Wikipedia:
Riccardo Primo |
| Operas by George Frideric Handel |
|---|
Almira (1705) |
Riccardo Primo re d’Inghilterra (or 'Richard the First, King of England') is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli, after Francesco Briani's Isacio tiranno, set by Antonio Lotti in 1710.
It was written for the Royal Academy's opera season 1726-27. Handel subsequently re-used music from the opera in Scipione and Tolomeo.
Performance history
The opera was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 11 November 1727 and on 11 further occasions. It was also performed in Hamburg and Brunswick. It was rediscovered and performed by the Handel Opera Society in London on 8 July 1964. Another performance was given at Kourion Amphitheater in Cyprus at 1991, in order to mark the 800th anniversary of the historical events that the opera is based on.
The story concerns the marriage of Richard I to Constanza, a Spanish princess, on the island of Cyprus in 1191. The Costanza character is identified with Berengaria of Navarre, which married Richard I at Limassol at 1191. However, the island didn't bring so much luck on her, as she became known as "the only Queen of England never to set foot on the country".
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, November 11, 1727 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Riccardo | alto castrato | Senesino |
| Costanza, daughter of the King of Navarre | soprano | Francesca Cuzzoni |
| Isacio, Governor of Cyprus | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi |
| Pulcheria, his daughter | soprano | Faustina Bordoni |
| Oronte, Prince of Syria | alto castrato | Antonio Baldi |
| Berardo, Costanza's cousin | bass | Giovanni Battista Palmerini |
| Corrado, Prince of Bohemia | contralto | Anna Vincenza Dotti |
Sources
Riccardo Primo by Anthony Hicks, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
Recordings
There is an audio recording on compact disc under Christophe Rousset with Les Talens Lyriques, and Sara Mingardo (Riccardo), Sandrine Piau (Costanza), Olivier Lallouette (Berardo), Robert Scaltriti (Isacio), Claire Brua (Pulcheria), Pascal Bertin (Oronte). This was released by L'oiseau-lyre, number 452 201-2.
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