Bianca e Fernando

The first version, given as Bianca e Gernando, premiered at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples on 30 May 1826 with Henriette Méric-Lalande and Giovanni Battista Rubini in the title roles. The revised version, given under its original title, Bianca e Fernando, took place on the occasion of the opening of the new Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa on 7 April 1828. It was performed again in the 1829 Autumn season at La Scala in a production designed by Alessandro Sanquirico with Méric-Lalande and Rubini reprising the title roles.

Two years after Bellini's death, the opera was revived at Rome's Teatro Valle on 31 July 1837 with Leonilde Franceschini-Rossi and Cirillo Antognini in the title roles. The reception was mixed with the critic for Il pirata wondering why it had even been resurrected.[4] Antonio Tosi writing in Rivista Teatrale di Roma had praise for the leading singers, but contrasted Bianca e Fernando with Bellini's mature works, writing that in this early opera Bellini had

"followed the method of those numerous servile imitators of the Rossinian style who, lacking that master's genius and distinction, remained unaware that in the fine arts, not copies, but creations are wanted, not imitations, but originality.[5]

The opera has been rarely performed in modern times. It was revived in a staged performance in Genoa in 1978 with Cristina Deutekom and Werner Hollweg in the title roles and given a concert performance in London in 1981.[6] The first version of the opera, Bianca e Gernando, was given in concert form by the Rossini in Wildbad festival in the summer of 2016.[7][8] A live recording exists of the latter production,[9] as well as of two previous performances of the second version.[10]

Place: Agrigento

Late 14th/15th century

Background The ambitious Filippo has secretly imprisoned Carlo, Duke of Agrigento and usurped his throne. Carlo's son Fernando was accordingly forced into exile although he was still only a child. Carlo's daughter, Bianca, the widow of the Duke of Messina, unaware of Filippo's plots agrees to become his wife. Fernando, now an adult, returns home with a desire to avenge his father, who he thinks is dead.

Notes

Cited sources

• Galatopoulos, Stelios (2002), Bellini: Life, Times, Music: 1801–1835. London, Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781860744051
• Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0931340713
• Weinstock, Herbert (1971), Bellini: His life and His Operas, New York: Knopf. ISBN 0394416562

Other sources

• Casa Ricordi (pub.), "Vincenzo Bellini": Outline of his life (in English) and list of critical editions of his works published by Ricordi on ricordi.it. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
• Kimbell, David (2001), "Vincenzo Bellini" in Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, pp. 46–55. New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
• Lippmann, Friedrich; McGuire, Simon (1998), "Bianca e Fernando", in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One, pp. 389–397. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 1-56159-228-5
• Maguire, Simon (1998), "Bianca e Fernando" in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One, pp. 464–465. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 1-56159-228-5
• Orrey, Leslie (1973), Bellini (The Master Musicians Series), London: J. M. Dent, Ltd. ISBN 0-460-02137-0
• Rosselli, John (1996), The Life of Bellini, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-46781-0
• Thiellay, Jean; Thiellay, Jean-Philippe, Bellini, Paris: Actes Sud, 2013, ISBN 978-2-330-02377-5 (in French)
• Willier, Stephen Ace, Vincenzo Bellini: A Guide to Research. Routledge, 2002. ISBN 0-8153-3805-8 and on books.google.com.

• Libretto (in Italian)