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La Rondine COMMEDIA LIRICA IN THREE ACTS Since Offenbach, all composers have tried, at least once, to summon the joyful muse and have attempted an operetta. In truth, Puccini didn't want to compose just an operetta, but a tragic operetta. He said in a letter "I still want to make the audience cry." In the autumn of 1913 Puccini accepted a commission for an operetta from the directors of the Vienna Karltheater. The result was "La Rondine", and it was called "Commedia Lirica", a light-hearted work, with a conversational tone and lyric mood. Some consider it the weakest of his operas because of the lack of the pure Puccinian lyrical melody. The entrance of Italy to the Alliance in the World War I prevented the première of "La Rondine" in Vienna. At last, it was premiered in Monte Carlo in 1917. |
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LIBRETTO by Giuseppe Adami, from an outline by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinrich Reichert |
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Location : París and Riviera; Time: 1850 during the Second Empire |
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| PROTAGONISTS
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Magda de Civry (soprano) Ruggero Lastouc, her lover (tenor) Rambaldo Fernandez, a rich banker (baritone) Lisette, Magda's maid (soprano) Prunier, a poet (tenor) Magda and Rambaldo's friends, Members of the bourgeoisie, Students, Painters, elegantly-dressed Ladies and gentlemen, Grisettes, Flower girls, Dancing girls, Waiters. |
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| PREMIÈRE |
Théâtre de l'Opéra,
Monte Carlo, March 27th 1917 Magda: Gilda Dalla Rizza |
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| INSTRUMENTATION | Picc, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, Eng hn, 2 Cl, BCl,
2 Bn, 4 Hn, 3 Tpt, 3 Tbn, BT, Timp, Trg, T-T, GC, Cymb, BCar, Cmp, Cel, Harp, Strings; on stage: Camp, Pno, Picc. |
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| CHORUS | Medium-Sized chorus part | ||
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| SYNOPSIS | ACT I: In Magda's luxurious
house in Paris. She is the lover of the rich banker Rambaldo and now a party is being
given. Ruggero, the son of Rambaldo's friend, enters. Magda is attracted by the timid boy.
Lisetta, Magda's maid, proposes to go to Bullier's café and all agree. Magda also goes to
Bullier's café but dressed as Lisetta. Lisetta, dressed in Magda's clothes, meets
Prunier, a poet, and they go together to the café. ACT II: There are students, artists, grisettes, etc. at Bullier's. Ruggero sits alone. Magda arrives, sits down beside him, and dances with him. Prunier and Lisetta enter, quarrel, separate, and then reconcile. Rugerro asks Magda her name and she says Paulette. Rambaldo now also arrives. Magda confides to him her love for Ruggero. Rambaldo leaves with Lisetta and Prunier. Ruggero and Magda go off together. ACT III: Ruggero and Magda live happily together for a period. Ruggero has sought his family's consent the their marriage. Magda feels that she would not be a good wife because of her past life. Prunier and Lisetta visit her. Lisetta wants to return to her position with Magda and Magda agrees. Prunier thinks they might all return to Paris and says Rambaldo still wants her back. Ruggero rushes in because his mother has just agreed to allow him to marry the "innocent girl". Magda reveals her past but Ruggero just wants to talk about their love and ask for her hand in marriage. Magda leaves the man that she loves. |
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| LIBRETTO | ACT I | ||
| ACT II | |||
| ACT III | |||
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