Mirandolina

Operas by Bohuslav Martinů
Comedy on the Bridge (1937) Alexandre bis (1937) Julietta (1938) What Men Live By (1953) The Marriage (1953) Mirandolina (1959) Ariane (1961) The Greek Passion (1961)
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For the play by Carlo Goldoni, see The Mistress of the Inn.

Mirandolina (H. 346) is a comic opera in three acts by Bohuslav Martinů, with a libretto (in Italian) by the composer after Carlo Goldoni's comedy The Mistress of the Inn (1751).

The opera was written in 1953-4. It incorporates in places stretches of spoken dialogue between the characters, against an orchestral background. The opera was premiered on 17 May 1959 at the Prague National Theatre, Czechoslovakia (shortly before the composer's death), when it was conducted by Václav Kašlik. More recent productions have included a revival in the 2002 season of the Wexford Festival

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast[1] 17 May 1959 (Conductor: Václav Talich)
Mirandolina, an inn-keeper	soprano	Maria Tauberová
Ortensia, an actress	soprano	Stepánka Stepánová
Dejanira, an actress	contralto	Jaroslava Procházková
Conte d'Albafloria	tenor	Premysl Koci
Cavaliere di Ripafratta	bass	Ivo Zidek
Marchese di Forlimpopoli	bass	Jaroslav Horacek
Fabrizio, a waiter	tenor	Oldrich Kovár

Synopsis

Although Mirandolina the inn-keeper is courted by various noblemen, including the sardonic Ripafratta, she ends up marrying the waiter Fabrizio.

Recording

The Wexford production was recorded by Supraphon; the Belarus National Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Riccardo Frizza.

References

1. ^ "Almannaco 17 May 1959" (in Italian). AmadeusOnline. http://amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=17&Mese=05&Anno=1959&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa. Retrieved 30 august 2010. 

Sources

• New Grove Dictionary of Opera
• Review of opera on andante.com
• Martinu Institute website