Il Guarany

Il Guarany (The Guarany) is an opera ballo composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes, based on the novel O Guarani by José de Alencar. Its libretto, in Italian rather than Gomes' native Portuguese, was written by Antonio Scalvini and Carlo D'Ormeville. The work is notable as the first Brazilian opera to gain acclaim outside Brazil.[1] Maria Alice Volpe has analysed the historical subtext of the Indianismo movement behind Il Guarany.[1]

Antônio Carlos Gomes
"Overture" of Il Guarany

Performance history

The world premiere took place at La Scala, Milan on 19 March 1870. The opera received additional European productions. It was performed at the Zagreb theater in 1883 and 1886.[2] The first Brazilian performance was in Rio de Janeiro on 2 December 1870, at the Theatro D. Pedro II. More recently, in 1996, Il Guarany was mounted by the Washington National Opera with Plácido Domingo in the role of Peri.[3]

The duet Sento una forza indomita for tenor and soprano had a vogue: it was in the recorded repertoire of Francesco Marconi with Bice Mililotti, 1908, and of Enrico Caruso with Emmy Destinn, 1914.[4]

Roles
Role Voice type Premiere Cast, March 19, 1870
(Conductor: Eugenio Terziani)
Dom Antonio de Mariz, a Portuguese nobleman bass Teodoro Coloni
Cecilia, his daughter soprano Marie Constance Sass
Peri, son of the Guarani tribal chief tenor Giuseppe Villani
Gonzales, a Spanish adventurer baritone Enrico Storti
Il Cacico, chief of the Aymoré Indians bass Victor Maurel
Alonso bass Severino Mazza
Don Alvaro tenor Giuseppe Masato
Ruy-Bento tenor Annibale Micheloni
Pedro bass Severino Mazza

Antônio Carlos Gomes's overture to the opera Il Guarany,
played by the United States Marine Band (ca. 7 mins.).

References

Notes

  1. Volpe, Maria Alice, "Remaking the Brazilian Myth of National Foundation: Il Guarany" (Autumn-Winter 2002). Latin American Music Review/Revista de Música Latinoamericana, 23 (2): pp. 179-194.
  2. reviews in Pozor 93 (1883); Agramer Tagblatt 255 & 286 (1886); and Agramer Zeitung 93 & 95 (1883) and 252 (1886).
  3. Phillips-Matz, p. 195
  4. Bennett, p. ??

Sources

  • Béhague, Gerard, "Il Guarany", The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, (Ed.) Stanley Sadie. London, 1992 ISBN 0-333-73432-7
  • Bennett, John R., Voices of The Past, Volume 2 - A Catalogue of Vocal Recordings from THE ITALIAN CATALOGUES of The Gramophone Company (Italy) 1899 - 1909; The Gramophone Company Limited 1909; Compagnia Italiana Del Grammofono 1909 - 1912; Società Nazionale Del Grammofono 1912 - 1925. Lingfield, UK: The Oakwood Press, 1957 ISBN ???
  • Casaglia, Gherardo, "19 March 1870", Almanacco Amadeus, 2005 (in Italian). Accessed 30 October 2010.
  • Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane. Washington National Opera 1956 - 2006. Washington, D.C.: Washington National Opera, 2006. ISBN 0-9777037-0-3.
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