- Amica (opera)
:"For the insurance company, see Amica Mutual Insurance."
"Amica" is an
opera in two acts byPietro Mascagni , originally composed to alibretto by Paul Bérel (the pseudonym of Paul de Choudens). The only opera by Mascagni with a French libretto, it was an immediate success with both the audience and the critics on its opening night at the Théâtre du Casino inMonte-Carlo on March 16, 1905. Mascagni himself conducted the performance. The opera had its Italian premiere (with an Italian libretto by Mascagni's close collaborator,Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti ) on May 15, 1905 at the Teatro Costanzi inRome .However, like many of Mascagni's operas apart from "
Cavalleria rusticana ", the work then fell into obscurity. One of its few revivals in modern times was on August 4, 2007 at theFestival della Valle d'Itria , using the original French libretto (it has been released on CD, see below). In October 2008, Opera di Roma will be using the Italian libretto for a new production of "Amica" in collaboration withOpéra de Monte-Carlo and the Teatro Carlo Goldoni inLivorno .Set in the mountains of
Savoy around 1900, "Amica" is a classicVerismo drama. It recounts a domestic tragedy involving two brothers (Giorgio and Renaldo) and the woman they both love (Amica).Roles
Recordings
*In Italian:
Katia Ricciarelli , Fabio Armiliato, Walter Donati, Elia Padovan, Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Conductor: Marco Pace. Released 1996. Kicco Classic 00296*In the original French: Anna Malavasi, David Sotgiu, Pierluigi Dilengite, Marcello Rosiello, Francesca De Giorgi, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, Bratislava Chamber Choir. Conductor: Manlio Benzi. Digital live recording. Released 2008. Dynamic CDS 574
References
*George Jellinek, Recording review, "
Opera News , November 1996
*Alan Mallach, " [http://books.google.com/books?id=kUCtUcFvr0IC Pietro Mascagni and His Operas] ", UPNE, 2002, pp 165-169 (ISBN 1555535240)External links
* [http://www.mascagni.org/works/amica/libretto.html Libretto in Italian] at Mascagni.org
* [http://www.operaroma.it/ Opera di Roma website]
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