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89-687: The first company to be known as the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company (PGOC) was founded in 1916. Its first production, Gaetano Donizetti 's Lucia di Lammermoor , opened on December 18 of that year at the Academy of Music with Regina Vicarino in the title role, Forrest Lamont as Edgardo, and Ettore Martini conducting. Short lived, the company produced one more opera in December 1916, Giuseppe Verdi 's Il trovatore , before disbanding. The second company to be known as

178-475: A Donizetti opera, describing the composer as: a young pupil of one of the most valued Maestros of the century, Mayer ( sic ), a large part of whose glory might be called ours, he having modeled his style on that of the great luminaries of the musical art sprung up among us. [His opera in Rome] was accepted with the most flattering applause. News of this work impressed Domenico Barbaja , the prominent intendant of

267-856: A composer of successful serious opera, although other comedies were to appear quite quickly. With his commissions, the years from 1830 to 1835 saw a huge outpouring of work; L'elisir d'amore , a comedy produced in 1832, came soon after Anna Bolena ' s success and is deemed to be one of the masterpieces of 19th-century opera buffa . Then came a rapid series of operas from Naples including Francesca di Foix (May 1831); La romanziera e l'uomo nero (June 1831); and Fausta (January 1832). Two new operas were presented in Milan: Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali (April 1831) and Ugo, conte di Parigi (March 1832). Rome presented Il furioso all'isola di San Domingo (January 1833) and Torquato Tasso (September 1833). Otto mesi in due ore (1833)

356-519: A composer, but there was also an interest across the continent of Europe in the history and culture of Scotland. The perceived romance of its violent wars and feuds, as well as its folklore and mythology, intrigued 19th century readers and audiences, and Scott made use of these stereotypes in his novel. At the same time, continental audiences of that time seemed to be fascinated by the Tudor period of 16th century English history, revolving as it does around

445-426: A few. The PGOC's last performance was of Johann Strauss II 's Die Fledermaus on December 6, 1974, with Joseph Venezia as Alfred, June Fiske as Adele, Eileen Schauler as Rosalinde, Robert Goodloe as Eisenstein, and Carlo Moresco conducting. The opera board's long-term president, Max Leon , served as the company's manager after the departure of Terracciano in 1972. Experiencing some financial difficulties,

534-763: A libretto written by Salvadore Cammarano ) given in Naples in 1835, and one of the most successful Neapolitan operas, Roberto Devereux in 1837. Up to that point, all of his operas had been set to Italian libretti. Donizetti found himself increasingly chafing against the censorship limitations in Italy (and especially in Naples). From about 1836, he became interested in working in Paris, where he saw greater freedom to choose subject matter, in addition to receiving larger fees and greater prestige. From 1838, beginning with an offer from

623-496: A major impression at the first performance (otherwise there would be no others), and to emulate the preferred musical style of the day, that of Rossini whose music "was the public's yardstick when they were assessing new scores". Remaining in Bergamo until October 1821, the composer busied himself with a variety of instrumental and choral pieces, but during that year, he had been in negotiation with Giovanni Paterni, intendant of

712-556: A month later, a one-act melodramma or opera, Elvida , a pièce d'occasion for the birthday of Queen Maria of the Two Sicilies , which contained some florid music for the tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini ; but it only received three performances. Writer John Stewart Allitt observes that, by 1827/28, three important elements in Donizetti's professional and personal life came together: Firstly, he met and began to work with

801-537: A new home in Naples. Within two months he had written another opera semiseria , Gianni di Calais , from a libretto by Gilardoni. It was their fourth collaboration, and became a success not only in Naples but also in Rome over the 1830/31 season. Writing about the Naples premiere, the correspondent of the Gazzetta privilegiata di Milano stated: "The situations that the libretto offers are truly ingenious and do honour to

890-791: A place for Donizetti at the Bologna Academy, where, at the age of 19, he wrote his first one-act opera, the comedy Il Pigmalione , which may never have been performed during his lifetime. An offer in 1822 from Domenico Barbaja , the impresario of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples , which followed the composer's ninth opera, led to his move to Naples and his residency there until production of Caterina Cornaro in January 1844. In all, 51 of Donizetti's operas were presented in Naples. Before 1830, success came primarily with his comic operas ,

979-492: A review in the Nuovo osservatore veneziano of 17 November in which the reviewer notes some of these performance issues which faced the composer, but he adds: "one cannot but recognize a regular handling and expressive quality in his style. For these the public wanted to salute Signor Donizetti on stage at the end of the opera." For Donizetti, the result was a further commission and, using another of Merelli's librettos, this became

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1068-452: A stature similar to that achieved by Bellini 's Norma . This dramma tragico appeared at a time when several factors were moving Donizetti's reputation as a composer of opera to greater heights: Gioachino Rossini had recently retired and Vincenzo Bellini had died shortly before the premiere of Lucia leaving Donizetti as "the sole reigning genius of Italian opera". Not only were conditions ripe for Donizetti to achieve greater fame as

1157-419: Is a loose-woven gauze -like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking . Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the number of threads per inch in each direction. The primary use of cheesecloth is in some styles of cheesemaking , where it is used to remove whey from cheese curds , and to help hold

1246-442: Is made from cow, sheep or goat acidified whey, traditionally formed in cheesecloth cones. Quark is a type of German unsalted cheese that is sometimes formed with cheesecloth. Paneer is a kind of Indian fresh cheese that is commonly made with cheesecloth. Cheesecloth can also be used for several printmaking processes including lithography for wiping up gum arabic . In intaglio , a heavily-starched cheesecloth called tarlatan

1335-458: Is not known whether he attended classes. Then, in 1811, Mayr once again intervened. Having written both libretto and music for a "pasticcio-farsa", Il piccolo compositore di musica , as the final concert of the academic year, Mayr cast five young students, among them his young pupil Donizetti as "the little composer". As Ashbrook states, this "was nothing less than Mayr's argument that Donizetti be allowed to continue his musical studies". The piece

1424-454: Is rubbed over the optical surface for at least 50 strokes under at least 1 pound-force (4.4 N). The optical surface is examined for streaks or scratches, and then its optical performance is measured to ensure that no deterioration occurred. Cheesecloth is used in India and Pakistan for making summer shirts. Cheesecloth material shirts were popular for beachwear during the 1960s and 1970s in

1513-401: Is used for wiping away excess ink from the printing surface. Cheesecloth #60 is used in product safety and regulatory testing for potential fire hazards. Cheesecloth is wrapped tightly over the device under test, which is then subjected to simulated conditions such as lightning surges conducted through power or telecom cables, power faults , etc. The device may be destroyed but must not ignite

1602-514: The Giornale . One of the later performances became the occasion for Donizetti to meet the then-21-year-old music student, Vincenzo Bellini , an event recounted by Francesco Florimo some sixty years later. The second new work, which appeared six weeks later on 29 June, was a one-act farsa , La lettera anonima . Ashbrook's comments—which reinforce those of the Giornali critic who reviewed

1691-660: The Teatro Argentina in Rome, and by 17 June had received a contract to compose another opera from a libretto being prepared by Merelli. It is unclear as to how this connection came about: whether it had been at Merelli's suggestion or whether, as William Ashbrook speculates, it had been Mayr who had initially been approached by Paterni to write the opera but who, due to advancing age, had recommended his prize pupil. This new opera seria became Donizetti's Zoraida di Granata , his ninth work. The libretto had been started by August and, between then and 1 October, when Donizetti

1780-726: The Teatro San Carlo and other royal houses in the city such as the smaller Teatro Nuovo and the Teatro del Fondo . By late March Donizetti had been offered a contract not only to compose new operas, but also to be responsible for preparing performances of new productions by other composers whose work had been given elsewhere. On 12 May the first new opera, La zingara , was given at the Nuovo "with hot enthusiasm", as scholar Herbert Weinstock states. It ran for 28 consecutive evenings, followed by 20 more in July, receiving high praise in

1869-658: The PGOC in November 1920 after the financial backers fired Salmaggi. From this point on the company worked out of Philadelphia, although Salmaggi countered his firing by continuing to perform works with different singers under the name of the Italian Lyric Federation in NYC. Like the first PGOC, this company was also short lived, with its last production, Rigoletto , being held on Halloween of 1921. The third PGOC

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1958-520: The PGOC was actually a company based out of New York City that was active in both NYC and Philadelphia. The company was founded by impresario Alfred Salmaggi (later founder of the Salmaggi Opera Company ) in the spring of 1920 under the name the Italian Lyric Federation. The company's first performance at the Academy of Music was Verdi's Otello on June 30, 1920, with Nicola Zerola in the title role. The company changed its name to

2047-495: The PGOC was of Rigoletto under the baton on Giuseppe Bamboschek on October 13, 1955, at the Academy of Music. The production starred Frank Guarrera in the title role, Lisa di Julio as Gilda, and Eugene Conley as the Duke of Mantua. Other productions that first season included Puccini's La bohème (with Rosanna Carteri as Mimì, Jan Peerce as Rodolfo, and Virginia MacWatters as Musetta), Faust (with Robert Rounseville in

2136-724: The Paris Opéra for two new works, he spent much of the following 10 years in that city, and set several operas to French texts as well as overseeing staging of his Italian works. The first opera was a French version of the then-unperformed Poliuto which, in April 1840, was revised to become Les martyrs . Two new operas were also given in Paris at that time. Throughout the 1840s Donizetti moved between Naples, Rome, Paris, and Vienna , continuing to compose and stage his own operas as well as those of other composers. From around 1843, severe illness began to limit his activities. By early 1846 he

2225-595: The Royal Theatres of Naples beginning in 1829, a job that the composer accepted and held until 1838. Like Rossini, who had occupied this position before him, Donizetti was free to compose for other opera houses. Finally, in May 1827 he announced his engagement to Virginia Vasselli, the then 18-year-old daughter of the Roman family who had befriended him there. The couple were married in July 1828 and immediately settled in

2314-620: The San Carlo again after the King of Naples banned the production of Poliuto on the grounds that such a sacred subject was inappropriate for the stage. In Paris, he offered Poliuto to the Opéra and it was set to a new and expanded four-act French-language libretto by Eugène Scribe with the title, Les Martyrs . Performed in April 1840, it was his first grand opera in the French tradition and

2403-557: The Teatro del Fondo, received only three performances. In October and for the remainder of the year, he was back in Rome, where he spent time adding five new pieces to Zoraida , which was performed at the Teatro Argentina on 7 January 1824. However, this version was less successful than the original. The second opera for Rome's Teatro Valle also had a libretto by Ferretti, one which has since been regarded as one of his best. It

2492-573: The caretaker of the town pawnshop. Simone Mayr, a German composer of internationally successful operas, had become maestro di cappella at Bergamo's principal church in 1802. He founded the Lezioni Caritatevoli school in Bergamo (now the Conservatorio Gaetano Donizetti ) in 1805 for the purpose of providing musical training, including classes in literature, beyond what choirboys ordinarily received up until

2581-502: The cheesecloth. This is to ensure that the device can fail safely , and not start electrical fires in the vicinity. Cheesecloth made to United States Federal Standard CCC-C-440 is used to test the durability of optical coatings per United States Military Standard MIL-C-48497. The optics are exposed to a 95–100% humidity environment at 120 °F (49 °C) for 24 hours, and then a 1 ⁄ 4 inch (6.4 mm) thick by 3 ⁄ 8  in (9.5 mm) wide pad of cheesecloth

2670-654: The company afloat longer than it probably would have, producing three more seasons of opera at the Academy of Music. Indeed, the company's two major rivals, the Pennsylvania Grand Opera Company and the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company , both closed their doors not long after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 . During its remaining years the quality of PGOC's productions increased, particularly in regards to

2759-617: The company began talks with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company about a possible merger in 1974. An agreement was reached and the two companies merged to form the Opera Company of Philadelphia in 1975 with Leon serving as General Director. Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini , he

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2848-584: The company that year and remained one of the PGOC's major conductors through 1929. Highlights of that second season included productions of Giacomo Puccini 's Tosca with Martha Attwood in the title role and Pietro Mascagni 's Cavalleria rusticana with Lisa Roma as Santuzza. Highlights of the 1928–1929 season included Franco Leoni 's L’oracolo with Ivan Steschenko as Uin-Sci and Adamo Didur as Cim-Fen, Camille Saint-Saëns 's Samson et Dalila with Sample as Samson and Madame Cahier as Dalila, Jules Massenet 's Manon with Hope Hampton in

2937-503: The company's director until 1961 when Terracciano was again made General Manager by longtime friend and musical colleague, Max M. Leon , who was then the opera company's president. This time Terracciano stayed on until 1972. Although formed in 1954, the company finished the 1954–1955 season performing under the title of the Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company. The company's inaugural performance as

3026-650: The composer a base from which to work and teach and not be continually exhausting himself with travel between cities. But in a letter to Vasselli, he adamantly refused. When Donizetti went to Bologna for the Stabat Mater , Rossini attended the third performance, and the two men—each former students of the Bologna Conservatory —met for the first time, with Rossini declaring that Donizetti was "the only maestro in Italy capable of conducting my Stabat as I would have it". Cheesecloth Cheesecloth

3115-416: The curds together as the cheese is formed. Cheesecloth is also used in straining stocks and custards , bundling herbs, making tofu and ghee , and thickening yogurt . Fruitcake is wrapped in rum-infused cheesecloth during the process of "feeding" the fruitcake as it ripens. Queso blanco and queso fresco are Spanish and Mexican cheeses that are made from whole milk using cheesecloth. Italian Ricotta

3204-425: The fact that the score has totally disappeared. After these minor compositions under the commission of Paolo Zancla, Donizetti retreated to Bergamo once again to examine how he could make his career move along. From the point of view of Donizetti's evolving style, Ashbrook states that, in order to please the opera-going public in the first quarter of the 19th century, it was necessary to cater to their tastes, to make

3293-435: The first season. The company's first performance at the Academy of Music was a production of Verdi's Aida on October 28, 1926, with Vera Curtis in the title role, Jerome Uhl as the King of Egypt, John Sample as Radames, and Marta Wittkowska as Amneris. Other operas that season included Rigoletto with Millo Picco in the title role and Josephine Lucchese as Gilda, Charles Gounod 's Faust with Charles Hart in

3382-608: The latter part of the year when he wrote Il falegname di Livonia from a libretto by Gherardo Bevilacqua-Aldobrandini. The opera was given first at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice in December. Other work included expansion of Le nozze in villa , a project which he had started in mid-1819, but the opera was not presented until the carnival season of 1820/21 in Mantua . Little is known about it except its lack of success and

3471-407: The librettist Domenico Gilardoni , who wrote eleven librettos for him, beginning with Otto mesi in due ore in 1827 and continuing until 1833. Gilardoni shared with the composer a very good sense of what would work on stage. Next, the Naples impresario Barbaja engaged him to write twelve new operas during the following three years. In addition, he was to be appointed to the position of Director of

3560-554: The lives of King Henry VIII (and his six wives), Mary I of England ("Bloody Mary"), Queen Elizabeth I , as well as the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots . Many of these historical characters appear in Donizetti's dramas, operas which both preceded and followed Anna Bolena . They were Elisabetta al castello di Kenilworth , based on Scribe 's Leicester and Hugo 's Amy Robsart (given in Naples in July 1829 and revised in 1830). Then came Maria Stuarda ( Mary Stuart ), based on Schiller 's play and given at La Scala in December 1835. It

3649-542: The offer and a partnership was formed with Curtis students appearing mostly in minor roles with the company. Plans were initially made to build a new $ 7,000,000 opera house for the company and the Philadelphia Orchestra but, like many projects of the day, these plans were ultimately abandoned as a result of the financial crisis of the Great Depression . Bok's support, however, did manage to keep

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3738-413: The one-act, Una follia which was presented a month later. However, with no other work forthcoming, the composer once again returned to Bergamo, where a cast of singers made up from the Venice production the month before, presented Enrico di Borgogna in his home town on 26 December. He spent the early months of 1819 working on some sacred and instrumental music, but little else came of his efforts until

3827-562: The opera Il pigmalione , as well as his composition of portions of Olympiade and L'ira d'Achille in 1817, as no more than "suggest[ing] the work of a student". Encouraged by Mayr to return to Bergamo in 1817, he began his "quartet years" as well as composing piano pieces and, most likely, being a performing member of quartets where he would have also heard music of other composers. In addition, he began seeking employment. After extending his time in Bologna for as long as he could, Donizetti

3916-491: The others in musical progress" and he was able to persuade the authorities that the young boy's talents were worthy of keeping him in the school. He remained there for nine years, until 1815. However, as Donizetti scholar William Ashbrook notes, in 1809 he was threatened with having to leave because his voice was changing. In 1810 he applied for and was accepted by the local art school, the Academia Carrara, but it

4005-461: The piece after the "little composer" 's boasts, in the drama the "composer" responds with: I have a vast mind, swift talent, ready fantasy—and I'm a thunderbolt at composing. The performance also included a waltz which Donizetti played and for which he received credit in the libretto. In singing this piece, all five young men were given opportunities to show off their musical knowledge and talent. The following two years were somewhat precarious for

4094-544: The poet, Gilardoni. Maestro Donizetti has known how to take advantage of them...", thus reaffirming the growing dramatic skills displayed by the young composer. In 1830, Donizetti scored his most acclaimed and his first international success with Anna Bolena , given at the Teatro Carcano in Milan on 26 December 1830 with Giuditta Pasta in the title role. Also, the acclaimed tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini appeared in

4183-550: The poorly managed theatre, the continual indisposition of singers, or their failure to appear on time. These issues caused a delay until January 1827 for the premiere of Alahor , after which he went back in Naples in February, but with no specific commitments until midsummer. That summer was to see the successful presentations at the Teatro Nuovo of the adapted version of L'ajo nell'imbarazzo given as Don Gregorio and,

4272-437: The requirement that the libretto to be revised by Ferretti, given Donizetti's low opinion of the work of the original Neapolitan librettist, Andrea Leone Tottola : he referred to it as "a great barking". In addition to the revision, he committed to write another new opera for the Rome's Teatro Valle which would also be set to a libretto written by Ferretti. Donizetti finally returned to Naples by late March. Immediately busy in

4361-495: The role had to be re-written for a musico , a mezzo-soprano singing a male role, a not uncommon feature of the era and of Rossini's operas. Opening night was a triumph for Donizetti; as reported in the weekly Notizie del giorno : A new and very happy hope is rising for the Italian musical theatre. The young Maestro Gaetano Donizetti...has launched himself strongly in his truly serious opera, Zoraida . Unanimous, sincere, universal

4450-428: The role of Percy. With this opera, Donizetti achieved instant fame throughout Europe. Performances were staged "up and down the Italian peninsula" between 1830 and 1834 and then throughout Europe's capitals well into the 1840s, with revivals being presented up to about 1881. London was the first European capital to see the work; it was given at the King's Theatre on 8 July 1831. In regard to which operatic form Donizetti

4539-561: The royal court. During this time and prior to leaving for Vienna, he was persuaded to conduct the premiere of Rossini's Stabat Mater in Bologna in March 1842. Friends—including his brother-in-law, Antonio Vasselli (known as Totò)—continually attempted to persuade him to take up an academic position in Bologna rather than the Vienna court engagement, if for no other reason that it would give

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4628-408: The same time. Donizetti returned from Paris to oversee the staging of Lucia di Lammermoor on 26 September 1835. It was set to a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano , the first of eight for the composer. The opera was based on The Bride of Lammermoor , the novel by Sir Walter Scott , and it was to become his most famous opera, one of the high points of the bel canto tradition, the opera reaching

4717-658: The serious ones failing to attract significant audiences. His first notable success came with an opera seria , Zoraida di Granata , which was presented in 1822 in Rome . In 1830, when Anna Bolena was first performed, Donizetti made a major impact on the Italian and international opera scene shifting the balance of success away from primarily comedic operas, although even after that date, his best-known works included comedies such as L'elisir d'amore (1832) and Don Pasquale (1843). Significant historical dramas did succeed; they included Lucia di Lammermoor (the first to have

4806-658: The sets and costumes. The quality of the singers remained high. A highlight of these years was the United States premiere of Alban Berg 's Wozzeck on March 19, 1931, with Ivan Ivantzoff in the title role, Anne Roselle as Marie, Gabriel Leonoff as the Drum Major, Sergei Radamsky as Andres, Bruno Korell as the Captain, Ivan Steschenko as the Doctor, and Leopold Stokowski conducting. Stokowski also conducted

4895-532: The spring months of 1823 with a cantata, an opera seria for the San Carlo, and an opera buffa for the Nuovo, Donizetti also had to work on the revised Zoraide for Rome. Unfortunately however, the music set for the San Carlo premiere of Alfredo il grande on 2 July was described in the Giornali as "...one could not recognize the composer of La zingara ". It received only one performance, while his two-act farsa , Il fortunato inganno , given in September at

4984-485: The stage than his librettists". Back in Naples, he embarked upon his first venture into English Romanticism with the opera semiseria , Emilia di Liverpool , which was given only seven performances in July 1824 at the Nuovo. The critical reaction in the Giornali some months later focused on the weaknesses of the semiseria genre itself, although it did describe Donizetti's music for Emilia as "pretty". The composer's activities in Naples became limited because 1825

5073-614: The success of his Lucia at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris in December 1837, approaches came from the Paris Opéra . As musicologists Roger Parker and William Ashbrook have stated, "negotiations with Charles Duponchel, the director of the Opéra, took on a positive note for the first time" and "the road to Paris lay open for him", the first Italian to obtain a commission to write a real grand opera. In October 1838, Donizetti moved to Paris vowing never to have dealings with

5162-400: The time that their voices broke. In 1807, Andrea Donizetti attempted to enroll both his sons, but the elder, Giuseppe (then 18), was considered too old. Gaetano (then 9) was accepted. While not especially successful as a choirboy during the first three trial months of 1807 (there being some concern about a difetto di gola , a throat defect), Mayr was soon reporting that Gaetano "surpasses all

5251-403: The title role and Irene Williams as Marguerite, Ruggero Leoncavallo 's Pagliacci with Robert Steel as Tonio and Euphemia Giannini Gregory as Nedda, Otello with Sample in the title role and Chief Caupolican as Iago, and Carmen with Wittkowska in the title role and Armand Tokatyan as Don José. During the company's first three seasons the company was struggling to get by. Kathryn

5340-488: The title role and Ralph Errolle as Des Grieux, Eleanor Painter as Carmen, Il trovatore with Frances Peralta as Leonora, and The Barber of Seville with Josephine Lucchese as Rosina. In 1929 a major windfall came to the PGOC when Mary Louise Curtis Bok offered to support the company in exchange for using the company as an outlet for opera talent in the Curtis Institute of Music . The PGOC accepted

5429-423: The title role, Aroldo Lindi as Radames, Cyrena van Gordon as Amneris, and Leo de Hierapolis as the King of Egypt. The company closed due to financial reasons in 1932. At the time they canceled the end of the 1931–1932 season and announced the intention of commencing another season for 1933–1934. That never happened, possibly because Mrs. Liedy and her husband both died in 1932. The Curtis Institute of Music

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5518-1877: The title role, Kurt Baum as Radamès, Claramae Turner as Amneris, and John Lawler as the King of Egypt). The Philadelphia Grand Opera Company remained active for two decades, producing six operas during an annual season. The company notably presented the world premiere of Pietro Aria 's Jericho Road on March 12, 1969. Many notable singers performed with the company during its history including, John Alexander , Thelma Altman , Salvatore Baccaloni , Cesare Bardelli , Gaetano Bardini , Daniele Barioni , Ara Berberian , Frances Bible , John Brownlee , Giuseppe Campora , Richard Cassilly , George Cehanovsky , Anita Cerquetti , Eugene Conley , Fernando Corena , Viorica Cortez , Mary Costa , Mary Curtis Verna , Jon Crain , Gilda Cruz-Romo , Enrico di Giuseppe , Mignon Dunn , Pierre Duval , Otto Edelmann , Rosalind Elias , Edith Evans , Jean Fenn , Giulio Fioravanti , Nicolai Gedda , Leyla Gencer , Bonaldo Giaiotti , Tito Gobbi , Thomas Hayward , Jerome Hines , Laurel Hurley , Raoul Jobin , Robert Kerns , Dorothy Kirsten , Flaviano Labò , Albert Lance , Brenda Lewis , Thomas LoMonaco , Chester Ludgin , Cornell MacNeil , Jean Madeira , Elaine Malbin , Adriana Maliponte , Susanne Marsee , Robert Merrill , Anna Moffo , Licinio Montefusco , Irene Kramerich, Sonia Leon, Barry Morell , Nicola Moscona , Herva Nelli , Birgit Nilsson , Roberta Peters , Louis Quilico , Luciano Rampaso , Nell Rankin , Regina Resnik , Graciela Rivera , Elinor Ross , Jane Shaulis , Giulietta Simionato , Joanna Simon , Eleanor Steber , Teresa Stratas , Brian Sullivan , Giuseppe Taddei , Ferruccio Tagliavini , Pia Tassinari , Blanche Thebom , Giorgio Tozzi , Norman Treigle , Gabriella Tucci , Richard Tucker , Giuseppe Valdengo , Frank Valentino , Luigi Vellucci , and Jon Vickers to name just

5607-630: The title role, Nicola Moscona as Méphistophélès, and Ellen Faull as Marguerite), Puccini's Madama Butterfly (with Licia Albanese as Cio-cio-san, Walter Fredericks as Pinkerton, Margaret Roggero as Suzuki, and Cesare Bardelli as Sharpless), Italo Montemezzi 's L'amore dei tre re (with Beverly Sills as Fiora and Ramón Vinay as Avito), Il barbiere di Siviglia (with MacWatters as Rosina, Guarrera as Figaro, and Cesare Valletti as Almaviva), Cavalleria rusticana (with Maria Gasi as Santuzza), Pagliacci (with Fredericks as Canio and Eva Likova as Nedda), and Aida (with Astrid Varnay in

5696-427: The work on 1 July —recognize an important aspect of Donizetti's burgeoning musical style: [he shows that] "his concern with the dramatic essence of opera rather than the mechanical working out of musical formulas was, even at this early stage, was already present and active". On 3 August for what would become Chiara e Serafina , ossia I pirati , Donizetti entered into a contract with librettist Felice Romani , but he

5785-415: The world premiere of Carlos Chávez and Diego Rivera 's ballet H. P. for the PGOC on March 31, 1932. The company was also notably the first American company to perform Richard Strauss 's Elektra in the original German on October 29, 1931, with Roselle in the title role and Charlotte Boerner as Chrysothemis. The PGOC's final performance was a production of Aida on April 14, 1932, with Roselle in

5874-526: The young Donizetti: the 16-year-old created quite a reputation for what he did do—which is regularly to fail to attend classes—and also for what he did instead, which was to make something of a spectacle of himself in the town. However, in spite of all this, Mayr not only persuaded Gaetano's parents to allow him to continue studies, but also secured funding from the Congregazione di Carità in Bergamo for two years of scholarships. In addition, he provided

5963-622: The young musician with letters of recommendation to both the publisher Giovanni Ricordi as well as to the Marchese Francesco Sampieri in Bologna (who would find him suitable lodging) and where, at the Liceo Musicale, he was given the opportunity to study musical structure under the renowned Padre Stanislao Mattei . In Bologna, he would justify the faith which Mayr had placed in him. Author John Stewart Allitt describes his 1816 "initial exercises in operatic style",

6052-783: Was a Holy Year in Rome and the death of Ferdinand I in Naples caused little or no opera to be produced in either city for a considerable time. However, he did obtain a year-long position for the 1825/26 season at the Teatro Carolino in Palermo, where he became musical director (as well teaching at the Palermo Conservatory ). There, he staged his 1824 version of L'ajo nell'imbarazzo as well as his new opera Alahor in Granata . But overall, his experience in Palermo does not appear to have been pleasant, mainly because of

6141-483: Was a bandmaster and trombonist and she was notably the world's only female opera director at that time. Mrs. Leidy served as the opera board's president and provided a considerable amount of financial backing to get the company started. She also was able to get the opera house filled, being influential among Philadelphia's high society of the day. During the company's first year, the Hammers announced six performances for

6230-532: Was a leading composer of the bel canto opera style during the first half of the nineteenth century and a probable influence on other composers such as Giuseppe Verdi . Donizetti was born in Bergamo in Lombardy. At an early age he was taken up by Simon Mayr who enrolled him with a full scholarship in a school which he had set up. There he received detailed musical training. Mayr was instrumental in obtaining

6319-542: Was able to save the company a lot of money by making the company's costumes from cheesecloth on her home sewing-machine and begging and borrowing sets and properties at bargain prices. Largely due to her shrewd efforts the company managed to stay in the black. The company opened its second season on October 20, 1927, with Amilcare Ponchielli 's La Gioconda , starring Clara Jacobo in the title role, Mignon Sutorius as Laura, Ivan Steschenko as Alvise Badoero, and Berta Levina as La cieca. Conductor Artur Rodziński joined

6408-600: Was also experiencing financial difficulties at that time and rumors of its imminent closing, which never occurred, were circulating in 1932. The last company to be called the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company was formed in November 1954 when the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera and the Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company merged. Anthony Terracciano served as the company's first General Director in its first season but

6497-633: Was followed by the third in the "Three Donizetti Queens" series, Roberto Devereux , which features the relationship between Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex. It was given at the San Carlo in Naples in October 1837. As Donizetti's fame grew, so did his engagements. He was offered commissions by both La Fenice in Venice—a house he had not visited for about seventeen years and to which he returned to present Belisario on 4 February 1836. Just as importantly, after

6586-428: Was forced to return to Bergamo since no other prospects appeared. Various small opportunities came his way and, at the same time, he made the acquaintance of several of the singers appearing during the 1817/18 Carnival season. Among them was the soprano Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis and her husband, the bass Giuseppe de Begnis . A coincidental meeting around April 1818 with an old school friend, Bartolomeo Merelli (who

6675-471: Was founded in 1926 by Helen Redington Carter , socialite wife of well known Philadelphia neurologist Joseph Leidy , William Carl Hammer , an importer and trumpeter, and his wife, Kathryn O'Gorman Hammer . Both of the Hammers ran the business side of the company, with William running the Box Office and Kathryn hiring artists, putting together sets and costumes, and sometimes directing productions. Kathryn

6764-584: Was given in Livorno and Parisina (March 1833) was given in Florence. After the successful staging of Lucrezia Borgia in 1833, his reputation was further consolidated, and Donizetti followed the paths of both Rossini and Bellini by visiting Paris, where his Marin Faliero was given at the Théâtre-Italien in March 1835. However, it suffered by comparison to Bellini's I puritani which appeared at

6853-509: Was not staged until 1860. Donizetti returned once more to Milan where he stayed with the accommodating Giuseppina Appiano Stringeli with whom he had a pleasant time. Unwilling to leave Milan, but encouraged to return to Paris by Michele Accursi (with whom the composer was to be involved in Paris in 1843), he oversaw the December production of Maria Padilla at La Scala, and began writing Linda di Chamounix in preparation for March 1842 travels to Vienna , in which city he had been engaged by

6942-422: Was obliged to be confined to an institution for the mentally ill and, by late 1847, friends had him moved back to Bergamo, where he died in April 1848 in a state of mental derangement due to neurosyphilis . The youngest of three sons, Donizetti was born in 1797 in Bergamo's Borgo Canale quarter , located just outside the city walls. His family was very poor and had no tradition of music, his father Andrea being

7031-404: Was over-committed and unable to deliver anything until 3 October. The premiere had been scheduled for only about three weeks away and, due to the delays and illnesses among the cast members, it did not receive good reviews, although it did receive a respectable 12 performances. Returning north via Rome, Donizetti signed a contract for performances of Zoraida by the Teatro Argentina which included

7120-419: Was performed on 13 September 1811 and included the composer character stating the following: Ah, by Bacchus, with this aria / I'll have universal applause. / They'll say to me, "Bravo, Maestro! / I, with a sufficiently modest air, / Will go around with my head bent... / I'll have eulogies in the newspaper / I know how to make myself immortal. In reply to the chiding which comes from the other four characters in

7209-401: Was presented on 14 November 1818, but with little success, the audience appearing to be more interested in the newly re-decorated opera house rather than the performances, which suffered from the last-minute withdrawal of the soprano Adelaide Catalani due to stage fright and the consequent omission of some her music. Musicologist and Donizetti scholar William Ashbrook provides a quotation from

7298-430: Was provided with a letter of introduction from Mayr to Jacopo Ferretti , the Roman poet and librettist who was later to feature in the young composer's career, much of the music had been composed. The twenty-four-year-old composer arrived in Rome on 21 October, but plans for staging the opera were plagued with a major problem: the tenor cast in the major role died a few days before the opening night on 28 January 1822 and

7387-597: Was quite successful. Before leaving that city in June 1840, he had time to oversee the translation of Lucia di Lammermoor into Lucie de Lammermoor as well as to write La fille du régiment , his first opera written specifically to a French libretto. This became another success. After leaving Paris in June 1840, Donizetti was to write ten new operas, although not all were performed in his lifetime. Before arriving in Milan by August 1840, he visited Switzerland and then his hometown of Bergamo, eventually reaching Milan where he

7476-423: Was the opera buffa L'ajo nell'imbarazzo ( The Tutor Embarrassed ), the premiere of which took place on 4 February 1824 and "was greeted with wild enthusiasm [and] it was with this opera that [...] Donizetti had his first really lasting success". Allitt notes that with a good libretto to hand, "Donizetti never failed its dramatic content" and he adds that "Donizetti had a far better sense of what would succeed on

7565-420: Was the applause he justly collected from the capacity audience.... Soon after 19 February, Donizetti left Rome for Naples, where he was to settle for a large part of his life. It appears that he had asked Mayr for a letter of introduction, but his fame had preceded him for, on 28th, the announcement of the summer season at the Teatro Nuovo in the Giornale del Regno delle Due Sicilie stated that it would include

7654-455: Was then succeeded by General Manager Humbert A. Pelosi who was appointed that position at the end of the 1955–1956 season. Terracciano remained with the company as an artistic director through the Spring of 1972. Pelosi left in March 1956 after a feud with Terracciano. He was replaced by conductor Giuseppe Bamboschek who had been working for the company since it began. Bamboschek remained

7743-581: Was to go on to a distinguished career), led to an offer to compose the music from a libretto which became Enrico di Borgogna . Without a commission from any opera house, Donizetti decided to write the music first and then try to find a company to accept it. He was able to do so when Paolo Zancla , the impresario of the Teatro San Luca (an early theatre built in 1629, which later became the Teatro Goldoni) in Venice accepted it. Thus Enrico

7832-479: Was to have the greater success, when the semi-seria work of 1828, Gianni di Calais , was given in Rome very soon after Anna Bolena had appeared, the Gazzetta privilegiata di Milano described the relationship between the two forms of opera and concluded that "in two classes—tragic and comic—very close together...the former wins incomparably over the latter". This appears to have solidified Donizetti's reputation as

7921-524: Was to prepare an Italian version of La fille du régiment . No sooner was that accomplished than he was back in Paris to adapt the never-performed 1839 libretto L'Ange de Nisida as the French-language La favorite , the premiere of which took place on 2 December 1840. Then he rushed back to Milan for Christmas, but returned almost immediately and by late February 1841 was preparing a new opera, Rita, ou Deux hommes et une femme . However, it

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