RB Schlather / Recensioni

Humour, drama, madness, eroticism, absurdities and the belief in the magical powers of a stone that can make people invisible - all this is in Domenico Cimarosa's sparkling intermezzo L'italiana in Londra . Even the premiere audience in 1778 in the historic Roman Teatro Valle enthusiastically followed the developments and complications between the international guests who met there in Madama Brillante's London hotel. A place like an alternative world to real life, in the center a pair of lovers: Livia, a daughter from a good Genoese family, and Milord Arespingh, who was ordered back from Jamaica by his father to marry an English lady. In a close connection with the text, the music not only reflects the individual characters, but also the social structure of the characters. In addition to paused arias and finely worked out duets, the work is characterized above all by extensive, action-packed ensembles. With this revaluation of the ensemble as a musical form, Cimarosa, who preceded L'italiana in Londracelebrated mainly in Rome and Milan, attracted international attention. Goethe praised the "highest aesthetic splendor" of his music and translated two of his libretti, while Haydn conducted 13 Cimarosa operas at the Esterházys' princely court in seven years. Finally, Rossini's triumphal procession dampened the success of his fellow composer.