La vera costanza ("True Constancy"), is an operatic dramma giocoso in three acts by Pasquale Anfossi. The comédie larmoyante-influenced Italian libretto was by Francesco Puttini. The opera preceded Joseph Haydn's better known setting of the same libretto by three years.
Performance history edit
The work was first performed on 2 January 1776 at the Teatro delle Dame, Rome. It was successful and performed widely throughout Europe during the following two decades.
Roles edit
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 2 January 1776 (Conductor: – ) |
|---|---|---|
| Count Errico, secret husband of Rosina | tenor | Gioacchino Costa/Filippo Tonnini |
| Rosina, a fisherwoman abandoned by Errico | soprano castrato travesti | Pietro Tiburzj |
| Marquis Ernesto, friend of Errico | tenor | Francesco Paolo Agresta |
| Baroness Irene, Count Errico's aunt who wishes to marry Ernesto | soprano castrato travesti | Antonio Rosselli |
| Villotto, a foolish gentleman, would-be suitor for Rosina | bass | Serafino Blasi |
| Lisetta, baroness's maid | soprano castrato travesti | Domenico Bruni |
| Masino, fisherwoman, brother of Rosina | baritone or tenor | Francesco Ciaranfi |
Synopsis edit
See also edit
- Anfossi's operas L'avaro and Il curioso indiscreto
- Complete list of Anfossi's operas
Sources edit
- Hunter, Mary (1992), 'Vera costanza, La (i)' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7