Torquato Tasso (opera)
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| Torquato Tasso | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Gaetano Donizetti | |
 Gaetano Donizetti c. 1835 | |
| Librettist | Jacopo Ferretti |
| Language | Italian |
| Based on | Life of Torquato Tasso |
| Premiere | |
Torquato Tasso is a melodramma semiserio, or "semi-serious" opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti and based on the life of the great poet Torquato Tasso. The Italian libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, who used a number of sources for his text, including works by Giovanni Rosini, Goethe, Goldoni and Lord Byron, as well as Tasso's actual poetry. It premiered on 9 September 1833 at the Teatro Valle, Rome.
The work has been criticized for "its odd deployment of vocal types"[1] characteristic of the semiseria genre.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 9 September 1833 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Eleonora, Duke Alfonso's sister | soprano | Adelina Spech-Salvi |
| Eleonora, Countess of Scandiano | mezzo-soprano | Angiolina Carocci |
| Torquato Tasso | baritone | Giorgio Ronconi |
| Roberto Geraldini, the duke's secretary | tenor | Antonio Poggi |
| Don Gherardo | bass | Ferdinando Lauretti |
| Ambrogio, Torquato's servant | tenor | Luigi Garofalo |
| Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara | bass | Antonio Rinaldi |
| Pages, knights | ||
Synopsis
- Time: 16th century
- Place: Ferrara, Northern Italy[2]
