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| Operas by Gioachino Rossini |
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La cambiale di matrimonio (1810) |
Ricciardo e Zoraide (Ricciardo and Zoraide) is an opera in two act by Gioacchino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Berio de Salsa. The text is based on cantos XIV and XV of Il Ricciardetto, an epic poem by Niccolò Forteguerri.
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Performance history
Ricciardo e Zoraide was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on 3 December 1818.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, December 3,1818 (Conductor: Nicola Festa ) |
|---|---|---|
| Agorante, King of Nubia, infatuated with Zoraide | tenor | Andrea Nozzari |
| Zomira, wife of Agorante | contralto | Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni |
| Zamorre, confidant of Agorante | tenor | Gaetano Chizzola |
| Elmira, confidant of Zomira | mezzo-soprano | Raffaella de Bernardis |
| Ircano, a Nubian prince | bass | Michele Benedetti |
| Zoraide, daughter of Ircano, in love with Ricciardo | soprano | Isabella Colbran |
| Ricciardo, a Christian paladin knight, in love with Zoraide | tenor | Giovanni David |
| Fatima, confidant of Zoraide | mezzo-soprano | Maria Manzi |
| Ernesto, friend of Ricciardo, Christian camp ambassador, | tenor | Giuseppe Ciccimarra |
Brief synopsis
As the opera opens the Nubian King Agorante, who is infatuated with Zoraide, has defeated her father, Ircano and captured her. Ricciardo, a Christian knight, and Zoraide's lover accompanies an emissary to plead for her release. Agorante's jealous wife, Zomira, arranges the capture of Ricciardo as well and plots to have the young lovers executed to protect her position as Queen. The opera ends with an army of Christian knights rescuing Ricciardo and Zoraide. Ricciardo spares Agorante's life.
Selected recordings
- Rossini: Ricciardo e Zoraide (Nelly Miricioiu, William Matteuzzi, Bruce Ford, Della Jones, Alastair Miles, Paul Nilon; Geoffrey Mitchell Choir; Academy of St Martin in the Fields; Conductor: David Parry) 1995. Label: Opera Rara
Sources
- Osborne, Richard: "Ricciardo e Zoraide" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Stanley Sadie (Ed.). (London: MacMillan, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Amadeus Almanac (in Italian)
- Robert J Farr, Recording review: Ricciardo e Zoraide, Opera Rara, Music Web International.
- Michael Steen, Richard Osborne, The Lives and Times of the Great Composers: His Life and Works, Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 271-278. ISBN 0195181298
External links
