''La villanella rapita'' (''The Abducted Country Girl'') is an ''opera giocosa'' in two acts by Francesco Bianchi with additional arias by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

for its later performances in Vienna. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

was by

Giovanni Bertati Giovanni Bertati (10 July 1735 – 1 March 1815) was an Italian librettist. Bertati was born in Martellago, Italy. In 1763, he wrote his first libretto, ''La morte di Dimone'' ("The Death of Dimone"), set to music by Antonio Tozzi. Two years late ...

Performance history

The opera 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 ...

in Venice in the autumn of 1783. It was then given at the

Eszterháza Eszterháza is a palace in Fertőd, Hungary, built by Prince Nikolaus I, Prince Esterházy, Nikolaus Esterházy. Sometimes called the "Hungarian Palace of Versailles, Versailles", it is Hungary's grandest Rococo edifice. It was the home of Josep ...

Theater in Süttör,

Fertőd Fertőd () is a town in the Győr-Moson-Sopron county of Hungary, not far from Austria. Fertőd was formed when the towns of Eszterháza and Süttör were unified, in 1950. It is the location of one of Hungary's best known palaces, Eszterháza, w ...

, on 29 August 1784. It was also produced at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket in London under on 27 February 1790. A

pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, ...

with the same title, with some music by Bianchi as well as

Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born in ...

, Guglielmi, Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari,

Sarti Sarti can be referring to the following items: Surname The Italian language surname Sarti is derived from the occupation of tailor. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolfo Sarti (1928–1992), Italian Christian Democrat politician * A ...

and

Soler Soler may refer to: People with the surname Soler Arts and entertainment * Álvaro Soler (born 1991), Spanish singer-songwriter * Amalia Domingo Soler (1835–1909), Spanish writer * Andrés Soler (1898–1969), Mexican actor * Antonio Soler (c ...

was performed at

Théâtre Feydeau The Théâtre Feydeau (), a former Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1789 with the patronage of Monsieur, Comte de Provence (later to become Louis XVIII), and was therefore initially named the Théâtre de Monsieur. It began performing in ...

in Paris on 5 June 1789.

Mozart additions

contributed a vocal quartet, "Dite almeno in che mancai?", K. 479, and a vocal terzet, "Mandina amabile", K. 480, for a performance at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

in Vienna on 1785. (The former work was first heard in public on 5 November, and the latter on 28 November.) The singers involved were

Vincenzo Calvesi Vincenzo Calvesi (fl. 1777–1811) was an Italian operatic tenor and impresario. A skillful lyric tenor, he began his career performing in opera houses in Italy during the 1770s. He was active in Dresden in 1782 to 1783 and then spent most o ...

(Count), Celeste Coltellini (Mandina),

Stefano Mandini Stefano Mandini (1750–ca. 1810) was an outstanding Italian operatic baritone of the second half of the 18th century. He appeared in the premieres of many well-known operas of his day, of which the most famous at the present time is Mozart's ''Th ...

(Pippo), and Francesco Bussani (Biaggio), the last named in K. 479 only.

Roles

Synopsis

The count takes a liking to a young bride, Mandina, at her pre-wedding banquet, lures her away from her bridegroom, Pippo, and then abducts her in a drugged state back to his palace. Mandina, after a little experience of upper-class luxuries, eventually establishes her innocence and marries Pippo after all.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanella rapita, La Operas by Francesco Bianchi 1783 operas Italian-language operas Operas Arias by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart