La verità in cimento

La verità in cimento
Opera by Antonio Vivaldi
Probable portrait of Antonio Vivaldi, c. 1723
Librettist	Matteo Noris
Language	Italian
Premiere	1720 (1720) Venice

La verità in cimento (Italian pronunciation: [la veriˈta in tʃiˈmento]; Truth in Contention) is an opera by Antonio Vivaldi to a libretto by Giovanni Palazzi. The opera, Vivaldi's 13th, was premiered during the Carnival at Venice in 1720. The work is dedicated to Count Sava Vladislavich, a Russian legate of Serb origin who resided in Venice from 1716 to 1722. The work is listed as RV 739 in the Vivaldi catalogue.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 1720 (Conductor: – )
Rosane	soprano	Anna Maria Strada
Rustena	mezzo-soprano	Chiara Orlandi
Melindo	contralto (en travesti)	Antonia Laurenti, "La Coralli".
Damira	contralto	Antonia Merighi
Zelim	soprano castrato	Girolamo Albertini
Sultan Mamud	tenor	Antonio Barbieri

Synopsis

Mamud had two sons, one by his favourite Damira and one by the Sultana Rustena. He had them exchanged at birth, so that Melindo, in truth the son of Damira, is thought to be the legitimate heir, a position rightfully held by Zelim. When marriage is proposed between Melindo and Rosane, the heiress to another Sultanate (who is in fact beloved by Zelim), Mamud resolves to reveal the true state of affairs. After various twists and turns, Zelim inherits the larger portion of his empire, while Melindo contents himself with a secondary kingdom (Rosane's country) and is allowed to marry the fickle princess Rosane. This leaves everyone satisfied.

Recording

• Ensemble Matheus, cond. Jean-Christophe Spinosi (2002)
• Vivaldi: Arie ritrovate, Sofia Prina, Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone. Naive. (2008)

References

• Frédéric Delaméa, tr. Charles Johnston, essays in booklet accompanying recording referred to above.