Imelda de' Lambertazzi

Imelda de' Lambertazzi is a melodramma tragico or tragic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti from a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the tragedy Imelda by Gabriele Sperduti. It received its first performance on 5 September 1830 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

Imelda de' Lambertazzi
Opera by Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti c. 1835
Librettist	Andrea Leone Tottola
Language	Italian
Based on	Gabriele Sperduti's Imelda
Premiere	5 September 1830 (1830-09-05) Teatro San Carlo, Naples

Performance history

The opera was not a great success and performances of it are very rare. A concert performance was given on 10 March 2007 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, conducted by Mark Elder, which was recorded by Opera Rara.^[1]

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 5 September 1830 (Conductor: - )
Imelda	soprano	Antonietta Galzerani
Bonifacio Geremei	baritone	Antonio Tamburini
Lamberto	tenor	Berardo Winter
Orlando Lambertazzi	tenor	Giovanni Basadonna
Ugo	bass	Michele Benedetti
Ubaldo	bass	Gennaro Ambrosini
Customers, followers of Lambertazzi, friends of Gieremei, soldiers, people

Synopsis

 

"Imelda e Bonifacio": death of Bonifacio in Imelda's arms, by Giovanni Pagliarini (1809-1878)

(This is a variation of the story of Romeo and Juliet.)

Time: 16th century

Place: Bologna^[2]

Imelda Lambertazzi (of the family supporting the Guelfs) loves Bonifacio, heir of the Geremei (of the family supporting the Ghibellines). When Bonifacio proposes peace between the families, to be sealed by their marriage, he is met with the ire of Imelda's father and brother. When Bonifacio attempts to see Imelda, he is stabbed with a poisoned dagger by her brother. Imelda pleads for forgiveness from her father before expiring herself, having sucked the poison from Bonifacio's wound.

Recordings

Year	Cast: Imelda, Lamberto, Orlando Lambertazzi, Bonifacio	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label^[3]
1989	Floriana Sovilla, Diego D' Auria, Fausto Tenzi, Andrea Martin	Marc Andreae, Italian Switzerland Radio/TV Orchestra (Recorded at performances in Lugano, 15–19 February)	Audio CD: Nuova Era Cat: 6778/6779
2007	Nicole Cabell, Massimo Giordano, Frank Lopardo, James Westman	Mark Elder, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Geoffrey Mitchell Choir	Audio CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC 36

References

Notes

1. Ashley, Tim (17 April 2008). "Donizetti: Imelda de' Lambertazzi". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
2. Osborne 1994, p. 192
3. Source for recording information: Recording(s) of Imelda de' Lambertazzi on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk 2013-04-06 at the Wayback Machine

Cited sources

• Osborne, Charles, (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-71-3

Other sources

• Allitt, John Stewart (1991), Donizetti: in the light of Romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr, Shaftesbury: Element Books, Ltd (UK); Rockport, MA: Element, Inc.(USA)
• Ashbrook, William (1982), Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23526-X
• Ashbrook, William (1998), "Donizetti, Gaetano" in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One. London: MacMillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-333-73432-7 ISBN 1-56159-228-5
• Ashbrook, William and Sarah Hibberd (2001), in Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4. pp. 224 – 247.
• Black, John (1982), Donizetti’s Operas in Naples, 1822—1848. London: The Donizetti Society.
• Loewenberg, Alfred (1970). Annals of Opera, 1597-1940, 2nd edition. Rowman and Littlefield
• Sadie, Stanley, (Ed.); John Tyrell (Exec. Ed.) (2004), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-19-517067-2 (hardcover). ISBN 0-19-517067-9 OCLC 419285866 (eBook).
• Weinstock, Herbert (1963), Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Pantheon Books. LCCN 63-13703

External links

• Donizetti Society (London) website
• (in Italian) Libretto