Il re

Il re
Opera by Umberto Giordano
The opera's composer, Umberto Giordano
Librettist	Giovacchino Forzano
Premiere	12 January 1929 (1929-01-12) La Scala, Milan

Il re (The king) is a novella or opera in one act and three scenes by composer Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on 12 January 1929.[1]

The opera is a short comedy, only lasting about 1 hour in performance, about a young woman, Rosalina, betrothed to Colombello. One day she sees the King in all his majesty and falls in love with him, breaking the engagement with Colombello. But after meeting the king privately in his chamber, and seeing him with no crown or clothes, she loses her interest in him and returns to Colombello.

Performance history

Unusual for a 20th-century opera, Il re was written specifically as a vehicle for Toti Dal Monte, a coloratura soprano of the old school. Dal Monte performed the work a number of times during her career but after her retirement, the opera quickly fell into obscurity.[1] In December 1949, Arturo Toscanini, who had conducted the world premiere of the opera, featured the short "Dance of the Moor" on a broadcast concert with the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 12 January 1929 (Conductor: Arturo Toscanini)[2]
Rosalina	soprano	Toti Dal Monte*
Colombello	tenor	Enzo de Muro Lomanto
The King	baritone	Jean-Armand-Charles Crabbé
The Miller	bass	Tancredi Pasero
The Miller's Wife	mezzo-soprano	Angelica Cravcenco
The Priest	tenor	Giuseppe Nessi
The Lawyer	bass	Salvatore Baccaloni
The Astrologer	mezzo-soprano	Lucia Abbrescia
Voice of the Auctioneer/Butler	baritone	Aristide Baracchi
First Cerimoniere	tenor	Giovanni Azzimonti
Second Cerimoniere	tenor	Palmiro Domenichetti

* Dal Monte alternated performances of the role of Rosalina with Mercedes Capsir during the original 1929 production.[2]

Recordings

• Umberto Giordano: Il re and Mese mariano - Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia and Coro del Teatro Petruzzelli, conducted by Renato Palumbo. Recorded live at the Festival della Valle d'Itria with Patrizia Ciofi as Carmela in Mese mariano. Label: Dynamic CDS-231.[3]

External links

• Libretto of Il Re on operalibretto.com

References

Notes

1. Julian Budden: "Il re", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed March 04, 2009), (subscription access) Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
2. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Il re, 12 January 1929". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
3. Recordings of Il re on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

Sources

• Levine, Robert, Review of Il re and Mese mariano (Dynamic CDS-231) Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, Classics Today. Accessed 16 March 2009.

Manuscript is in Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milano