''La figlia di Iorio'' (''The Daughter of Iorio''), sometimes written as ''La figlia di Jorio'', is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in three acts by

Alberto Franchetti Alberto Franchetti (18 September 1860 – 4 August 1942) was an Italian composer, best known for the 1902 opera ''Germania''. Biography Alberto Franchetti was born in Turin, a Jewish nobleman of independent means. He studied first in Venice, th ...

to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

by Gabriele D'Annunzio. The libretto is a very close rendering of D'Annunzio's play of the same name. ''La figlia di Iorio'' premiered at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

on 29 March 1906, conducted by Leopoldo Mugnone. Although the play, which had premiered two years earlier, was considered one of D'Annunzio's greatest works, the opera did not achieve a comparable success and has been rarely performed since its day.An opera by Ildebrando Pizzetti with the same title, and again set to D'Annunzio's play, premiered at the

Teatro San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is an opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and adjacent ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

in 1954.

Roles

Synopsis

The story is set in the small town in

Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

Lama dei Peligni Lama dei Peligni is a '' comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy with 1,155 inhabitants. It is also part of the Aventino-Medio Sangro mountain community and the municipal territory is included in the Majella Nati ...

. Near the Grotta del Cavallone, lives a wealthy family in decline: the Sangro of Roio del Sangro. The father Lazaro di Roio is happy because his young son Aligi is getting married with a rich woman of the country. However the wedding is interrupted by the inhabitants of Lama, enraged against a girl. The girl named Mila is accused by the superstitions of the people of being a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

, and so is likely to be sentenced to death. Aligi chases people away, because he is in love with her. So the young man breaks the marriage and Lazaro curses him away. Aligi and Mila go to live in exile in the Cave, hated by all the people, and plan to leave the country. Aligi but is too poor and so he travels to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to appeal to the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. When he returns confident, Aligi discovers that the inhabitants of Lama Peligni burned alive Mila during his absence.

Recordings

*''Souvenirs from Verismo Operas'', Volume 1'', International Record Collectors' Club (IRCC 812) contains an

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

and

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a sol ...

from ''La figlia di Iorio'' with two singers from the original cast: **"Che c'è egli, Aligi!" sung by Eugenio Giraldoni and Giovanni Zenatello (Fonotipia 1906) **"Rinverdisca per noi" sung by Giovanni Zenatello (Fonotipia 1906) *''La figlia di Iorio'', a live recording from the 1988 performance of the opera at the Teatro del Vittoriale,

Gardone Riviera Gardone Riviera ( Gardesano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Garda. Twin towns Gardone Riviera is twinned with: * Arcachon, France, since 1980 * Pescara, Italy, s ...

with Enrico De Mori conducting the Orchestra e Coro della Città di Verona, was released in 2010 on the Inscena/Opera suite label

Notes and references

* Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed.).
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera
'. London, New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 168. . * Gelli, Piero (ed.), 'Figlia di Jorio, La'
''Dizionario dell'Opera''
2005, Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, . * "D'Annunzio, Gabriele", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from
''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''

External links

* Gabriele D'Annunzio, ''La figlia di Iorio''
full text of the original play
(in Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Figlia Di Iorio, La Italian-language operas Verismo operas Operas 1906 operas Operas by Alberto Franchetti Operas based on plays Opera world premieres at La Scala Works by Gabriele D'Annunzio Operas based on works by Gabriele D'Annunzio