Francesca di Foix
Francesca di Foix is a melodramma giocoso or opera in one act by Gaetano Donizetti (1831) from a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, based on Françoise de Foix by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly and Emmanuel Mercier-Dupaty.
It received its first performance on 30 May 1831 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples.
Seldom performed today, the opera is chiefly known for having provided segments to other Donizetti operas, including Ugo, conte di Parigi, L'elisir d'amore and Gabriella di Vergy although a complete recording exists on the Opera Rara label.
Contents |
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 30 May 1831 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Francesca | soprano | Luigia Boccabadati |
| The king | baritone | Antonio Tamburini |
| Edmondo | contralto | Marietta Gioia Tamburini |
| The count | bass | Giovanni Campagnoli |
| The duke | tenor | Lorenzo Bonfigli |
| Knights, bridesmaids, peasants | ||
[edit] Synopsis
- Time: The Middle Ages
- Place: France[1]
The Count is determined to keep his beautiful wife Francesca well away from the temptations of the French court. Knowing the amorous ways of the nobility he tells them that she is unwilling to appear in public because she is extremely ugly.
Unfortunately this raises the interest of the King who despatches one of his gentlemen (the Duke) to investigate, and if he finds that the Countess is beautiful he must lure her back incognito to court.
Sure enough the Duke is able to persuade Francesco to return to Paris with him. Rather than admit his deceit her husband at first refuses to acknowledge who she is. To force his hand the King announces that a tournament is to be held and the winning knight will be given Francesca's hand in marriage.
The Count can no longer keep up his subterfuge and admits that, driven by jealousy, he lied to the King and his courtiers. After due admonishment by the King all is forgiven and the Count and Countess live happily ever after.
[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast (Francesca, King, Edmondo, Count, Duke) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Gillian Sullivan, Lynne Smythe, Della Jones, Donald Maxwell, Gordon Christie |
David Parry (conductor) David Parry, Opera Rara Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of performance at Camden Festival in the Collegiate Theatre, March) |
Cassette: Live Opera Cat: 03460 |
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ Osborne, p. 200
- ^ Source for recording information: Recording(s) of Francesca di Foix on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- Cited sources
- Osborne, Charles, The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994 ISBN 0931340713
- Other sources
- Ashbrook, William, Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press, 1982, ISBN 052123526X ISBN 0-521-23526-X
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
- Weinstock, Herbert, Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Pantheon Books, 1963. ISBN 63-13703
[edit] External links
- Libretto (Italian)
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