Il ratto della sposa

Il ratto della sposa (The Kidnapped Fiancée) is an opera buffa in three acts by Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. The Italian libretto was by Gaetano Martinelli.

Performance history

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It was first performed at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice in the autumn of 1765. A revised version was staged in London in 1768. The opera was successful and there were productions in succeeding decades, some entitled Lo sposo rapita or Il vecchio deluso.

Roles

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Cast Voice type Premiere, autumn, 1765
(Conductor:Unknown)
Gaudenzio, a spendthrift tenor
Aurora, Gaudenzio's sister, in love with Gentilino mezzo-soprano
Donna Ortensia, Gaudenzio's employer, with designs on her employee soprano
Dorina, Donna Ortensia's maid, attracted to Gaudenzio soprano
Gentilino tenor
Polidoro, a rich old man tenor
Biondino, Polidoro's nephew tenor

References

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  • Hunter, Mary (1992), 'Ratto della sposa, ll' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7