''L'avaro'' ("The Miser"), is an opera (''

dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The g ...

'') in three acts composed by Pasquale Anfossi. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Giovanni Bertati is based on

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's 17th-century comedy ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (; ) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September 9, 1668, in the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris. This is a character com ...

''. Considered one of Anfossi's best operas, it premiered at the

Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

in Venice in the autumn season of 1775 and was subsequently performed throughout Italy and in other European cities.

Background and performance history

Anfossi was a prolific composer. ''L'avaro'' was the 25th of his 70 or more operas and one of the three which he had composed for the 1775 season at Venice's

. His librettist Giovanni Bertati was equally prolific, having written at least 70 libretti in his lifetime, almost all of them in the ''

'' genre. The premiere production of ''L'avaro'' had sets designed by Domenico and Gerolamo Mauri and costumes by Giuseppe Tadio. The performance was accompanied by a ballet, ''La serenata interrotta, o sia Il triplice matrimonio'' ("The Serenade Interrupted, or The Triple Wedding") with music by Francesco Piombanti and choreography by Antoine Pitrot. Pasquale Anfossi by Biondi

The opera proved to be one of Anfossi's most successful works and continued to be staged in its original Italian well into the 19th century. It was performed throughout Italy as well as in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, France, and England. The London premiere took place in 1783 at the King's Theatre where Anfossi had been engaged as the

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

and was presented in a two-act version. The opera was performed in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

and

Bad Pyrmont Bad Pyrmont (, also: ; West Low German: ) is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the river Emmer (Weser), Emmer, about west of the Weser. Bad Pyrmont is a popul ...

in 1790 using a German translation of the libretto entitled ''Der Geizige oder Die Liebe ist sinnreich'' ("The Miser, or Love is Ingenious"). There was a French version entitled ''Le Tuteur avare'' ("The Miserly Tutor") with a very freely adapted libretto by Jean-Louis Gabiot and additional music composed by Giuseppe Maria Cambini. It premiered at the Théâtre des Beaujolais in Paris in 1787 and was later performed in Versailles and Lieges. Another freely adapted libretto, this time in Spanish and written by Luciano Comella, was used for performances in Madrid in 1796 under the title ''El avaro''. ''L'avaro'' in the original Italian has also been performed under a variety of other titles including: ''Il tesoro immaginario'' ("The Imaginary Treasure"),

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

, 1779; ''Il sordo e l'avaro'' ("The Deaf Man and the Miser"), Brunswick, 1782; and ''I due avari'' ("The Two Misers"),

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, 1783.Libretti d'opera
Notes to libretto 382: ''L'avaro''
. Università degli Studi di Padova. Retrieved 17 December 2014 . The alternative title, ''La fedeltà nell'angustie'' ("Fidelity Amidst Distress"), is sometimes listed for a performance in Florence in 1777 at the

Teatro della Pergola The Teatro della Pergola (), sometimes known as just La Pergola, is a historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name. It was built in 1656 under the p ...

, but later research indicates that it was more likely to have been a revival of Anfossi's ''La finta giardiniera''. The title on a manuscript score dated 1775 and held in the

Saxon State and University Library Dresden The Saxon State and University Library Dresden (full name in ), abbreviated SLUB Dresden, is located in Dresden, Germany. It is both the regional library () for the Federal Republic of Germany, German State of Saxony as well as the academic libr ...

is given as ''Il vecchio avaro'' ("The Old Miser"). Bertati's libretto for ''L'avaro'' was subsequently set by several other composers including

Gennaro Astarita Gennaro Astarita (also spelled Astaritta) (c.1745–49 – 18 December 1805) was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. The place of his birth is unknown, although he was active in Naples for many years. He began his operatic career in 1765, colla ...

(1776, Teatro Bonacossi, Ferrara) and Ferdinando Orlandi (1801, Teatro Marsigli-Rossi, Bologna). A different libretto by Giuseppe Palomba, also titled ''L'avaro'' and likewise based on the Molière play, was set by Giacomo Cordella and premiered in 1814 at the Teatro de' Fiorentini, Naples.Libretti d'opera
Notes to libretto 4621: ''L'avaro''
. Università degli Studi di Padova. Retrieved 17 December 2014 .

Roles

References

External links

*Anfossi, Pasquale
''Il vecchio avaro''
(complete manuscript score dated 1775, held the

and published at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project uses MediaWiki software, and ...

) *Bertati, Giovanni
''L'avaro''
(complete libretto in the original Italian published for a performance at the Teatro Nuovo sopra Toledo, Naples in 1779) *Gabiot, Jean-Louis
''Le Tuteur avare''
(complete libretto of a French adaptation of the opera, published for a 1787 performance in Paris) {{DEFAULTSORT:Avaro 1775 operas Italian-language operas Operas by Pasquale Anfossi Drammi giocosi Operas Operas based on works by Molière Works based on The Miser

Background and performance history

Roles

See also

References

External links