L'americano

L'americano (The American) is an intermezzo for four voices in two acts by composer Niccolò Piccinni with an Italian libretto by Angelo Longi. The opera premiered on
February 22, 1772 at the Teatro Capranica in Rome in celebration of Carnival. [ [http://www.musicandhistory.com/pdf/1771-1780.pdf untitled ] ] Musically this work is unusual as it is much lengthier than most intermezzos and has an abundance of arias but very few ensemble numbers and duets. [http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera/reviews/rhecd10.htm A BEL CANTO EXPLOSION - 11 August 1998 ] ]

Roles

ynopsis

Villotto, an American, befriends the Cavalier Lisandro on his visit to the California peninsula. Lisandro decides that it would be fun to take Villotto back to Europe to the chagrin of his fiancée, Donna Aurora. Villotto makes all sorts of social errors that upset the aristocratic Aurora. To make matters worse, Lisandro begins to fall in love with Aurora's friend Sylvia. After all sorts of misadventures, Aurora ends up falling for Villotto and Lisandro ends up happily with Sylvia. [ [http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/_archive/897/Recordings.897.html Recordings.897 ] ]

Recordings

* "L'Americano" with conductor Eric Hull and the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia. Cast includes: Patrizia Ciofi (Silvia); Giovanna Donadini (Donna Aurora); Simon Edwards (Villotto); Domenico Colaianni (Lisandro). It was recorded live at the Valle d’Itria Festival in July 1996 and is the only recording of this opera to date. Released on the Dynamic label in 1998.

References

* [http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=22&Mese=02&Anno=1772&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa Amadeus Almanac, accessed 18 June 2008]