''Adelina'' is an opera

farsa Farsa (Italian language, Italian, literally: ''farce'', plural: ''farse'') is a genre of opera, associated with Venice in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is also sometimes called ''farsetta''. Farse were normally one-act operas, some ...

(described as a ‘melodramma sentimentale’) in one act, by the Italian composer

Pietro Generali Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music. Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few m ...

with words by

Gaetano Rossi Gaetano Rossi (; 18 May 1774 – 25 January 1855) was an Italian opera librettist for several of the well-known ''bel canto''-era composers including Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Saverio Mercadante in Italy and Giacomo Meyerbeer in on ...

. It was first performed at the

Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

on either 15 or 16 September 1810. It premiered just before the first of Rossini's

farse Farse may refer to: * Farsa (plural ), a genre of opera * Farse (band), a five-piece ska-punk band from Birmingham in the West Midlands of England See also * Farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that ...

at the same theatre.Lanza A. Pietro Generali. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. For the inspiration for his libretto Rossi turned to ''Lisbeth'', a drame lyrique with words by

Edmond de Favières Edmond de Favières, full name Edmond Guillaume François de Favières, (8 November 1755 – 13 March 1837) was a French playwright and politician. Works ''Paul et Virginie'', comédie en trois actes et en prose(1791) ''Les Espiègleries de garni ...

, set by

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

and first performed in 1797 at the

Salle Favart The Salle Favart (), officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique (), is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique. It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis ...

in Paris. The libretto is permeated by the ideals of Rousseau and the French Revolution.Fabbri, P. ''Adelina oder die Macht der Natur.'' Programme note for 2010

Rossini in Wildbad Rossini in Wildbad is a bel canto opera festival in Bad Wildbad, Baden-Württemberg, specialising in the lesser-known operas of Gioachino Rossini and his contemporaries. The festival commemorates a stay by Rossini at the town's spa in 1856, whic ...

Festival production, translated from Italian.

Roles

Synopsis

The setting is a beautiful view outside

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

with two rocks connected by a rustic bridge under which flows a stream. There is a courtyard with Varner's home, where he lives with his daughters Adelina and Carlotta to the right, and to the left the house of Simone. Adelina returns home after a long stay with a relative. She has an illegitimate child and is anxious about breaking the news to her father. When she meets the neighbour and teacher Simone (who continually quotes Latin maxims), she asks for his help. Simone suggests an anonymous letter to Varner, who is horrified when he learns of his daughter's situation. Firmino, and then Erneville arrive on the scene, and Erneville, the child's father is reunited with Adelina. Varner considers leaving the town, to avoid shame and disgrace. Following further intervention by Simone, the opera ends with a marriage and forgiveness.

Musical numbers

Overture
1. Introduction
2. Aria – Adelina
3. Trio – Adelina, Varner, Simone
4. Cavatine – Erneville
5. Recitative and Duet – Adelina and Erneville
6. Aria – Simone
7. Recitative and Aria – Adelina
8. Finale

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelina Operas Operas by Pietro Generali Farse 1810 operas Italian-language operas One-act operas Operas set in Switzerland Libretti by Gaetano Rossi