale, Leporello (DonGiovanni ), Dr Bartolo (The Barber of Seville),Dulcamara (The Elixir of Love), the Sacristanin Tosca, Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier(highlights), and La Bohème, all forChandos/Peter Moores Foundation.

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Andrew Shore as Dulcamara in English National Opera’sproduction of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love

Sarah Pring as Despina and Andrew Shore as Don Alfonso inGlyndebourne Festival Opera’s production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte


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PETER MOORES, CBE, DL

Peter Moores was born in Lancashire, the son of Sir John Moores, founder of the giantLittlewoods mail order, chain store and football pools group. He was educated at Eton andChrist Church, Oxford, where he read modern languages – he was already fluent in Germanand Italian. It was opera, however, which was his great love. He had worked at GlyndebourneFestival Opera before going up to university, and after Oxford he became a productionstudent at the Vienna State Opera, combining this with a three-year course at the ViennaAcademy of Music and Dramatic Art.

By the end of his third year at the Academy Moores had produced the Vienna premiere ofBritten’s The Rape of Lucretia, had worked as Assistant Producerat the San Carlo Opera House, Naples, the Geneva Festival andRome Opera, and seemed set for a successful operatic career. Atthis point he received a letter from his father asking him tocome home as he was needed in the firm. Family loyalty beingparamount, he returned to Liverpool.

From 1981 to 1983 he was a Governor of the BBC, anda Trustee of the Tate Gallery from 1978 until 1985; from1988 to 1992 he was a director of Scottish Opera. He receivedthe Gold Medal of the Italian Republic in 1974, an HonoraryMA from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1975, and was madean Honorary Member of the Royal Northern College ofMusic in 1985. In May 1992 he became Deputy Lieutenantof Lancashire, and in the New Year’s Honours List for 1991,he was made a CBE for his charitable services to the Arts.

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Peter Moores, CBE, DL

Whilst still in his early twenties, Peter Moores had started giving financial support to variousyoung artists, several of whom – Joan Sutherland, Colin Davis and the late Geraint Evansamongst them – were to become world-famous. In 1964 he set aside a substantial part of hisinheritance to establish the Peter Moores Foundation, a charity designed to support thosecauses dear to his heart: to make music and the arts more accessible to more people; to giveencouragement to the young and to improve race relations.

PETER MOORES FOUNDATIONIn the field of music, the main areas supported by the Peter Moores Foundation are:

the recording of operas from the core repertory sung in English translation; the recordingor staging of rare Italian opera from the bel canto era of the early nineteenth century(repertoire which would otherwise only be accessible to scholars); the nurturing ofpromising young opera singers; new operatic work.

The Foundation awards scholarships annually to students and post-graduates for furtheringtheir vocal studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. In addition, project awards may begiven to facilitate language tuition in the appropriate country, attendance at masterclasses orsummer courses, specialised repertoire study with an acknowledged expert in the field, orpost-graduate performance training.

The Foundation encourages new operatic work by contributing to recordings, thepublication of scores and stage productions.

Since 1964 the Foundation has supported the recording of more than forty operas, many ofthese sung in English, in translation. It has always been Peter Moores’s belief that to enjoy operato the full, there must be no language barrier, particularly for newcomers and particularly in thepopular repertoire – hence the Opera in English series launched with Chandos in 1995. Thisincludes many of the English language recordings funded by the Foundation in the 1970s and1980s, and is now the largest recorded collection of operas sung in English.


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Andrew Shore as Papageno andLinda Kitchen as Papagena

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Andrew Shore as Dr Bartolo in Kent Opera’sproduction of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville


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Oper. (Auf den Sonderfall Don Giovannigehen wir weiter unten ein.) Wenn es umHumor geht, verschiebt sich das Für undWider etwas. Incominciate! – oder um indeutscher Übersetzung aus I Pagliacci zuzitieren: Den Vorhang auf ! – zu Szenen auseinigen der großartigsten komischen Opern!

Donizetti: The Elixir of LoveIn vielen Büchern ist zu lesen, dass L’elisird’amore in größter Eile entstand; der Leiter desCanobbiana-Theaters in Mailand, durch dieUnzuverlässigkeit eines anderen Komponistenin Verlegenheit gebracht, bedrängte Donizettimit dem Wunsch, er möge eine seiner eigenen,älteren Opern als Notlösung umschreiben.Worauf Donizetti erwiderte: “Belieben Sie zuscherzen? Ich pflege nicht, meine Werke –oder die anderer – aufzufrischen. Sehen wir,ob ich nicht eine neue Oper für Sie schreibenkann. Schicken Sie nach Romani!” Diesemwiederum erklärte Donizetti: “In vierzehnTagen haben wir eine neue Oper abzuliefern;ich gebe Ihnen eine Woche für die Erstellungdes Librettos.”

Wie dem auch immer gewesen sein mag,am 12. Mai 1832 wurde am Canobbiana einJuwel von einer komischen Oper gegeben. DasCanobbiana, das etwa zur gleichen Zeit wie

La Scala und von demselben Architektengebaut worden war, galt über weite Streckendes 19. Jahrhunderts als die “Nebenbühne”der Scala. Man war dort auf komische Opernspezialisiert, hatte aber ebenfalls einen Ruf fürden Import interessanter Novitäten aus demAusland, wie etwa Le Comte Ory, Robert leDiable und Martha. L’elisir wurde dort in dennächsten beiden Spielzeiten erneut aufgeführt– und mittlerweile hatte die Oper auch ihreninternationalen Siegeszug angetreten.

Romani lehnte sich bei seiner Handlung an“das Neueste von Scribe” an, das Libretto fürLe Philtre, eine Oper von Auber, die 1831 ander Pariser Opéra uraufgeführt worden war.(Den feschen Sergeanten sang in beidenWerken Henri-Bernard Dabadie.) Vielübernahm Romani in direkter Übersetzung.(Man vergleiche die einleitende Kavatine derHeldin: “Qu’elle est jolie!… Elle sait lire…Moi, je ne suis qu’un ignorant” mit “Quanto èbella!… Essa legge… Io son sempre unidiota”.) Doch Romani bereichterte dieKomödie von Scribe um eine semiseriaRomanze. Die Parallelen zu Bellinis Lasonnambula sind meiner Meinung nachbeabsichtigt. (La sonnambula, ebenfalls miteinem Libretto Romanis nach Scribe, war1831 in Mailand inszeniert worden.) Die

Die Diskussion darüber, ob Oper in derOriginalsprache gesungen werden sollte oderin der Sprache des Hörers, wird nie enden.Wir brauchen sie auch, denn für beide Seitenlässt sich viel sagen. Der viel zitierte englischeSchriftsteller Samuel Johnson bezog sichspezifisch auf die italienische Oper in London,als er sie als “eine exotische und irrationaleUnterhaltung” bezeichnete. Bereits 1711 hatteJoseph Addison im Spectator geschrieben:

Fraglos werden unsere Enkelkinder sich sehrdarüber wundern, warum ihre Vorväter pflegten,in ihrem eigenen Land wie eine Gruppe vonAusländern zusammenzusitzen und Schauspielezu erleben, die in einer ihnen unverständlichenSprache dargeboten wurden.

Fast dreihundert Jahre später hat sich darannichts geändert. In der zweiten Hälfte des20. Jahrhunderts verstärkte sich neuerlich derWunsch nach Oper im Original – etwas, wasder berühmte amerikanische Bariton DavidBispham den “Fremdsprachenfimmel” nannte.An den großen Bühnen von Mailand,München, Paris und Wien, wo regelmäßigOper in der Heimatsprache inszeniert wurde,und auch in vielen kleineren Häusern wurde

die “Originalsprache” zur Norm, selbst beirussischen oder tschechischen Werken. AusCovent Garden – wo Kirsten Flagstad undHans Hotter in den Nachkriegsjahren TheValkyrie neu einstudieren mussten und LjubaWelitsch Salome auf Englisch zu lernen hatte,wo Boris Godunov, The Queen of Spades, Jenuºfaselbstverständlich in englischer Übersetzunginszeniert wurden – ist ein fremdsprachiger,“exotischer” Tempel geworden, an dessenAufführungen das Publikum nur distanziertteilzuhaben vermag. Die English NationalOpera, um die Ecke im Coliseum beheimatet,hat unterdessen die Ideale jener Männergewahrt, von denen die Oper einmalausgegangen ist: unmittelbar verständlichesDrama, gesteigert durch die Macht der Musik.Wagner und Verdi wussten sehr wohl über dieim Zuge der Übersetzung eingeführtenVerzerrungen und waren darüber entrüstet,und doch befürworteten sie die Praxis, riefensogar dazu auf, weil sie darin das kleinere Übelsahen. Nur gut sollten die Übersetzungen sein.

Damit genug! Auf dieser CD singt AndrewShore in zeitgemäßer Übersetzung für einEnglisch sprechendes Publikum komische

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zärtlichen Duette “Son geloso del zefiroerrante… Son, mio bene, del zefiro amante”(in La sonnambula) und “Chiedi all’auralusinghiera… Chiedi al rio perchè gemente”(in L’elisir) sind ähnlich geartet und plaziert.In Le Philtre gab es keine Arie wie “Unafurtiva lagrima”.

Adina, die Heldin in L’elisir, stellt sich demPublikum mit der “storia del Tristano” vor, diesie den Erntearbeitern vorliest. (WagnersFassung lag noch weit in der Zukunft.) Als derreisende Quacksalber Dulcamara im Dorferscheint, versucht er mit “Attention!Attention!” (Band ) lebhaft, sein alsAllheilmittel gepriesenes “Elixir” unter dieLeute zu bringen. Der liebeskranke Nemorinogeht auf ihn ein: Hat er vielleicht auch denLiebestrank der Königin Isolda? “Na, ichdestilliere ihn selbst”, erwidert Dulcamara undverkauft ihm eine Flasche billigen Wein.Nemorino ist begeistert: Bald wird ihm diehochmütige Adina nicht widerstehen können(Band ).

Der Liebestrank wirkt nicht schnell genug.Nemorino benötigt mehr davon, doch fehltihm das Geld. Er verdingt sich als Soldat, undmit den zwanzig Scudi Werbegeld kauft ermehr Elixir. Bald sind alle jungen Mädchendes Dorfes nett zu ihm: Sie wissen, dass sein

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reicher Onkel gestorben ist und ihm allesvermacht hat. Er weiß es nicht und glaubt,dass hier der Liebestrank am Werke ist. Adinageht schließlich in sich, als sie erfährt, dassNemorino aus Liebeskummer seine Freiheitgeopfert hat (Band ). Dulcamara drängt sie,von seinem Elixir zu kaufen, damit sichNemorino auch wirklich von seinen neuenBewunderinnen trennt, doch weiß Adinaeinen besseren Weg: “I need no magicpotion… For my eyes will work the spell.”

Sie kauft dem Sergeanten NemorinosWerbeschein wieder ab, und alles endet inGlückseligkeit (Band ). Dulcamara wirdfreudig verabschiedet – nur nicht von SergeantBelcore, der Adina für sich selbst erhofft hatte.

The Elixir of Love wurde 1839 in englischerSprache zuerst am Surrey Theatre und dannDrury Lane Theatre inszeniert. Die Übersetzungstammte von T.H. Reynoldson. Die dervorliegenden Aufnahme zugrundeliegendeTextfassung von Arthur Jacobs wurde 1964 zumerstenmal von der Maidstone Opera Groupaufgeführt. Arthur Jacobs (1922–1986 )übersetzte zahlreiche Opern, darunter Werke vonHändel, Tschaikowski, Strauss (The SilentWoman), Schönberg (Erwartung) und Berg(Lulu), sowie Rossinis Cenerentola und (sieheBand ) The Italian Girl in Algiers.6

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Rossini: The Barber of SevilleRossinis The Barber of Seville gehört zu jenenOpern, die aus heute unerklärlich scheinendenGründen bei der Premiere (am 20. Februar1816 am Teatro Argentina in Rom) eklatantdurchfielen. Madam Butterfly wäre ein anderesBeispiel. Doch die zweite Aufführung desBarbiere war ein Erfolg, und ein Erfolg ist dieOper seitdem geblieben. Rossini, ein großerVerehrer der Musik Mozarts, nahm dieHerausforderung an, jenes Schauspiel vonBeaumarchais zu vertonen, an das sichDie Hochzeit des Figaro angeschlossen hatte.Eine sehr erfolgreiche Barbiere-Oper, vonGiovanni Paisiello (1782), existierte bereits,und Paisiello lebte noch (er starb drei Monatenach der Uraufführung der Rossini-Version).Rossini wandte sich vorsorglich mit einemEntschuldigungsschreiben an den greisenKomponisten, der ihm daraufhin seinWohlwollen ausdrückte; mit Rücksicht aufPaisiello nannte Rossini das Werk zunächstAlmaviva, oder die unnütze Vorsicht, bevor esdann im weiteren Verlauf des Jahres inBologna unter dem Titel Paisiellos imProgramm erschien.

Dr. Bartolo gedenkt, sein eifersüchtiggehütetes Mündel Rosina zu heiraten. Dochein junger Mann namens Lindoro (in

Wirklichkeit Almaviva) hat ihr ein Ständchengebracht, und sie ist ihm zugeneigt; sie hatihm heimlich einen Brief geschrieben, denFigaro, der Barbier, aus dem Haus schmuggelnsoll. Dr. Bartolo bemerkt einen Tintenfleck anRosinas Finger: “Ich habe mich verbrannt, undmit der Tinte wollte ich es kühlen.” Er zähltdie Blätter Schreibpapier auf dem Tisch –fünf, wo es doch sechs waren: “Ich brauchteeins, um Konfekt zu Barbarina zu schicken.”Warum ist dann die Feder feucht? “Ich wollteeine Blume auf meine Sticktrommelzeichnen.” Dr. Bartolo lässt sich davon nichtüberzeugen und stimmt seine glänzende,komisch-pompöse Arie an (Band ).

Sie sollte sich für die ersten Interpreten alsschwierige Aufgabe erweisen. Schon nachwenigen Aufführungen wurde sie durch eineeinfacherere Nummer, “Manca un foglio”(“Da fehlt ein Blatt”), des Komponisten PietroRomani ersetzt. Die Substitution setzte sichallgemein durch: In der von Boosey im19. Jahrhundert veröffentlichten Partitur desBarbiere, editiert von Arthur Sullivan,erscheinen beide Arien, “im Sinne jener, diediese Ausgabe als Handbuch benutzen, da‘Manca un foglio’ heute generell an die Stellevon ‘A un dottor’ tritt.” Inzwischen ist jedoch“Manca un foglio” eher die Ausnahme.

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Die erste englische Aufführung vonThe Barber of Seville, in einer Übersetzung vonJohn Fawcett und Daniel Terry, fand 1818 inCovent Garden statt. Der hier verwendete Textstammt von Amanda und Anthony Holden.

Rossini: The Italian Girl in Algiers1813 feierte der junge Rossini in Venedig seineersten beiden großen Erfolge: Tancredi, am6. Februar am Fenice uraufgeführt, etablierteihn als Meister der Opera seria, währendL’Italiana in Algeri (22. Mai, Teatro SanBenedetto) ihm den gleichen Rang in derOpera buffa verschaffte. L’Italiana in Algerientstand, ebenso wie Donizettis L’elisird’amore, als Verlegenheitswerk beim Ausfalleiner anderen Auftragsarbeit. Um Zeit zusparen, griff man auf ein altes Libretto zurück:eine Vorlage von Angelo Anelli, die 1808 vonLuigi Mosca für die Scala vertont worden warund nur geringfügig überarbeitet wurde. Manvermisst die ansprechende Form des Barbiere,die pirandellische Nebenhandlung von Il turcoin Italia, die moralischen Wahrheiten, die LaCenerentola ebenso rührend wie unterhaltsammachen. Doch die eher chaotische Handlungentwickelt sich mit einer Nummer nach deranderen in derartiger Phantasie, Lebhaftigkeitund Schönheit, dass die Partitur über ihre

Vorlage hinauswächst. Das Ergebnis ist – ummit Stendhal zu sprechen – “eine mitreißendeVerzauberung, eine Art musikalisches Fieber,das Orchester und Publikum gleichermaßenerfasst und allesamt auf Wellen unzähmbarenVergnügens hinfort trägt.”

Isabella – feurig, findig, furchtlos – hat sichvon Leghorn aus auf die Suche nach ihremgeliebten Lindoro gemacht (er ist inGefangenschaft geraten und dient als Sklavedem Bey von Algier). Begleitet wird sie vonihrem ältlichen Verehrer Taddeo. Vor deralgerischen Küste werden sie schiffbrüchig undvon Korsaren aufgegriffen. Taddeo soll alsSklave verkauft werden, Isabella den Haremdes Beys bereichern – er verlangt seit einigerZeit nach einer Italienerin. Isabella undTaddeo wollen sich untrennbar als Onkel undNichte ausgeben. Die beiden streitenmiteinander und versöhnen sich (Band ).

1836 wurde The Italian Girl in Algiers zumerstenmal in englischer Sprache am Princess’sTheatre London aufgeführt. Der Verfasser desursprünglichen Textes ist unbekannt, dievorliegende Übersetzung von Arthur Jacobswurde 1968 zum erstenmal von der EnglishNational Opera im Coliseum gesungen. Nähereszu Arthur Jacobs erfahren Sie unter The Elixirof Love weiter oben.

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Mozart: Don GiovanniAlle Arien auf dieser CD stammen wie gesagtaus komischen Opern. Don Giovanni ? Nun,dieses Werk entzieht sich jedem Versuch einerKategorisierung. Auf dem Theaterzettel für dieUraufführung, die am 29. Oktober 1787 imPrager Nationaltheater stattfand, erschien esals dramma giocoso oder “heiteres Drama”.Winthrop Sargeant, mein Vorgänger beimNew Yorker, nannte es “einen profunden Essayüber das Thema der Sterblichkeit”; seinProtagonist sei “keine Figur, sondern einArchetyp”. Und er schließt mit den Worten:“Die Feier des Mythos ist ein Ritus, keineDarbietung, und wenn ich zu einerAufführung des Don Giovanni gehe, habe ichdas Gefühl, einem Ritus beizuwohnen.”Gounod erklärte: “Die harmonischenProgressionen nach den Eröffnungsakkordender Ouvertüre frieren einem die Seele mitAngst ein”. Edward J. Dent, der darumbemüht war, die romantische Ehrfurcht des19. Jahrhanderts abzubauen, hob in seinereinflussreichen Abhandlung Mozart’s Operasdie Buffo-Aspekte des Werkes hervor.

Die Szenen mit Donna Elvira – die burleskeSerenade, ihre plötzlichen Auftritte zuungelegenen Zeiten, ihr flehender Appell beimFestmahl Don Giovannis – verbinden

Heiterkeit mit Leid. Ja, sie ist eine lächerlicheErscheinung. Sie ist aber auch ergreifend,tragisch. Leporellos Register-Arie, die hierenthalten ist (Band ), entstammt einerweiteren Szene mit Elvira. Er singt eine Buffo-Arie, im Text eng angelehnt an GiovanniBertatis Don Giovanni für Giuseppe Gazzaniga(der in Venedig acht Monate vor der Mozart-Oper erschienen war und da PontesHauptquelle darstellte). Elviras Rolle iststumm, aber ihre Reaktionen auf das Gehörteleisten auf der Bühne einen wichtigen Beitragzum Geschehen. Ist Leporello mit dieserBilanz der “Errungenschaften” einfach nuramüsant und von brutaler Offenheit? Oder ister auf raffinierte, sympathisierende Weisebewusst brutal, um die arme Elvira von ihrenIllusionen zu befreien? In anderen Szenenbringt er sotto voce Mitgefühl für ihr Schicksalund offene Ablehnung von GiovannisLebensart zum Ausdruck. Übertreibt er dieZahlen vielleicht absichtlich? Sollte in derRückschau auf die Eroberungen mehr Ekel alsBegeisterung durchklingen? Vielleicht auchetwas von beidem? Die Fragen zu DonGiovanni wollen nie enden.

Der erste englische Don Giovanni wurde1817 in Covent Garden aufgeführt; dieÜbersetzung stammte von Isaac Pocock. Der hier

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verwendete Text von Amanda Holden ist auch anvielen anderen Bühnen gesungen und für dieChandos-Aufnahme eigens überarbeitet worden.Näheres über Amanda Holden erfahren Sie unterFalstaff weiter unten.

Donizetti: Don PasqualeIch habe einen Bekannten etwa im Alter vonDon Pasquale, der Donizettis dramma buffo –über einige junge Leute, die sich dazuverbünden, einen alten Knaben zum Narrenzu machen – überhaupt nicht komisch findet.Nun ja, er übertreibt, und das weiß er auch;aber in Don Pasquale geht es bei weitem nichtnur um Schabernack. Die Oper wurde am3. Januar 1843 am Théâtre-Italien in Parisuraufgeführt, in jenen letzten, hektischenJahren, als Donizetti eine großartige Opernach der anderen hervorbrachte. Man hatDonizetti als einen Shakespeare desMusiktheaters bezeichnet. Wie er sich mitseinen Protagonisten identifizieren, ihrSchicksal teilen, ihre Gefühle zum Ausdruckbringen konnte, das war schon beachtlich. DasLibretto von Don Pasquale stützte sich aufSer Marc’Antonio von Angelo Anelli (dessenItaliana ja schon Rossini inspiriert hatte) – einStück, das dreißig Jahre vorher von StefanoPavesi für die Scala vertont worden war. Der

Stoff ist ein beliebtes Thema (einliebeshungriger Alter wird überlistet), u.a. imBarbiere und in der Schweigsamen Frau (nachBen Jonson) von Strauss verarbeitet; Lorcasgern herangezogener Don Perlimplin ist einetragikomische Variante.

Als Don Pasquale erfährt, dass sein NeffeErnesto die verarmte Norina heiraten will,beschließt er, ihm die Erbschaft zu verderben,indem er selbst in den Ehestand eintritt unddine eigene Familie gründet. Sein Hausarzt,Malatesta, schlägt ihm seine schüchternekleine Schwester, Sophronia, als gute Partievor, und der alte Knabe ist begeistert(Band ). Bei “Sophronia” handelt es sich inWirklichkeit aber um Norina, die AngebeteErnestos, die vor der (gestellten) Vermählungkein Wässerchen trüben könnte, sich dannaber als Xanthippe erweist. Unaufhörlichlaufen ihre Rechnungen ein, und amHochzeitsabend entdeckt Don Pasquale(Band ), dass sie sich für einenTheaterbesuch vorbereitet hat. Im ersten Teileines dreisätzigen Duetts versucht ervergeblich, seine Autorität geltend zu machen.Er wird von ihr geohrfeigt. In dem rührendenMittelteil glaubt Pasquale, das Ende der Weltsei gekommen, während die “wirkliche”Norina in Nebenbemerkungen ihr Mitleid

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ausdrückt. Im dritten (hier ausgelassenen) Teilnimmt sie ihre Furienrolle wieder auf. Beiihrem demonstrativen Abgang lässt siegeschickt einen von ihm zu findenden Brieffallen, in dem es um ein Stelldichein imGarten am selben Abend geht. Don Pasqualeist erschüttert und ruft Malatesta herbei(Band ), um ihm die Ereignisse zuberichten. Malatesta regt an, die beidenkönnten ja gemeinsam “Sophronia” mit ihremVerehrer überraschen. Wenn sie sichtatsächlich schuldig machen sollte, werde erseine “Schwester” fortbringen.

Muss man erwähnen, dass alles einglückliches Ende nimmt? In einer letztenWendung des Komplotts erklärt “Sophronia”,sie werde das Haus unter Protest verlassen,falls je eine andere Frau, Norina, den Fuß überdie Schwelle setzen sollte. Erleichtert weistPasquale seinen Neffen an, sofort Norina zuheiraten. Als er die Wahrheit erfährt, hat erselber daraus gelernt, und er gibt dem jungenPaar seinen Segen.

Die erste englischsprachige Aufführung desDon Pasquale fand 1843 am Princess’s TheatreLondon statt; die Übersetzung besorgte, wieschon bei The Elixir of Love vier Jahre zuvor,T.H. Reynoldson. Der hier verwendete Textstammt von David Parry.

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Verdi: FalstaffIn seiner letzten Oper, die am 9. Februar 1893an der Scala uraufgeführt wurde, verknüpfteder nunmehr achtzigjährige Verdi die Fäden,die sein langes Leben durchzogen hatten: seineVerehrung für Shakespeare, sein Misstrauengegenüber dem wankelmütigen Publikum,seine selbstlose Menschlichkeit, seineZärtlichkeit gegenüber der jungen Liebe, seinRespekt für das Handwerk, sein Instinkt fürden Bühneneffekt. Hinzu kam seine abgeklärteEinsicht – nicht mehr bitter, sondern freudig –dass nun junge Nachwuchskomponisten dasRampenlicht beanspruchten, obwohl ihnender Alte immer noch einiges beibringenkonnte. Die Partitur ist ein Wunder anEleganz, Schönheit, quecksilbrigerErfindungsgabe und herrlichem, jedoch nieaufdringlichem Detail. Gehobene Stimmungund poetische Raffinessen gehen Hand inHand. Oft scheinen Rezitativ und Arieineinander zu verfließen. Die Vokalliniebewegt sich frei zu Boitos geschliffenem Text.Doch hin und wieder machen sich alte,strengere Formen bemerkbar. Innerhalbweniger Takte erfasst er das Wesen einerNummer, die sich in früheren Werkenvielleicht über mehrere Seiten erstreckt hätte.Wenn Alice den Brief von Falstaff liest


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(“Come una stella”), dann ist dies nicht nureine Parodie auf die hochromantische Arie,sondern auch eine wunderschöne Melodie ansich. Eine zweite “Arie” für sie, komplett mitCabaletta, ist in der 1. Szene von Akt 3verwoben. Die mit “So che se andiam, lanotte” beginnenden acht Takte Falstaffs sindeine Buffo-Arie en miniature. Der hierenthaltene Ehrenmonolog Falstaffs (Band )weist mehrere “Sektionen” auf (Boito bauteden Text aus drei verschiedenen Shakespeare-Szenen zusammen), fließt aber als Ganzes. DerKomponist Stanford, der sich zur Premiere desFalstaff nach Mailand begab und zweiaufschlussreiche Essays über das Werk schrieb,nannte diesen Monolog das lächelndeGegenstück zu Iagos Credo in Otello. Erbeginnt wie ein Rezitativ mit Begleitung, gehtzu einem regelmäßigeren Rhythmus über,befreit sich erneut, doch diesmal auf subtileWeise motivisch untermauert. Eine “Quickly!Quickly!” beginnende Cabaletta dauert(einschließlich Orchesterabschluss) nur22 Takte. Alles ist in herrlich feinen Farbenorchestriert.

Falstaff erschien mit italienischen, englischen,deutschen und französischen Texten. Die ersteenglische Aufführung (von W. Beatty Kingstonübersetzt und von Fritz Hart überarbeitet) gaben

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Studenten des Royal College of Music imLondoner Lyceum. Stanford dirigierte. AmandaHolden, deren Text hier gesungen wird, hat mehrals fünfzig Opern übersetzt. Falstaff machte denAnfang. Die Erstaufführung erfolgte durch dieCity of Birmingham Touring Opera im Jahr1987.

© 2002 Andrew PorterÜbersetzung: Andreas Klatt

Andrew Shore gilt als führender britischerBaritonbuffo und als herausragenderSänger/Schauspieler. Er hat mit der EnglishNational Opera, The Royal Opera, OperaNorth, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, ScottishOpera und Welsh National Operazusammengearbeitet und ist im Ausland mitder San Diego Opera, New Israeli Opera,Opéra National de Paris-Bastille, OpéraComique und dem Gran Teatre del Liceu inBarcelona sowie in Lyon, Nantes, Santa Fe,Montpellier, Kopenhagen, Amsterdam,Vancouver und Ottawa aufgetreten.

Sein Repertoire umfasst u.a. die Titelrollenin Wozzeck, Falstaff, King Priam, GianniSchicchi und Don Pasquale sowie Dulcamara(L’elisir d’amore), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte),Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Papageno

(Boris Godunow) und Faninal (DerRosenkavalier).

Zu seinen Schallplattenaufnahmen gehörendie Titelrollen in Falstaff und Don Pasquale,Leporello (Don Giovanni), Dr. Bartolo (TheBarber of Seville), Dulcamara (The Elixir ofLove), Mesner (Tosca), Faninal in DerRosenkavalier (Auswahl) und La Bohème, allefür Chandos/Peter Moores Foundation.

(Die Zauberflöte), King Dodon (Le Coq d’or),Leandro (Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen),Dikoy (Kát’a Kabanová ), Dr. Kolenaty(Die Sache Makropulos), Siskov (Aus einemTotenhaus), Frank (Die Fledermaus), Baron(La Vie parisienne), Baron Trombonok(Il viaggio a Reims), George Wilson (The GreatGatsby), Alberich in konzertantenAufführungen von Das Rheingold, Varlaam

Andrew Shore as Dr Bartolo, Eiran James as Rosina andPeter Bronder as Count Almaviva in English National

Opera’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville

Cliv

e B

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voici, Andrew Shore chante des airs de l’opéracomique. (J’aborderai plus loin le cas assezparticulier de Don Giovanni.) Les argumentspour et contre le texte original sont légèrementdifférents lorsqu’il s’agit de comédie.Incominciate! – ou, comme nous le dirait unetraduction française de Pagliacci, Que le rideause lève! – sur quelques scènes tirées des plusgrands opéras comiques!

Donizetti: The Elixir of LoveNous lisons partout que The Elixir of Love futcomposé à la hâte; le directeur du ThéâtreCanobbiana à Milan, ne sachant plus à quelsaint se vouer lorsqu’un compositeur manquade livrer une œuvre dans les délais prévus,supplia Donizetti de rafraîchir un de sesanciens opéras pour combler ce vide. Donizettilui répondit: “Vous voulez rire? Je n’ai pasl’habitude de retoucher à mes œuvres, ni àcelles des autres, d’ailleurs. Je vais voir si jepeux vous écrire un nouvel opéra. Faites venirRomani!” Et Donizetti annonça alors à FeliceRomani: “On nous demande un nouvel opérapour dans deux semaines; je vous donne unesemaine pour préparer le livret.”

Quoi qu’il en soit, cette perle de l’opéracomique fut créée au Théâtre Canobbiana le12 mai 1832. Ce théâtre, construit à la même

époque que La Scala, par le même architecte,fut pendant la plus grande partie du XIXesiècle la “deuxième salle” de La Scala.Spécialisé dans l’opéra comique, il étaitégalement réputé pour ses productions denouveautés intéressantes venues de l’étranger,comme Le Comte Ory, Robert le Diable,Martha. The Elixir of Love y fut remontédurant les deux saisons suivantes – alors qu’ilconnaissait déjà un large succès sur la scèneinternationale.

Romani emprunta son intrigue à la dernièrecréation en date de Scribe, son livret pourLe Philtre, un opéra d’Auber monté à l’Opérade Paris en 1831. (Le fringant sergent fut créédans les deux œuvres par le même chanteur,Henri-Bernard Dabadie.) L’œuvre de Romanien est en grande partie une traduction directe.(Comparez donc la cavatine initiale du héros:“Qu’elle est jolie!… Elle sait lire… Moi, je nesuis qu’un ignorant” et “Quanto è bella!…Essa legge… Io son sempre un idiota”.) MaisRomani ajouta à la comédie de Scribe unetouche de romance semi seria. Je pense que lesparallèles avec La Somnambule de Bellini sontdélibérés. (La Somnambule, dont le livret estaussi de Romani d’après Scribe, avait été créé àMilan en 1831.) Les tendres duos “Son gelosodel zefiro errante… Son, mio bene, del zefiro

Faut-il privilégier l’opéra dans l’original ou luipréférer une traduction dans la langue desauditeurs? Le débat continue de faire rage. Etc’est tant mieux: car les arguments abondentd’un côté comme de l’autre. Ce n’est pasl’opéra en général mais plus particulièrementl’opéra italien à Londres que Dr. Johnsonqualifia de cette phrase célèbre, “undivertissement exotique dépourvu de raison”.Et dans un numéro de 1711 du Spectator,Joseph Addison écrivit:

Il est certain que nos arrières Petits-Enfantsseront curieux de découvrir pourquoi leursAncêtres avaient l’habitude de se réunir commeun Public d’Etrangers dans leur propre Pays pourécouter des Drames entiers se dérouler devanteux dans une Langue qu’ils ne comprenaient pas.

Pourtant, près de trois siècles plus tard, rienn’a changé. Durant la seconde moitié duXXe siècle, l’opéra dans l’original – ce que legrand baryton américain David Bisphamqualifia d’“engouement pour la langueétrangère” – prit un nouvel essor. Et dans lesgrands théâtres de Milan, Munich, Paris etVienne, où l’on avait eu l’habitude de monterrégulièrement les opéras étrangers dans la

langue du public, ainsi que dans bon nombrede petits théâtres, “l’original” devint la norme,même pour les opéras en russe ou en tchèque.Covent Garden – où, dans les années d’après-guerre, Kirsten Flagstad et Hans Hotter d’unepart et Ljuba Welitsch d’autre part réapprirentrespectivement La Walkyrie et Salomé enanglais, et où Boris Godounov, La Dame dePique et Jenuºfa étaient automatiquementtraduits – Covent Garden lui-même estdevenu un théâtre “exotique” adepte deslangues étrangères, un théâtre qui se distanciede son public dans ses représentations.Pendant ce temps, l’English National Opera,basé au Coliseum à Londres, a maintenu lesidéaux de ceux qui conçurent l’opéra: undrame qui se comprend immédiatement etauquel la musique donne une force nouvelle.Wagner et Verdi étaient tout à fait conscientsque la traduction risquait de déformer un texteet ils le déploraient, mais ils accueillirent cetexercice à bras ouverts et recommandèrent sonemploi, certains que les avantages dépassaientles inconvénients. Ils exigèrent cependant queles traductions soient de bonne qualité.

Mais j’en ai assez dit! Sur le disque que

Grands airs d’opéra


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amante” (dans La Somnambula) et “Chiediall’aura lusinghiera… Chiedi al rio perchègemente” (dans L’Elixir) sont dans le mêmeesprit et se situent à des moments identiques.Le Philtre ne comprenait pas une célèbre ariacomme “Una furtiva lagrima”.

Les premiers mots de l’héroïne dans L’Elixirsont “È la storia del Tristano”. Adina lit l’histoirede Tristan aux jeunes filles et aux moissonneurs.(La version de Wagner ne viendrait que bien desannées plus tard.) Lorsque le charlatan ambulantDulcamara arrive au village, il débite sonboniment enjoué – “Attention! Attention!” –pour vendre son merveilleux “élixir” – unremède qui guérira tous les maux dont l’hommepeut souffrir. Nemorino, qui languit d’amourpour Adina, s’approche de lui: a-t-il par hasardcette potion qui sut éveiller la passion de la reineIsolde? “Pensez-vous, je l’ai concoctée moi-même” lui répond Dulcamara (dans l’italienoriginal) et il vend à Nemorino une bouteille devin bon marché. Nemorino est ravi: ladédaigneuse Adina va sûrement le trouverirrésistible ( ).

La potion n’agit pas assez vite. Nemorino enveut une autre bouteille, mais il n’a plusd’argent. Il s’enrôle dans l’armée et avec lesvingt scudi de sa solde il achète un peu plusd’élixir. Bientôt toutes les filles du village

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s’agglutinent autour de lui: elles ont apprisqu’un riche oncle de Nemorino vient de mouriret que ce dernier est maintenant millionnaire.Mais Nemorino n’en sait rien et pense que c’estl’effet de la potion. Adina finit par être émuelorsqu’elle apprend que Nemorino a sacrifié saliberté pour tenter de gagner son cœur ( ).Dulcamara l’exhorte à acheter de sa potion pourséparer à jamais Nemorino de ses nombreusesadmiratrices, mais Adina connaît un moyenplus sûr: “I need no magic potion… For myeyes will work the spell.”

Elle rachète la feuille d’enrôlement deNemorino et tout est bien qui finit bien ( ).Dulcamara s’en va, acclamé par tous – sauf parle sergent Belcore qui avait espéré garder Adinapour lui.

The Elixir of Love fut donné pour lapremière fois en anglais au Surrey Theatre puis àDrury Lane en 1839. Le traducteur étaitT.H. Reynoldson. La traduction d’Arthur Jacobsutilisée ici fut chantée pour la première fois par leMaidstone Opera Group en 1964. Arthur Jacobs(1922–1986) traduisit de nombreux opéras,entre autres des œuvres de Haendel, Tchaïkovski,Richard Strauss (The Silent Woman),Schoenberg (Erwartung) et Berg (Lulu).Il traduisit également Cenerentola et TheIatlian Girl in Algiers (cf. ( ) de Rossini.6

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Rossini: The Barber of SevilleThe Barber of Seville de Rossini fait partie deces opéras qui firent un four – totalementinexplicable à nos yeux – lors de leur création(au Teatro Argentina à Rome, le 20 février1816). Tout comme Madama Butterfly. Mais leBarbier fut un succès dès la deuxièmereprésentation et le reste encore de nos jours.Rossini, qui adorait la musique de Mozart,releva le défi de mettre en musique la pièce deBeaumarchais qui avait précédé Le nozze deFigaro. Il existait déjà un opéra célèbre duBarbier, celui de Giovanni Paisiello (1782) etPaisiello était encore en vie. (Il mourut troismois après la création de la version deRossini). Rossini lui écrivit avant la premièrepour s’excuser et le compositeur vieillissant luidonna sa bénédiction; mais à sa création, parrespect pour Paisiello, l’opéra fut intituléAlmaviva, ou la Précaution inutile; ce n’est queplus tard cette année-là, à Bologne, que le titrede Paisiello apparut sur l’affiche.

Le docteur Bartolo essaie de garder sous clefsa pupille Rosine, une jeune fille pétulantequ’il espère épouser. Mais elle s’est éprise d’unjeune homme qui dit s’appeler Lindoro (ils’agit en fait d’Almaviva) et qui lui a joué unesérénade; elle lui a écrit une lettre que lebarbier Figaro doit lui faire passer. Le docteur

Bartolo remarque une tache d’encre surle doigt de Rosine: “Je me suis brûlée, etje me suis servi d’encre pour faire passer ladouleur.” Il compte les feuilles de papiersur le bureau; il n’y en a que cinq, alors qu’ily en avait six: “J’en ai utilisé une pourenvelopper des bonbons que j’ai envoyés àBarbarina.” Alors pourquoi la plume est-ellecouverte d’encre?: “J’étais en train de tracerun motif sur ma broderie.” Le docteur Bartolone s’y laisse pas prendre et se lance dansune aria pompeuse d’un comiquemerveilleux ( ).

Les premiers interprètes trouvèrent cette ariadifficile. Elle fut remplacée, après quelquesreprésentations, par une mélodie plus simple,“Manca un foglio” (Il manque une feuille),composée par Pietro Romani. Ce changementfut adopté partout: dans l’édition Boosey duBarbier réalisée au XIXe siècle par ArthurSullivan, les deux arias sont présentes, “pourconvenir à ceux qui se servent de cette éditioncomme texte, puisque ‘Manca un foglio’remplace aujourd’hui le plus souvent ‘A undottor’.” De nos jours, c’est “Manca un foglio”qui est rarement interprétée.

La première représentation en anglais duBarber of Seville, dans une traduction de JohnFawcett et Daniel Terry, eut lieu à Covent

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Garden en 1818. La traduction utilisée ici estd’Amanda et Anthony Holden.

Rossini: The Italian Girl in Algiers C’est en 1813, à Venise, que le jeune Rossiniconnut ses deux premiers grands succès:Tancrède, au Théâtre de la Fenice le 6 février,l’imposa comme le maître de l’opera seria; etL’Italienne à Alger, au Théâtre San Benedettole 22 mai, comme celui de l’opéra comique.L’Italienne à Alger, tout comme L’Elixir d’amourde Donizetti, fut composé lorsqu’un autrecompositeur manqua de livrer une œuvre. Pourgagner du temps, Rossini reprit un ancien livretd’Angelo Anelli que Luigi Mosca avait mis enmusique pour La Scala en 1808. Il lui fit subirquelques révisions. Cet opéra n’a pas les bellesproportions du Barbier, il ne renferme ni lesintrigues secondaires à la Pirandello du Turc enItalie, ni les vérités morales qui font deCenerentola un opéra aussi émouvant quedivertissant. Et pourtant l’action quelque peubranlante revêt d’une aria à l’autre tantd’ingéniosité, de vivacité et de beauté que lapartition transcende sa source, pour nous offrirce que Stendhal qualifia d’enchantementmajestueux, une sorte de frénésie musicale quisaisit l’orchestre comme le public et les entraînesur des vagues de plaisir incontrolable.

La pétillante Isabella, une jeune femmeintrépide et ingénieuse, a quitté Livourne pourparcourir les mers à la recherche de sonLindoro bien-aimé. (Après avoir été capturé,ce dernier est devenu l’esclave du Bey d’Alger.)Elle voyage en compagnie de Taddeo, sonsoupirant vieillissant et chevalier servant.Rejetés sur les côtes d’Alger à la suite d’unnaufrage, ils sont capturés par des pirates.Taddeo va être vendu comme esclave. Isabellasera une addition précieuse au sérail du Beyqui voulait depuis longtemps une Italienne. Ilsse font passer pour un oncle et sa nièce,inséparables. Ils se querellent puis font la paix( ).

The Italian Girl in Algiers fut chanté pour lapremière fois en anglais au Princess’s Theatre àLondres en 1836, dans une traduction anonyme.La traduction d’Arthur Jacobs que l’on entend icifut chantée pour la première fois par l’EnglishNational Opera au Coliseum en 1968. Pour deplus amples détails sur Arthur Jacobs, se reporterà The Elixir of Love ci-dessus.

Mozart: Don GiovanniComme je l’ai dit plus tôt, tous les extraitsfigurant sur ce disque proviennent d’opérascomiques. Et Don Giovanni ? Voilà bien unopéra qui défie toute classification. L’affiche de

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la première qui eut lieu au Théâtre national dePrague le 29 octobre 1787 annonçait undramma giocoso, un drame joyeux. WinthropSargeant, mon prédecesseur au New Yorker, yvit “un essai profond sur la mortalité”, avec unhéros qui “n’est pas un personnage mais unarchétype”. Il conclut son essai en déclarant:“La célébration d’un mythe est un rite, et nonun spectacle; lorsque j’assiste à unereprésentation de Don Giovanni, j’ail’impression d’être en présence d’un rite.”Quant à Gounod, il trouva que lesprogressions harmoniques après les accordsinitiaux de l’ouverture étaient “à vous figerl’âme de terreur”. Edward J. Dent, de soncôté, voulant rectifier cette crainte révérentielleressentie par le XIXe siècle romantique, fitressortir le côté buffo de l’œuvre dans sonimportant volume intitulé Mozarts Operas.

Les scènes avec Donna Elvira – la sérénadeburlesque, ses entrées subites aux moments lesmoins opportuns, son ultime supplicationdurant le souper de Don Giovanni – mêlentgaieté et douleur. Il est bien vrai qu’elle estassez ridicule. Mais elle est aussi poignante ettragique. C’est à Donna Elvira que Leporellodébite la liste des conquêtes de son maître.Cette aria, reproduite sur ce disque ( ), faitpartie du répertoire buffo; son texte s’inspire de

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près du Don Giovanni de Giovanni Bertatipour Giuseppe Gazzaniga (qui parut à Venisehuit mois avant l’opéra de Mozart et fut lasource principale de Da Ponte). Elvira ne ditpas un mot durant cette scène, mais sesréactions sur scène aux paroles de Leporelloont leur importance. En racontant les succèsde son maître, Leporello fait-il preuvesimplement d’une franchise à la fois drôle etbrutale? Ou bien choisit-il d’être brutal parcompassion, pour tenter de convaincre lapauvre Elvira qu’elle doit perdre ses illusions?Dans d’autres scènes, il compatit à voix basseaux misères d’Elvira et désapprouveouvertement le comportement de Giovanni.Exagère-t-il délibérément le nombre desconquêtes? Devrait-il les évoquer avec dégoûtplutôt que panache? Ou avec un peu des deux?Don Giovanni reste la source de questionsinfinies.

Don Giovanni fut chanté pour la premièrefois en anglais à Covent Garden en 1817; letraducteur était Isaac Pocock. La traductiond’Amanda Holden que l’on entend ici a servi àde nombreuses compagnies britanniques, et futrévisée tout spécialement pour l’enregistrement del’œuvre pour Chandos. Se reférer à Falstaff ci-dessous pour de plus amples détails sur AmandaHolden.


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“Sophronia” déclare qu’elle quittera la maisonsi une autre femme, Norina, ose y entrer. EtPasquale ordonne donc à Ernesto d’épousersur-le-champ Norina. Lorsqu’il découvre le potaux roses, il a aussi appris sa leçon. Il bénit lejeune couple.

Don Pasquale fut chanté pour la première foisen anglais au Princess’s Theatre à Londres en1843; le traducteur n’était autre queT.H. Reynoldson, qui avait traduit The Elixir ofLove quatre ans plus tôt. La traduction utiliséeici est de David Parry.

Verdi: FalstaffDans son dernier opéra, monté à La Scala le9 février 1893, alors qu’il avait quatre-vingts ans,Verdi réunit tous les fils conducteurs qui avaientdominé sa longue carrière: comme,entre autres,son profond attachement à Shakespeare, saméfiance à l’égard d’un public inconstant, sonamour sans bornes de l’humanité, son regardtendre sur les jeunes amoureux, son respect dumétier bien fait, son appréciation instinctive deseffets dramatiques. Il accepte maintenant avecsérénité – et avec une joie dont l’amertumepassée est tout à fait absente – le fait qu’unenouvelle génération domine maintenant lascène, bien que lui le vieillard possède encoreplus d’un tour dans son sac. Cette partition est

une merveille d’élégance, de beauté, d’inventionet de vivacité, débordant de détails raffinés maisjamais importuns. L’entrain et le raffinementpoétique y vont de pair. Le récitatif et l’aria nesemblent souvent faire qu’un. La ligne vocaleévolue sans contrainte en réponse au texteaccompli de Boito, bien que l’on entrevoie parmoments les anciennes formes classiques. Enl’espace de quelques mesures, le compositeursaisit l’essence même d’un air qui aurait pu durerplusieurs pages dans un opéra antérieur. Lalecture par Alice de la lettre de Falstaff, “Comeuna stella”, est à la fois une parodie des ariasultra romantiques et une très belle mélodie àpart entière. Une seconde aria, avec cabaletta, estconfiée à Alice dans la première scène de l’ActeIII. Les huit mesures de Falstaff commençant“So che se andiam, la notte” forment une ariabuffo miniature. Le monologue sur l’honneur deFalstaff, que l’on entend ici ( ), comprendplusieurs “sections” (Boito en emprunta le texteà trois différentes scènes shakespeariennes) etforme un tout extrêmement fluide. Lecompositeur Stanford, qui se rendit à Milanpour assister à la création de Falstaff et écrivitdeux essais éloquents sur cette œuvre, y vitl’homologue souriant du Credo de Iago dansOtello. Commençant comme un récitatifaccompagné, il se développe en phases plus

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Donizetti: Don PasqualeJ’ai un ami à peu près de l’âge de Don Pasqualequi trouve que ce dramma buffo de Donizetti –dans lequel de jeunes gens s’associent pourtromper un vieux garçon – n’est pas du toutdrôle. Certes, mon ami exagère, et il le sait bien;mais Don Pasquale est bien plus qu’une simplebouffonnerie. L’opéra fut créé au Théâtre Italienà Paris le 3 janvier 1843 durant les dernièresannées créatrices exaltées de Donizetti qui virentle compositeur enchaîner succès sur succès. Ona dit de Donizetti qu’il était le Shakespeare de lascène lyrique. Le talent avec lequel il s’identifiaità ses personnages, partageait leurs ennuis,exprimait leurs sentiments, était sublime.Le livret de Don Pasquale est basé sur SerMarc’Antonio d’Angelo Anelli – son Italianaavait déjà inspiré Rossini – qui avait été mis enmusique pour La Scala trente ans plus tôt parStefano Pavesi. C’est une nouvelle version duthème classique du vieil homme amoureux quise laisse duper; un thème abordé entre autresdans Le Barbier et dans La Femme silencieuse deStrauss, un opéra basé sur Ben Jonson); lepopulaire Don Perlimplin de Lorca en est unevariante tragi-comique .

Don Pasquale a choisi pour héritier son neveuErnesto mais lorsqu’il découvre que ce dernier adécidé d’épouser Norina, qui n’a pas un sou,

Pasquale décide de se marier et de fonder unefamille. Son médecin, Malatesta, lui proposecomme épouse sa petite sœur très sage,Sophronia; et le vieil homme est ravi ( ).“Sophronia”, bien sûr, n’est autre que Norina,celle qu’Ernesto aime, qui se montre douce ettimide avant la soi-disant cérémonie de mariagemais devient une vraie mégère une fois le contratsoi-disant signé. Elle s’endette de façonprodigieuse. Et la nuit de ses noces, DonPasquale la trouve dans ses plus beaux atoursprête à sortir au théâtre ( ). Dans la premièrepartie d’un duo en trois mouvements, il tente envain d’affirmer son autorité. Elle le gifle. Dansune section centrale fort touchante, Pasquale al’impression que son monde s’écroule, tandisque la “vraie” Norina, en aparté, le plaint. Dansla troisième section (omise sur ce disque), ellereprend son rôle de mégère. Durant sa sortiemajestueuse, elle prend soin de faire tomber unelettre – que Pasquale doit trouver – arrangeantun rendez-vous ce soir-là dans le jardin.Bouleversé, Don Pasquale appelle Malatesta ( )et lui raconte ce qui vient de se passer. Malatestasuggère qu’ensemble ils surprennent “Sophronia”avec son amant. Si elle est vraiment coupable, ilreprendra sa “sœur”.

Est-il besoin d’ajouter que tout se terminebien? Dans un dernier coup de théâtre,

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régulières puis croît à nouveau librement tout enconservant cependant une subtile basemotivique. La cabaletta qui commence sur“Quickly! Quickly!” ne dure pas plus de vingt-deux mesures, conclusion orchestrale ycomprise. La palette orchestrale estmerveilleusement subtile.

Falstaff fut publié avec un texte en italien, enanglais, en allemand et en français. La premièreen anglais (dans une traduction de W. BeattyKingston, révisée par Fritz Hart) fut donnée pardes étudiants du Royal College of Music auLyceum, sous la direction de Stanford. AmandaHolden, dont on entend ici la traduction, atraduit plus de cinquante opéras. Falstaff fut letout premier. Sa version fut donnée pour lapremière fois par le City of Birmingham TouringOpera en 1987.

© 2002 Andrew PorterTraduction: Nicole Valencia

Andrew Shore est considéré comme étant leplus remarquable baryton bouffe de Grande-Bretagne, et comme un acteur/chanteurexceptionnel. Il a travaillé à l’English NationalOpera, au Royal Opera de Covent Garden, àl’Opera North, au Glyndebourne FestivalOpera, au Scottish Opera et au Welsh

National Opera. A l’étranger, il s’est produit àl’Opéra de San Diego, au Nouvel Opérad’Israël, à l’Opéra National de Paris-Bastille, àl’Opéra Comique, au Gran Teatre del Liceu deBarcelone, ainsi qu’à Lyon, Nantes, Santa Fe,Montpellier, Copenhague, Amsterdam,Vancouver et Ottawa.

Parmi les nombreux engagements d’AndrewShore figurent les rôles titres dans Wozzeck,Falstaff, King Priam, Gianni Schicchi et DonPasquale, ainsi que Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore),Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Figaro (Le nozzedi Figaro), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), le RoiDodon (Le Coq d’Or), Leandro (L’Amour destrois oranges), Dikoy (Kát’a Kabanová), leDocteur Kolenat (L’Affaire Makropoulos),Chichkov (La Maison des morts), Franck (DieFledermaus), le Baron (La Vie parisienne), leBaron Trombonok (Il viaggio a Reims), GeorgesWilson (The Great Gatsby), Alberich en versionsde concert de Das Rheingold, Varlaam (BorisGoudonov) et Faninal (Der Rosenkavalier).

Au disque, Andrew Shore a enregistré pourChandos et la Peter Moores Foundation le rôletitre dans Don Pasquale, Leporello (DonGiovanni), le Docteur Bartolo (The Barber ofSeville), Dulcamara (The Elixir of Love), leSacristain dans Tosca, Faninal dans DerRosenkavalier (extraits), et La Bohème.

Andrew Shore as Don Alfonso inNew Israeli Opera’s production ofMozart’s Così fan tutte

Har

amat

y


alcune scene tratte dalle più grandi operecomiche!

Donizetti: The Elixir of LoveL’elisir d’amore fu un’opera composta in fretta,come ribadiscono innumerevoli testi; ildirettore del teatro della Canobbiana diMilano, disperato perché un compositore loaveva abbandonato, supplicò Donizetti diriproporre una delle sue opere passate pertappare il buco. E Donizetti rispose: “Voletescherzare? Non è mia abitudine ritoccare leopere mie o altrui. Vediamo se ne possocomporre una nuova. Mandatemi Romani!”A Felice Romani, il compositore disse poi:“Dobbiamo preparare una nuova opera entroquindici giorni; avete una settimana di tempoper scrivere il libretto”.

Comunque sia, il 12 maggio 1832 allaCanobbiana veniva consegnato un gioiellocomico. Il Teatro della Canobbiana, costruitoalla stessa epoca della Scala, dallo stessoarchitetto, fu per gran parte dell’Ottocento il“secondo teatro alla Scala”. Era specializzato inopere comiche, ma aveva anche unareputazione perché proponeva opereinteressanti dall’estero, come per esempioLe Comte Ory, Robert le Diable, Martha. L’elisird’amore fu riproposto nelle due stagioni

successive, ma ormai era stato molto spessorappresentato a livello internazionale.

Per l’intreccio, Romani si ispirò all’ “ultimoScribe”, il libretto di Le Philtre, un’opera diAuber rappresentata all’Opéra di Parigi nel1831. (Il focoso sergente di entrambe le operefu creato dallo stesso cantante, Henri-BernardDabadie). In gran parte, l’opera di Romani fuuna traduzione diretta. (Confrontare lacavatina d’esordio del protagonista: “Qu’elle estjolie!… Elle sait lire… Moi, je ne suis qu’unignorant” e “Quanto è bella!… Essa legge… Ioson sempre un idiota”). Ma alla commedia diScribe, Romani aggiunse una vena romanticasemiseria. I paralleli con la Sonnambula diBellini sono intenzionali, secondo me. (Lasonnambula, anch’essa su libretto di Romaniispirato a Scribe era stata rappresentata aMilano nel 1831). I teneri duetti “Son gelosodel zefiro errante… Son, mio bene, del zefiroamante” (La sonnambula) e “Chiedi all’auralusinghiera… Chiedi al rio perchè gemente”(L’elisir) sono in una vena simile e hanno unacollocazione simile. Le Philtre non aveva nulladi simile a “Una furtiva lagrima”.

Le prime parole della protagonista dell’Elisirsono “È la storia del Tristano”, mentre legge lastoria alla compagnia. (La versione wagnerianaera ancora di là da venire). Nel villaggio arriva

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L’annosa querelle che contrappone l’opera “inlingua originale” a quella “nella lingua degliascoltatori” non finirà mai. Ed è giusto: troppesono le argomentazioni pro e contro. Lafamosa definizione di “spettacolo esotico eirrazionale” del dottor Johnson non si riferivaall’opera come tale ma, appunto, all’operaitaliana a Londra. E in un numero delloSpectator del 1711, Joseph Addison rilevava:

I nostri pronipoti saranno indubbiamente moltocuriosi di sapere come mai i loro antenatiamassero riunirsi in un pubblico di stranieri nelproprio paese, per assistere ad intererappresentazioni in una lingua per loroincomprensibile.

A distanza di quasi trecento anni, sicontinua a fare lo stesso. Durante la secondametà del Ventesimo secolo, l’opera in linguaoriginale – “la moda della lingua straniera”,per usare la definizione del grande baritonoamericano David Bispham – si è diffusasempre più. E nei grandi teatri lirici diMilano, Monaco, Parigi, Vienna, dove le operestraniere venivano regolarmente presentatenella lingua del pubblico e anche nei teatri piùpiccoli, la “lingua originale” è diventata la

norma, persino per le opere in russo o in ceco.Il Covent Garden – dove negli anni deldopoguerra Kirsten Flagstad e Hans Hotteravevano imparato da capo La valchiria e LjubaWelitsch la Salome in inglese, e Boris Godunov,La dama di picche, Jenuºfa venivanonormalmente tradotte – è diventato un teatro“esotico” della lingua straniera, in cui glispettacoli prendono le distanze dal pubblico.Nel frattempo, al Coliseum, la EnglishNational Opera si fa paladina degli ideali deicreatori dell’opera: un intreccioimmediatamente comprensibile e rafforzatoulteriormente dalla potenza della musica.Wagner e Verdi ne erano molto consapevoli esi lamentarono delle distorsioni introdottedalla traduzione, ma l’accolsero, l’accettarono,convinti che i pro superassero i contro. Letraduzioni, però, dovevano essere valide.

Premesso questo, passiamo ad altro. Inquesto disco Andrew Shore interpreta brani diopere comiche. (L’eccezione rappresentata dalDon Giovanni viene esaminata di seguito). Ipro e i contro cambiano quando si parla dicommedia. Incominciate! Con quest’ordineinizia l’opera Pagliacci. Si alzi il sipario su

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Grandi arie operistiche


Paisiello (1782), all’epoca ancora in vita.(Morì tre mesi dopo la prima della versione diRossini). Rossini gli scrisse in anticipo, perscusarsi, e ottenne la benedizione dell’anzianocompositore; ma alla prima l’opera vennedeferentemente intitolata Almaviva o L’inutileprecauzione; solo più tardi nello stesso anno aBologna l’opera fu ribattezzata con lo stessotitolo di quella di Paisiello.

Il dottor Bartolo cerca di tenere sottochiave la sua vivace e giovane pupilla, Rosina,che intende sposare. Ma la ragazza, oggettodelle serenate di un giovane che si fa chiamareLindoro (ed è in realtà il conte di Almaviva)si è innamorata di lui e gli ha scritto un

biglietto che Figaro, il barbiere, deveconsegnargli di nascosto. Il dottor Bartolonota una macchia d’inchiostro sul dito diRosina: “L’ho bruciato e ho usato l’inchiostroper calmare il bruciore.” Il vecchio conta ifogli di carta da lettera sulla scrivania: sonocinque, ma prima erano sei. “Ne ho usato unoper incartare dei dolci che dovevo mandare aBarbarina.” E allora come mai la penna èsporca d’inchiostro?: “Stavo copiando undisegno per il mio ricamo.” Il dottor Bartolorimane incredulo e si lancia in un’ariasplendidamente, comicamente boriosa(brano ).5

L’aria si rivelò difficile per i primi interpreti.Dopo alcune rappresentazioni, fu sostituita daun brano più semplice, “Manca un foglio”,appositamente composto da Pietro Romani,che venne adottato spesso. Nella partituraottocentesca di Boosey, a cura di ArthurSullivan, compaiono entrambe le arie, “percomodità di coloro che utilizzanoquest’edizione come manuale, dal momentoche ‘Manca un foglio’ oggi molto spesso vieneeseguita al posto di ‘A un dottor’.” Ma oggi lasituazione si è ribaltata.

La prima rappresentazione inglese di TheBarber of Seville, in una traduzione di JohnFawcett e Daniel Terry, fu rappresentata alCovent Garden nel 1818. La traduzioneutilizzata qui è di Amanda e Anthony Holden.

Rossini: The Italian Girl in AlgirsI primi due grandi trionfi del giovane Rossinifurono rappresentati nel 1813, a Venezia.Tancredi, presentato alla Fenice il 6 febbraio,suggellò il suo successo di maestro dell’operaseria; L’italiana in Algeri, al Teatro SanBenedetto il 22 maggio, consacrò il suosuccesso di maestro dell’opera buffa. L’italianain Algeri, come L’elisir d’amore di Donizetti, fucomposta per rimediare alla mancata promessadi un altro compositore. Per risparmiare

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il ciarlatano Dulcamara, venditore ambulante,che pretende “Attention! Attention!”(brano ); questo è il suo vivace richiamomentre decanta il suo straordinario elisir, unapanacea contro tutti i mali. Nemorino,innamorato infelice, si rivolge a lui: avrebbe lapozione che accese la passione della reginaIsotta? “L’ho creata io stesso” è la risposta diDulcamara, che vende a Nemorino unabottiglia di vino dozzinale. Nemorino è felice:la sdegnosa Adina ben presto non potrà chetrovarlo irresistibile (brano ).

La pozione non fa effetto. Nemorino nevuole dell’altra, ma non ha più denaro. Siarruola e con i venti scudi dell’ingaggio cosìguadagnati compra dell’altro elisir. Ben presto siritrova intorno tutte le ragazze del villaggio, lequali sono venute a sapere saputo che il riccozio del giovane è morto, lasciandolo erede di unpatrimonio. Nemorino non lo sa ed è convintoche sia tutto merito della pozione. Ma quandole rivelano che per cercare di conquistarlaNemorino ha sacrificato la propria libertà,Adina si intenerisce (brano ). Dulcamara laesorta a comprare la sua pozione per assicurarsidi staccare Nemorino dal codazzo delle suenuove ammiratrici, ma Adina ha una soluzionepiù sicura: “I need no magic potion… For myeyes will work the spell”.

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La donna riscatta i documenti diarruolamento di Nemorino e tutto finisce bene(brano ). Dulcamara riparte, acclamato datutti, tranne che dal sergente Belcore, cheaveva sperato di conquistare Adina.

The Elixir of Love fu rappresentato in ingleseper la prima volta presso il Surrey Theatre e poinel teatro di Drury Lane, nel 1839, nellatraduzione di T.H. Reynoldson. La versione diArthur Jacobs qui utilizzata fu adottata per laprima volta dal Maidstone Opera Group, nel1964. Arthur Jacobs (1922–1986) ha tradottonumerose opere di Handel, Tajkovskij, RichardStrauss (The Silent Woman), Schoenberg(Erwartung) e Berg (Lulu). Inoltre laCenerentola di Rossini e (v. brano )The Italian Girl in Algiers.

Rossini: The Barber of SevilleIl barbiere di Siviglia di Rossini fu una delleopere che fecero inspiegabilmente fiasco allaprima (Teatro Argentina di Roma, 20 febbraio1816). Un’altra fu Madama Butterfly. Ma ilBarbiere ebbe successo alla secondarappresentazione e lo ha mantenuto da allora.Rossini, che amava la musica di Mozart, decisedi cimentarsi con la commedia diBeaumarchais che precede Le nozze di Figaro.Esisteva già un famoso Barbiere, di Giovanni

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di buffo nel suo autorevole scritto Mozart’sOperas.

Le scene in cui compare Donna Elvira – laburlesca serenata, i suoi ingressi improvvisi inmomenti inopportuni, la sua estrema supplicaalla cena di Don Giovanni – sonocaratterizzate da un insieme di allegria estrazio. Donna Elvira è piuttosto ridicola,bisogna ammetterlo. Ma è anche commovente,tragica. Il catalogo di Leporello, incluso inquesta registrazione (brano ), è una dellescene in cui compare Elvira ed è un’aria dabuffo; il testo si ispira a quello del Convitato dipietra di Giovanni Bertati per GiuseppeGazzaniga (rappresentato a Venezia otto mesiprima dell’opera di Mozart e principale fonteper Da Ponte). Elvira qui non parla, ma le suereazioni a quello che sente sono, in teatro, unimportante elemento della scena. Con la suanarrazione delle conquiste del padrone,Leporello è semplicemente divertente ebrutalmente franco? O è brutale perché statentando in maniera sollecita, ma confusa, diconvincere la povera Elvira a non illudersi più?In altre scene l’uomo esprime sotto vocesolidarietà per la situazione della donna, eaperta disapprovazione delle abitudini di donGiovanni. Forse esagera intenzionalmente lecifre totali? La sua rievocazione delle

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innumerevoli conquiste provoca in luidisgusto, anziché piacere? O tutt’e due le cose?Le domande sul Don Giovanni non finisconomai.

Don Giovanni fu eseguito in inglese per laprima volta al Covent Garden nel 1817; latraduzione è di Isaac Pocock. La versione diAmanda Holden, utilizzata qui, è stata adottatada numerose compagnie britanniche ed è stataappositamente riveduta per la registrazione diChandos. Altri particolari su Amanda Holden inFalstaff, di seguito.

Donizetti: Don PasqualePer un mio amico, all’incirca dell’età diDon Pasquale, quest’opera comica diDonizetti che vede due giovani unire leproprie forze per ingannare un vecchio, non èaffatto divertente. È un’esagerazione di cui èconsapevole, ma Don Pasquale non è affattoun’opera buffa. Fu rappresentato per la primavolta al Théâtre des Italiens di Parigi il 3gennaio 1843, durante gli ultimi, febbrili annidi attività del compositore, che produsse uncapolavoro dopo l’altro. Donizetti è statodefinito uno Shakespeare del teatro lirico;aveva una straordinaria capacità diimmedesimarsi totalmente con i propripersonaggi, mettersi nei loro panni, esprimere

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tempo, fu riutilizzato un vecchio libretto,quello di Angelo Anelli, musicato da LuigiMosca per La Scala nel 1808, che fu alquantoriveduto. Mancano la proporzione delBarbiere, il commento secondario del Turco inItalia, le verità morali che rendono Cenerentolacommovente oltre che divertente. Eppurel’intreccio leggermente traballante si ammantadi una successione di brani di tale inventiva,vivacità e bellezza che la partitura trascende lapropria fonte, producendo, per dirla con lefamose parole di Stendhal, “un incantotravolgente, una sorta di frenesia musicale chesi impossessa dell’orchestra e del pubblicoinsieme, trascinando tutti con ondate diincontrollabile delizia”.

Isabella, brillante, piena di risorse, intrepida,si è imbarcata da Livorno in cerca dell’amatoLindoro, che in realtà è stato catturato e adessosi trova in schiavitù presso il bey di Algeri. Conlei viaggia un cicisbeo attempato, il suocorteggiatore Taddeo. Dopo un naufragio sullecoste di Algeri, entrambi vengono catturati daipirati. Taddeo è destinato ad essere vendutocome schiavo, Isabella diventerà una preziosaaggiunta all’harem del bey, che da molto tempodesidera una sposa italiana. I due fingono diessere zio e nipote, inseparabili. Dopo unbattibecco, fanno pace (brano ). 6

The Italian Girl in Algiers fu rappresentatain inglese per la prima volta al Princess’s Theatredi Londra nel 1836, in una traduzione dianonimo. La versione di Arthur Jacobs registrataqui fu eseguita per la prima volta da EnglishNational Opera al Coliseum nel 1968. Una notasu Arthur Jacobs è riportata sopra (v. The Elixirof Love).

Mozart: Don GiovanniHo detto che tutti i brani di questo disco sonotratti da opere comiche. E il Don Giovanni ?Impossibile catalogarlo. Nel programmadella prima esecuzione, al Teatro Nazionaledi Praga il 29 ottobre 1787, fu definitodramma giocoso. Secondo WinthropSargeant, che mi ha preceduto al New Yorker,si tratta di “un profondo saggio sullamortalità” e il protagonista “non è unpersonaggio, ma un archetipo”. Il suo saggioconclude: “la celebrazione di un mito è unrito, non uno spettacolo e quando io vado auno spettacolo del Don Giovanni ho lasensazione di assistere a un rito”. Gounoddichiarò che “le progressioni armoniche dopogli accordi di inizio dell’ouverture riempionol’animo di terrore agghiacciante”. Edward J.Dent, nel tentativo di alleggerire la soggezioneromantica dell’Ottocento, sottolineò gli aspetti

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Verdi: FalstaffL’ultima opera dell’ottantenne Verdi, allestitaalla Scala il 9 febbraio 1893, riunisce temi cheavevano caratterizzato la lunga carriera delcompositore: la sua lunga devozione aShakespeare, la sua diffidenza per l’incostanzadel pubblico, il suo amore generoso perl’umanità, il suo affetto per l’amore tra igiovani, il suo rispetto per l’arte, il suo istintoper l’effetto teatrale. E a tutto questo siaggiunge una matura accettazione, non piùamara, ma gioiosa, del fatto che altri giovani sisono impadroniti della scena, anche se ilvecchio ha ancora qualcosa insegnare. Lapartitura è un miracolo di grazia, bellezza,invenzione brillante e dettagli delicati, mamai invadenti. Vivacità e raffinatezza poeticavanno di pari passo. Spesso recitativo e ariasembrano divenire una cosa sola. La lineavocale si sposta liberamente, in obbedienza alraffinato testo di Boito, con saltuari ritorni allevecchie forme regolari. In poche battute ilcompositore coglie l’essenza di un brano cheavrebbe potuto occupare pagine intere in unadelle sue opere precedenti. Il momento in cuiAlice legge la lettera di Falstaff, “Come unastella”, è allo stesso tempo una parodia dell’ariaromantica e una bellissima melodia a sé stante.Una seconda “aria”, completa di cabaletta,

viene intessuta nella prima scena dell’Atto III.Le otto battute di Falstaff che iniziano con“So che se andiam, la notte” è un’aria perbuffo in miniatura. Il monologo dell’Onoredi Falstaff, registrato qui (brano ), ècomposto da diverse “sezioni” (Boito adattòil testo attingendo a tre scene diversedell’opera di Shakespeare) che scorrono confluidità. Il compositore Stanford, che sirecò a Milano per assistere alla prima delFalstaff e scrisse due eloquenti saggisull’opera, lo definì la controparte comicadel Credo di Iago nell’Otello. Inizia comeun recitativo accompagnato, si sposta inperiodi più regolari, diventa libero ancorauna volta, ma con una sottile base di melodia.Una cabaletta che inizia con “Quickly!Quickly!”, dura (se si conta la conclusioneorchestrale) appena ventidue battute ed èorchestrata in colori meravigliosamentedelicati.

Falstaff fu pubblicato in italiano, inglese,tedesco e francese. La prima rappresentazione ininglese (traduzione di W. Beatty Kingston,riveduta da Fritz Hart), interpretata daglistudenti del Royal College of Music al Lyceum, fudiretta da Stanford. La versione utilizzata inquesta registrazione è di Amanda Holden, che hatradotto più di cinquanta opere dopo Falstaff,

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i loro sentimenti. Il libretto di Don Pasqualeera ispirato a Ser Marc’Antonio di AngeloAnelli – lo stesso autore a cui Rossini si erarivolto per l’Italiana in Algeri – musicato perLa Scala trent’anni prima da Stefano Pavesi.È un’altra versione della trama del vecchioinnamorato ingannato, come Il barbiere eLa donna silenziosa di Strauss (ispirato aun’opera di Ben Jonson); una variantetragicomica è il Don Perlimplin, spessomusicato, di Lorca.

Don Pasquale ha dichiarato proprio erede ilnipote Ernesto, ma quando viene a sapere cheErnesto desidera sposare Norina, una donnapovera, decide di sposarsi e avere figli propri.Il suo medico, Malatesta, gli propone diprendere in moglie una sua sorella minore, unadonna modesta, Sofronia; e il vecchio è felice(brano ). Sofronia, che in realtà è Norina,l’innamorata di Ernesto, inizialmente apparetimidissima e dolcissima, ma dopo averfirmato un contratto durante una fintacerimonia di matrimonio si trasforma indespota; presto arrivano fatture enormi. E lasera delle nozze, Don Pasquale (brano ) latrova vestita di tutto punto per andare a teatro.Inutilmente, nella prima parte di un duetto intre movimenti, cerca di imporre la propriaautorità. La donna lo schiaffeggia. In una

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commovente sezione centrale, don Pasqualesente che il suo mondo è finito, mentre la“vera” Norina, a parte, lo commisera. Nellaterza parte (che non compare in questo disco)la donna riprende il ruolo di prepotente.Uscendo, lascia cadere intenzionalmenteuna lettera dà convegno a un amante quellanotte stessa, nel giardino. Don Pasquale,ormai sconfitto, chiama Malatesta(brano ) e gli racconta l’accaduto. Malatestagli suggerisce di cogliere sul fatto “Sofronia” eil suo amante. Se la sorella è veramentecolpevole, la porterà via.

Naturalmente tutto si conclude nelmigliore dei modi. In un colpo di scenafinale, Sofronia dichiara che lascerà lacasa se un’altra donna, Norina, oseràmettervi piede. Così Don Pasquale ordina aErnesto di sposare immediatamenteNorina. La verità viene infine a galla:Don Pasquale ha imparato la lezione econcede la propria benedizione alla giovanecoppia.

Don Pasquale fu rappresentato per la primavolta in inglese al Princess’s Theatre di Londra,nel 1843, su traduzione di T.H. Reynoldson,come The Elixir of Love, rappresentato quattroanni prima. Qui è stata seguita la traduzione diDavid Parry.

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rappresentata dalla City of Birmingham TouringOpera nel 1987.

© 2002 Andrew PorterTraduzione: Emanuela Guastella

Andrew Shore è ritenuto il miglior buffo inGran Bretagna ed è uno straordinariocantante/attore. Ha lavorato con la EnglishNational Opera, la Royal Opera House, OperaNorth, la Glyndebourne Festival Opera, laScottish Opera e la Welsh National Opera e siè esibito all’estero con l’Opera di San Diego, laNew Israeli Opera, l’Opéra National de Paris-Bastille, l’Opéra Comique, il Gran Teatre delLiceu di Barcellona, a Lione, Nantes, Santa Fe,Montpellier, Copenhagen, Amsterdam,Vancouver e Ottawa.

I suoi numerosi impegni lo hanno vistointerpretare il ruolo di protagonista inWozzeck, Falstaff, King Priam, Gianni Schicchi

e Don Pasquale, oltre a Dulcamara (L’elisird’amore), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Figaro(Le nozze di Figaro), Papageno (Il flautomagico), re Dodon (Le Coq d’or), Leandro(L’amore delle tre melarance), Dikoy (Kát’aKabanová ), Dr Kolenaty (L’affare Makropulos),Shishkov (Da una casa di morti ), Frank(Die Fledermaus), il barone (La Vie parisienne),il barone Trombonok (Il viaggio a Reims),George Wilson (The Great Gatsby), Alberich inalcune interpretazioni di Das Rheingold inconcerto, Varlaam (Boris Godunov) e Faninal(Der Rosenkavalier).

La discografia include il ruolo diprotagonista nel Falstaff e Don Pasquale,Leporello (Don Giovanni ), don Bartolo (TheBarber of Seville), Dulcamara (The Elixir ofLove), il sagrestano in Tosca, Faninal inDer Rosenkavalier (momenti salienti), eLa Bohème, tutti per Chandos/Peter MooresFoundation.

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Andrew Shore in the title role ofEnglish National Opera’sproduction of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi

Ric

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Andrew Shore in thetitle role of

Opera North’sproduction of

Tippett’s King Priam

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Andrew Shore as Shishkov inEnglish National Opera’sproduction of Janácek’s From the House of the Dead


For all complaints cholerical,dyspeptical, arthritical,asthmatical, hysterical,bronchitical, paralytical,rheumatical, scorbutical,of pellicle or cuticle,and all the smartest illnesses,which folk in town have got.For pellicle or cuticle,rheumatical, scorbutical,asthmatical, hysterical,dyspeptical, cholerical,come all you gallant gentlemen,come all you pretty ladies,the medicine that I’m selling,will cure you like a shot.Come young and old and buy of me,come all of high and low degree,come buy the sovereign remedy,which I alone have got.Come on, it will not cost a lot, etc.

The ingredients are rarer, than the costliest of spices. You will ask me, tell us quickly, tell us quickly what the price is. Eighty florins? No! Forty? No! Twenty? At that I could sell plenty. but since you have been so pleasant, I shall make you all a present, and to all who buy a bottle, seven florins I’ll donate.

VillagersSeven florins! Oh, how generous! We’ve no need to hesitate.

Dulcamara Then observe! This mighty potion, which renews a man or beast, I could sell the whole world over for ten florins at the least. But if you would like to savour its electrifying flavour, then I’ll only ask three florins. Yes, for you I do a favour.

For ’tis clear as stars in heaven, three from ten will leave you seven. Seven florins are your profit, as you all have understood. etc.

Villagers Yes, that’s true. Indeed, I’ll take it. etc. Oh, what learning went to make it. etc.

Dulcamara Take it, three florins. Step forward, three florins.

Villagers Oh, how generously he treats us, as no other doctor would. etc.

Dulcamara Ah, because I love my neighbours, I delight to do them good.

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from The Elixir of Love

Dulcamara’s Cavatina

DulcamaraAttention! Attention! You country folk! Be silent! Pay attention! I’m sure I need not inform you all of whom you see before you. A doctor anatomical, physician astronomical. From here to the Sahara renowned is Dulcamara. For my skill with my cases is known in all the universe and… and… in other places. I clear out all the hospitals by curing all diseases. No malady can baffle me from broken legs to sneezes. The cure for all and sundry is the medicine I have got. Come buy of me, come buy of me. It will not cost a lot. Come buy of me, come buy of me. Don’t wait until you rot. etc.

It cures all kinds of toothacheor a painful irritation.It drives away pneumonia,relieves your constipation.It’s all authenticated.I’ve letters signed and datedfrom grateful former sufferers,

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who swear I speak the truth.My learning academical,both physical and chemical, enabled me to brew it, as only I can do it. Even a man of seventy by this regains his youth. A man of over seventy regains his lusty youth. ’Twould hardly be surprising to see a dead man rising if but one drop of this were poured between his tongue and tooth.

VillagersOh!

DulcamaraYou ladies growing elderly, with foreheads that are wrinkling, shampoo with what I sell to you. be pretty in a twinkling! You girls around my carriage, d’you wish for happy marriage? Young men, whate’er your trade is, d’you want to please the ladies? Then buy the sovereign remedy, which I alone have got. It will not cost a lot, etc. Come all you lads and lasses, come sirs and pretty ladies, come buy my sovereign remedy, it will not cost a lot.


Nemorino Oh, how lucky! And you supply it?

Dulcamara Why, of course. I sell it daily.

Nemorino At what price do people buy it?

Dulcamara Very cheaply.

Nemorino Cheaply?

DulcamaraThat is, according…

Nemorino For a florin? I have no more.

Dulcamara Just the sum I sell it for.

Nemorino Here’s the money, you are welcome. etc.

Dulcamara Go, Sir Tristan, drink your liquor.

NemorinoThank you kindly. Oh, thank you kindly. You have made me so contented. With a potion, the best invented, I can say goodbye to care. Thank you kindly. Thank you kindly. etc.

DulcamaraOn my travels here and yonder, There’s a fool where’er I wander. etc.With that little laddie there, I’ve seen nothing to compare. I’ve seen nothing, truly nothing, truly nothing to compare… etc.

NemorinoJust a moment, if you please, sir. Just a moment, if you please, sir. What’s the proper way to take it?

DulcamaraHold the bottle very firmly and remember first to shake it. Then uncork it, but be careful to prevent evaporation of the magic distillation.

Nemorino Right.

Dulcamara When you’re ready, you may taste it.

Nemorino Right.

Dulcamara But be careful you do not waste it.

Nemorino Right.

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VillagersOh, how generous, how very generous...

Dulcamara Ah, because I love my neighbours, I delight to do them good.

Villagers Yes, he treats us as no other doctor would.

DulcamaraI delight... yes, I delight…

Villagers…as no other doctor would.

Dulcamara…I delight to do them good.

Villagers … as no other doctor would.

Dulcamara Ah, I love my suffering neighbours, and delight to do them good.

Villagers No other would.

Dulcamara Ah, I love my suffering neighbours, and delight to do them good. To do them good, etc.

Villagers I’m sure no other doctor would, etc.

Felice Romani after Eugène Scribe’s Le Philtre,English version by Arthur Jacobs


Nemorino and Dulcamara’s Recitative and Duet

RecitativeNemorinoGood doctor, beg your pardon, but am I right in

thinkingyou understand the passions?

DulcamaraQuite correct, sir.Medical science plumbs to the depth of nature.

NemorinoThen can you let me havethe potion that aroused the passions of Queen

Isolda?

DulcamaraWhat? Who? Speak plainly!

DuetNemorinoIt was Tristan who employed itto awaken love’s desiring.

DulcamaraAh, why yes! I follow exactly.I have just what you’re requiring,

Nemorino Have you really?

Dulcamara Yes, yes indeed. It’s a thing which many people seem to need.

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You’re a fortunate young fellow, for tomorrow every woman could be deep in love with you. Drink it up and you’ll be mellow. etc.

NemorinoAh! Good doctor, by heavens above me, one alone I wish to love me. And no other, despite her beauty, could persuade me to be untrue. (Smiling fortune my plan has aided. Hopes that faded now rise anew.) etc.

Dulcamara(By tomorrow, never doubt it, I’ll have disappeared from view.) etc. Go and drink my distillation. You’ll enjoy a new sensation. From tomorrow every woman will be deep in love with you. (By tomorrow, never doubt it, I’ll have disappeared from view.) etc. But be sure to keep it quiet.

Nemorino Never fear, sir.

Dulcamara It’s illegal to supply it.

Nemorino All is clear, sir.

Dulcamara (By tomorrow, never doubt it, I’ll have disappeared from view.) etc.

Nemorino(Smiling fortune my plan has aided. Hopes that faded now shall rise anew.) etc.



Adina and Dulcamara’s Duet

Adina(How he loved me! And I so cruel,I denied a love so true!)

Dulcamara(She is quite infatuated.)

Adina (So cruel.)

Dulcamara(She should have my potion too.)

Adina(So cruel.)(to Dulcamara)What’s become, then, of Nemorino?Is his love at last requited?

DulcamaraGirls in dozens come to court him, flocking round him all excited. It’s a happy situation. I’ve no doubt that he’s delighted.

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Dulcamara And the benefits I promised, will arrive without delay. etc. They will certainly arrive without delay.

Nemorino Will they really?

Dulcamara One day of waiting, then you’ll find it’s operating. (By that time I shall be out of here and fifty miles away.)

NemorinoAnd the flavour?

Dulcamara You will love it.

Nemorino I will love it?

Dulcamara You will love it. (Beaujolais, bought yesterday!)

NemorinoThank you kindly. Oh, thank you kindly. You have made me so contented. With a potion, the best invented, I can say goodbye to care. Thank you kindly. Thank you kindly. etc.

DulcamaraBut with that little laddie there, I’ve seen nothing to compare.

I’ve seen nothing, truly nothing, truly nothing to compare. etc. (as Nemorino makes to leave) Just a moment! Come! Listen!

NemorinoYes, doctor?

DulcamaraMum’s the word. Keep quiet, quiet. Tell no one, Keep quiet. This is such a powerful liquor, it’s illegal to supply it.

NemorinoOh!

DulcamaraYes, I’m afraid it isn’t legal to supply it. If it came to public knowledge, then we both should be in jail. Therefore, tell no one.

NemorinoTake my solemn word of honour, not a soul shall hear the tale.

DulcamaraRemember!

NemorinoTake my solemn word of honour. Rest assured, I shall not fail.

DulcamaraDrink it up and you’ll be mellow.


You are caught now, I can deduce it, from your manner so sad and tearful. I can help you.

AdinaYou help? How so, sir?

DulcamaraI will tell you if you come a little closer. If you want to find the answer, there’s a remedy I know. etc. It is very scientific and the price is very low.

AdinaThough its power may be terrific, it is not for me, I know.

DulcamaraDo you wish a thousand suitors at your feet with love expiring?

AdinaNo, I only wish for one, sir, and a thousand would be tiring.

DulcamaraYou can make all women jealous of your fortunate position.

AdinaMaking enemies of others is no part of my ambition.

DulcamaraDo you want to wed a title?

AdinaI would hardly call it vital.

DulcamaraNoble suitors ten or twenty?

Adina Nemorino will be plenty.

DulcamaraWhat I sell is scientific.

Adina Yes, I’m sure it’s quite terrific.

DulcamaraThe result I guarantee.

AdinaI’m afraid it’s not for me. No, not for me. etc. Your remedy is really not for me.

DulcamaraWhat I sell, what I sell, what I sell is scientific. etc. The result I guarantee. etc.Naughty creature, are you daring, all my science to disparage?

AdinaThere’s an even better way, sir,when a woman hopes for marriage. Just you wait and Nemorinowill be mine, you need not fear.

Dulcamara (aside)She is really far too clever.There’s no need of doctors here.No, there’s no need of doctors here. etc.

AdinaWith a look of love and laughter, with a smile and a suggestionI lead the man I’m afterto be bold and put the question. Though at first he be defiant,he is mine once I have picked him. Very soon he’ll be compliantand a more than willing victim. So I need no magic potion,for my eyes will work the spell.

With a look of love and laughter,with a smile and a suggestion, etc.

DulcamaraAh, I see it. I have nothingin reply to your female intuition. Pretty rascal! Pretty rascal!Oh, my learning! I have nothingin reply to all your female intuition. It will help you more than I willin achieving your ambition.Yes, more than I will in achieving your ambition.I have nothing in reply to all your female

intuition.

AdinaSpare me, doctor!

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Adina(Ah! Which among them may hope to gain him? Which of them may now detain him?)

DulcamaraWith a choice of ten or twenty he’s delighted there are plenty. Like a cock you might have found him when the hens are all around him.

Adina(Oh, how foolishly I acted…

Dulcamara(She is quite infatuated.) etc.

Adina(… I denied a heart so true.)

Dulcamara(She should have my potion, too.) etc.

Adina(Oh, disaster! Oh, disaster! I denied a heart so

true.) etc.

DulcamaraWith a choice of ten or twenty, he’s delighted there are plenty.Like a cock you might have found him, when the hens are all around him. (She’s quite infatuated. She’s quite infatuated. etc. She should have my potion, too.)

Fair Adina! Just a moment! There is hope still! Come, be cheerful!

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DulcamaraAh! I see it! I have nothing in reply to your female intuition. etc.

AdinaFor if I love I can compel, for in my eyes I own a spell, etc.

DulcamaraIf I had the skill that you have,that’s the medicine I would sell. etc.



Act II Finale

DulcamaraIt will give you cheeks like peaches to conform with good aesthetics. It improves a woman’s features better far than her cosmetics, cures your warts and your carbuncles and dispatches wealthy uncles, makes your bees produce more honey and from worry keeps you free.

VillagersOh, good doctor, here’s my money. Give me one or two or three.

DulcamaraIt will soften the suspicions of a husband who is jealous, or relax the prohibitions

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of a guardian over-zealous. It will bring you bonny babies and protect your dog from rabies and awaken love and passion better far than China tea.

VillagersOh, I’d like a double ration. Make it two or even three.

Dulcamara (His carriage having reappeared onstage, he prepares to depart.)Now, good people, I must leave you. But I warn you as a brother, let no charlatan deceive you with some substitute or other. For my potion serves the nation. All the rest is imitation. So remember Dulcamara, who can banish every pain.

VillagersWe’ll remember Dulcamara. May he soon come back again!

Adina and Nemorino He alone has made me happy, for his wonder-working potion has been quick to ease my pain,to ease my pain, etc.

BelcoreWhy, you old pretentious humbug! Go to hell and there remain, to hell and there remain. etc.

DulcamaraGood people! God bless you! etc.

Villagers May he soon come back again! etc.

BelcoreGo to hell and there remain!

Adina, Nemorino, Dulcamara and VillagersGod bless you!

BelcoreGo to hell and there remain.Go to hell!

Adina, Nemorino, Dulcamara and VillagersGod bless you!


from The Barber of Seville

Bartolo’s Aria

BartoloDare you offer such excuses to an eminent physician? From a girl in your position I expected better lies, I expected something better.Sending sweets to Marcellina? Sketching flowers to embroider? Burnt your finger? What nonsense!

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DulcamaraIt will help you more than I will in achieving your ambition.

AdinaSpare me, doctor!

DulcamaraBy your beauty so abundantall my skill is now redundant…

AdinaHe is mine once I have picked him…

Dulcamara… For you practise all the chemistryof Cupid, I can tell…

Adina … Such a willing, willing victim.

Dulcamara… I can very quickly tell.If I had the skill that you have,that’s the medicine I would sell.

AdinaSo I need no magic potion…

DulcamaraAh, you sly one!

Adina… For my eyes will work the spell. With a look of love and laughter, with a smile and a suggestion, etc.

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IsabellaBut if I’m left alone ‘mid all these strangers,how shall I carry on, how face the dangers?How can I find my way? What shall I do?

TaddeoWhat if I’m put to work, work most unpleasant?How shall I soften them, if she’s not present?

Isabella and TaddeoHow can I find my way? What shall I do?

TaddeoLady Isabella…

IsabellaMr Taddeo…

Taddeo (aside)Ah! The gorgon’s calm again!

Isabella (aside)Smiling? What a donkey!

TaddeoAre we still quarreling?

IsabellaOr are we friends?

Isabella and TaddeoAh, yes, as friends unitedour faith once more is plighted.We act just as we should do,as niece and uncle would do.And that is what they’re going to see.

TaddeoBut, oh, that Turk, my lady,oh, how he frightens me.

IsabellaNo use anticipating,what is to be must be.

Taddeo and IsabellaAh, yes, in friendship we’ll be united,out faith unending once more is plighted.Just as the niece and uncle would do.And that is what they’re going to see.

TaddeoBut, oh, that Turk, my lady…But that…

IsabellaNo use anticipating,what is to be must be.So have no fear, no, no, no!

TaddeoBut, oh, that Turk, my lady…B… b… b… b…

IsabellaWhat is to be must be!

TaddeoOh, how he frightens me.

A. Anelli, translated by Robert David MacDonald

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You must find a taller story or I’ll cut you down to size. You must find me something taller. Where’s that missing sheet of paper? Don’t deny you wrote a letter, you should really know me better, don’t you think that you can charm

me… hold your tongue, you can’t placate me. No, my dear girl, don’t underrate me or you’re in for a big surprise! Come, Rosina, don’t be stubborn, and I promise I won’t be vexed. Pretty villain, still so sullen? Then I know what I’ll do next. In the future when I leave you I will see that you are guarded, tell the servants you’re regarded now as under house arrest. Do not try to win me over with your crying and your sighing. Now the penalty for lying could be more than you had guessed. For my innocent Rosina, now it’s solit’ry confinement… Yes, yes, ’til you show me some

refinement, I will teach you who knows best. If you offer such excuses then you’re in for a big surprise.

Cesare Sterbini after Beaumarchais,translation by Amanda and Anthony Holden

from The Italian Girl in Algiers

Isabella and Taddeo’s DuetIsabellaAll the changes in my fortuneI could bear with some assurance.But I’m angry past endurancewhen a jealous word I hear.Yes, I’m angry, such jealous words to hear.

TaddeoTo be slandered, and by a woman,what a damnable position.But whatever our conditionit’s the future that I fear.Yes, I fear it, it’s the future that I fear.

IsabellaStupid suitors, they don’t amuse me.

TaddeoCunning women, how they confuse me.

IsabellaTurk or booby, Turk is better.

TaddeoShe’ll deceive me if I let her.

IsabellaDevil take you sir, and good riddance.You’re the rudest man I know.

TaddeoWell goodbye then. Thank you kindly.I’ll be happy when you go.

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Malatesta Calm down, I say.

Pasquale Oh bless you!

MalatestaBut listen…

PasqualeNot a murmur…

MalatestaYes, but…

PasqualeNo more buts, no more buts…

MalatestaIf…

PasqualeJust hurry, just hurry, lest 1 should fall down dead. Ah! Quite unexpectedly passions inflame me; if I give in to them no one can blame me. The pains of ageing touch me no longer: I feel as if I were twenty or younger. Hurry my darling one, let me embrace you! You shall have beautiful children to grace you;

I can see six of them, I can see twelve of them, laughing and playing for our delight.

Giovanni Ruffini and Gaetano Donizetti,after A Anelli, translation by David Parry

from Don Pasquale

Pasquale and Norina’s Duet

PasqualeWell good evening! You’re in a hurry; tell me where: it’s most confusing.

NorinaI am going to the theatre, where I find it more amusing.

PasqualeBut your husband might be tempted to interfere in such a matter.

NorinaHe’d do better to be silent: no one listens to his chatter…

Pasquale (imitating her)To his chatter?

NorinaHe’d do better to be silent: no one listens…

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from Don Giovanni

Leporello’s Catalogue Aria

LeporelloLook here: this not-so-little volume overflows with the names of all his conquests: every village,every city and every nation tells its own tale of his amorous aspiration.

(He takes a list from his pocket and reads…)

AriaPretty lady, I have something to show you, the account of my master’s seductions; it’s a list that’s been long in production, pay attention and read it with me! First Italians, six hundred and forty; then the Germans, two hundred and thirty;a hundred in France, only ninety in Turkey; but, here in Spain one thousand and three, thousand and three.

There are chambermaids a plenty, country girls and city gentry, baronesses and countesses, marchionesses and princesses, there are girls of every class and every shape and every age.

With the blonde ones, passion grows stronger every hour he spends beside her; with a dark one, he’ll stay longer, if she’s fair-skinned, woe betide her.In the winter, plump and tender,

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in the summer, tall and slender; if she’s buxom, he won’t fail her, like a mountain he will scale her! If she’s tiny, teeny tiny, he’ll overwhelm her; he’ll take pleasure with old ladies, just to have them here on these pages; but the highest common factor is a virgin who’s intacta; rich or poor, or wife or whore, behind the door or on the floor, he’ll seize his chance if hidden by a curtain; any creature with a skirt on, you already know his way.

Lorenzo da Ponte, translation by Amanda Holden

from Don Pasquale

Malatesta and Pasquale’s Duet

Malatesta (with an air of mystery) She’ll be here by midday.

Pasquale (surprised)No, really?

Malatesta (in confidence) You prepare yourself. I’ll fetch her straightaway.

Pasquale (embracing him)Oh bless you!

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from Don Pasquale

Malatesta and Pasquale’s Duet

MalatestaDon Pasquale…

Pasquale (solemnly and sadly) Ah, brother… a living corpse is standing here before you.

Malatesta Can you tell me exactly what’s the matter?

Pasquale (without taking any notice, almostspeaking to himself )To think that, for the sake of being spiteful I am reduced to this! I’d give Ernesto a thousand Norinas!

Malatesta (to himself )I’m delighted to hear it!(to Don Pasquale)But will you please explain…

Pasquale At least half a year’s income has gone on bonnets and ribbons! But that is nothing.

Malatesta What else then?

Pasquale My dear young wife wished to go to the theatre: I attempted to dissuade her; she won’t listen to reason, she simply mocks me;

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I forbade it… and with her hand she slapped myface!

Malatesta (amazed )What! She struck you?

Pasquale Yes, she struck me, yes, indeed, sir!

Malatesta (aside)Here we go! (to Don Pasquale)You are lying: Sofronia is the sort of woman who can see, who can hear, can do no evil: this must be just a pretext to remove her, some tale that you’ve invented. My poor sister, unjustly accused of being

disrespectful!

Pasquale My cheek can act as witness:it shows you what happened.

Malatesta It is not true.

Pasquale It’s completely true.

Malatesta I beg you, it is not proper to shout in that manner.

Pasquale But it’s you who have made me lose my temper!

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Pasquale (with mounting rage) I advise you to be careful, not to push me to the limit. To your bedroom now, this minute! I insist that you shall stay.

Norina (mockingly)When I tell you to be less heated and be quiet, I mean it kindly. It’s your bedtime: you sleep soundly, and we’ll talk another day.

(She goes towards the door.)

Pasquale (barring her way)I forbid you!

Norina (ironically)Do you really?

PasqualeThis is tiring.

Norina (about to leave) This is boring.

PasqualeI forbid you!

NorinaI won’t listen.

PasqualeThis is tiring.

NorinaThis is boring.

PasqualeShameless hussy!

Norina (angrily)Old man, I warned you…

PasqualeShameless hussy!

Norina (slapping his face) Take this!

PasqualeAh!

NorinaThat will teach you not to shout.

Pasquale (aside)It is over, Don Pasquale:you are absolutely broken!There is nothing left to do nowbut to crawl away and die.

Norina (aside)I chastise him far from gladly,but I have to treat him badly:now’s the climax of our story, now’s the moment to do or die.


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Malatesta (calming himself )Very well, continue.(to himself )Keep it up, Malatesta!

Pasquale The slap is nothing, Oh no! There is worse to come yet;pray read this.

(He hands Malatesta the letter.)

Malatesta (reading, feigning first surprise and thenhorror)I can’t believe it!(aside)Keep your face straight.(to Don Pasquale)How is it that my sister,so well behaved and kindly…

Pasquale You may think she is kindly: I know she isn’t.

Malatesta I’m still not certain that she is really guilty.

Pasquale I’m so completely certain of her guilt now that I called you here tonight expressly that you might witness my act of vengeance.

MalatestaAll right… but on reflection…

Pasquale She shall not come back to my house. I won’t compromise at all.

Malatesta. This affair is inauspicious: your response must be judicious.

Pasquale Be judicious, be expeditious, but…I won’t have her in my house, no, no.

MalatestaBut a scandal would annoy you…

Pasquale That is nothing.

Malatesta And the shame might yet destroy you.

Pasquale That is nothing.

Malatesta It’s a wrong move, not a strong move.Let’s consider how we act.

(He reflects a moment.)

Pasquale (imitating him)Not a strong move, it’s a wrong move…But she slapped me, that’s a fact.(Don Pasquale and Malatesta ponder.)I would say that…

Malatesta (with sudden inspiration)Now I have it!

PasqualeHeaven bless you! Tell me, tell me quickly.

MalatestaWe should both observe them closely in the darkness till we’re absolutely certain: if they’re guilty of the crime, then I will take my sister home.

Pasquale You are brilliant, you are brilliant! That’s a good plan, now I’m happy.

Malatesta Yes.

Pasquale Now I’m happy.What a disaster,my little schemer: I am the master, you are the dreamer; I’m catching up now,I’m overtaking, there’s no mistaking: you’ll have to pay. I will not tolerate the way you cheated me, your smiling tenderness, beguiling tearfulness. See the moment comes when I’m revenged on you: you’re in the trap I laid

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Pasquale I’ve thought of every detail… Just be patient. Be seated.

Malatesta I’ll sit down then, but… speak quietly.

Pasquale No more words, not even whispers: straightaway now to the garden! Taking all the servants with us to surround the woods and guard them. When we find the guilty couple, they will know that they’re in trouble: at my signal they’ll be handcuffed and led off at once to jail.

Malatesta I would say… let’s not be foolish: we two only should go down there; we should hide amongst the bushesand see everything we can there. If we catch them in flagrante, we can threaten them with jail, but accept their solemn promise to conclude the sordid tale.

PasqualeIf I were to be so lenient, it would be much too convenient…

Malatesta But remember, she’s my sister.

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MalatestaCaught in our snarehe can’t get away!

PasqualeThere’s no mistaking,you’ll have to pay.


from Falstaff

Honour Monologue

Falstaff(calling his page)Hey, Page boy!(to Bardolph and Pistol)You two, go hang yourselves, but not on me.(to Robin)Two letters, take them to these two ladies.Run off like lightning. Hurry, run quickly, go, quickly, go, go, go!Your honour? Vermin! You are forbidden by your honour, you?You stink of pure hypocrisy, When you both know full well, we all have human failings. We all do, yes, I do, I do.Sometimes I choose to wander, risking the wrath of heaven,and find myself astray without my honour.My stratagem is being equivocal, enigmatic and

elusive.

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But you, you tattered scroungers, with your offensive, twisted and catlike

glances, and ghastly sneering laughter, can boast of

honour.Honour indeed! What honour? What nonsense! What humbug!Can this honour put a meal in your belly?

No.Can it mend an arm or a leg that is broken?

Not so.An ankle? No. A finger? No. Or a whisker? No.Then honour’s not a surgeon. What is it? It’s an expression.And what is in this expression? Just a passing

impression. Most ingenious.Does honour help him who died last

Wednesday? No.Lives it with the living? That neither,because it’s falsely puffed up by human flattery.It is pride that corrupts it, and calumny

pollutes it.As for me, I don’t want it. No!But getting back to you, you villains, I’ve had enough now, I’ll do without you.Get out! Quickly, at the double, at the double!It’s the rope that will suit you the best.Quickly, quickly, at the double, at the double!Villains! Villains! Villains! Villains!Out you go! Out you go!

Arrigo Boito after Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives ofWindsor and Henry IV, translation by Amanda Holden

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and there you’ll stay. I am the master, I’m overtaking. there’s no mistaking, you’ll have to pay.

Malatesta (aside)The poor things dreaming that he’s the master, but all his scheming leads to disaster: blinded by anger, old and unwary, caught in our snare he can’t get away. While he enumerates the possibilities, he cannot realise that they are fantasies, or see, the simpleton, that he himself will fall into the trap he laid by break of day.Blinded by anger, old and unwary, caught in our snare he can’t get away. (to Don Pasquale)If they’re guilty of the crime, I will take my sister home.

Pasquale You are brilliant! Now I’m happy.

Malatesta We’ll observe them in the darkness, if they’re guilty…

Pasquale We’ll observe them in the darkness, if they’re guilty, you’ll take her back then.

Malatesta (aside)While he enumerates the possibilities, he cannot realise that they are fantasies, or see, the simpleton, that he himself will fall into the trap he laid.

Pasquale (aside)See if I tolerate the way you cheated me, your smiling tenderness,beguiling tearfulness.See the moment comeswhen I’m revenged on you:you’re in the trap I laid and there you’ll stay.What a disaster!

Malatesta and PasqualeHa, ha, ha, ha, ha!

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Opera in English on Chandos

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Staging director: Charles KilpatrickVocal and language consultant: Ludmilla Andrew

Recording producer Brian CouzensSound engineers Ralph Couzens & Jonathan Cooper (Falstaff )Mastering engineer Michael CommonOperas administrator Sue ShortridgeRecording venues Blackheath Halls, London; 7–11 February 1999 (tracks 1–4), 12–16 March2000 (track 6), 22–27 August 2000 (track 7), 15, 17, 18, 20 & 21 November 1997 (tracks8–10), & 27 May–3 June (track 11); Goldsmiths College, London; 9–14 August 1994 (track 5)Front cover Main photograph of Andrew Shore as Don Esteban in Paris Opéra’s production ofZemlinsky’s Der Zwerg (photograph by Eric Mahoudeau.) Background photographs of AndrewShore as Dulcamara (photograph by Paul Ferris), and as Gianni Schicchi (photograph by RichardMildenhall)Back cover Photograph of David Parry by Bill CooperDesign Sean ColemanBooklet typeset by Dave PartridgeBooklet editor Kara ReedCopyright © 1979 per l’edizione critica by Casa Ricordi-BMG Ricordi SpA (tracks 1–4),G. Ricordi & C SpA, Milan, translation © Amanda & Anthony Holden (track 5), translation© Robert David MacDonald (track 6), translation © Amanda Holden (tracks 7 & 11)p 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 Chandos Records Ltd This compilation p 2002 Chandos Records Ltdc 2002 Chandos Records LtdChandos Records Ltd, Colchester, Essex, EnglandPrinted in the EU

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from Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love‘Attention! Attention! You country folk!’ 7:56with Geoffrey Mitchell Choir

‘Good doctor, beg your pardon’ –‘It was Tristan who employed it’ 8:04with Barry Banks (Nemorino)

‘How he loved me!’ —‘With a look of love and laughter’ 7:09with Mary Plazas (Adina)

Act II finale ‘It will give you cheeks like peaches’ 2:35with Mary Plazas (Adina), Barry Banks (Nemorino)Ashley Holland (Belcore) and Geoffrey Mitchell Choir

from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville‘Dare you offer such excuses’ 6:39

from Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers‘All the changes in my fortune’ –‘Ah, yes, as friends united’ 8:00with Della Jones (Isabella)

from Mozart’s Don GiovanniLeporello’s Catalogue Aria 5:54

from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale‘She’ll be here by midday’ – ‘Quite unexpectedly passions inflame me’ 2:52with Jason Howard (Malatesta)

‘Well good evening! You’re in a hurry’ 5:50with Lynne Dawson (Norina)

‘Ah brother… a living corpse isstanding here before you’ 10:05with Jason Howard (Malatesta)

from Verdi’s FalstaffHonour Monologue 4:55

TT 70:40

Andrew Shore baritone

with Mary Plazas, Lynne Dawson,Barry Banks, Jason Howardand Geoffrey Mitchell Choir

Philharmonia Orchestra (tracks 1–4 & 7)

London Philharmonic Orchestra (tracks 6 & 8–10)

David Parry (tracks 1–4 & 6–10)

English National Opera Orchestra (tracks 5 & 11)

Gabriele Bellini (track 5)

Paul Daniel (track 11)DDD

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Elixir Do Amor - Libreto