''Caritea, regina di Spagna, ossia La morte di Don Alfonso re di Portogallo'' (''Caritea, Queen of Spain, or, The Death of Don Alfonso, King of Portugal''), is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in two acts by

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Gaetano Donizetti or Gioachino Rossini beyond ...

, with a libretto by Paolo Pola. It was premiered at

Teatro La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice bec ...

in Venice on 21 February 1826.

Roles

Synopsis

:Time: :Place: Toledo, on the banks of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

River, near Don Alonso's camp.

Act 1

Don Alfonso, the king of Portugal, has declared war on Spain; because the Spanish queen Caritea has refused his offer of marriage, he has decided to take the country by force. The Portuguese are laying siege to Toledo. Diego, a Spaniard who is in love with Caritea, arrives at the Portuguese camp, where he asks for entry. He had fled Spain ten years earlier because he had been rejected by the queen and killed another of the queen's suitors, Pompey. Caritea, who had been in love with Pompey, promised to marry anyone who would deliver her Diego's head. Caritea enters the Portuguese camp, disguised as a man. She has been trying to infiltrate the camp, but is nearly caught and killed, if it were not for Diego. Diego recognizes Caritea, and is still terribly in love with her. Caritea, however, does not recognize Diego, since it has been ten years since his escape. Don Alfonso then arrives, and frees Don Fernando, Diego's elderly father, who has fallen prisoner. Alfonso is then informed that Caritea has been spotted, disguised, near the camp, and Alfonso explodes with fury.

Act 2

Diego offers to take Caritea back to Toledo. He senses that Caritea is falling in love with him, so he proposes marriage to her. Caritea, however, reminds him that she has decreed only to marry the man who brings her the head of Don Diego. Fernando, knowing that his son is that same Diego who Caritea has vowed to have killed, fears for his son's life. Don Alfonso, in his fury, challenges Diego to a duel, but is killed. Diego returns to Toledo the champion and praised by the people. Because he managed to kill the enemy of Spain, Don Diego can now reveal his true identity to Caritea. Caritea forgives him and agrees to marry him.

Recordings

*1995: Giuliano Carella (cond.), Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia Opera and Bratislava Chamber Chorus. Caritea: Nana Gordaze (soprano); Don Alfonso: Jacek Laszczkowski (tenor); Don Diego: Sonia Lee (mezzo-soprano); Don Fernando:

Nicolas Rivenq Nicolas Rivenq (born 1958) is a contemporary French baritone. Born in London, Rivenq studied music at the "École d'Art lyrique" of the Paris Opéra, as well as the Indiana University. He has participated in numerous productions of baroque mu ...

(baritone); Don Rodrigo: Gregory Bonfatti (tenor); Corrado: Ayhan Ustuk (tenor). (Recorded in July 1995 in Martina Franca at the

Festival della Valle d'Itria The ''Festival della Valle d'Itria'' is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially ...

). Nuova Era, Cat: NE 7258/60

References

Notes Sources *Rose, Michael (1998), “Mercandante, (Giuseppe) Saverio (Raffaele)" in

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

, (Ed.), ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', Vol. Three, pp. 334–339. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. {{Saverio Mercadante Italian-language operas Operas set in Spain Operas by Saverio Mercadante Opera world premieres at La Fenice 1826 operas Operas