Il signor Bruschino

Performance history#

The opera was not performed in North America or in Britain until the 20th century. Its New York premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera on 9 December, 1932, and it was first seen in England (in an amateur staging by the Kent Opera Group) on 14 July, 1960. Other performances have taken place in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, in particular, stagings in Paris and Macerata in 1992.

Synopsis#

:Time: 18th Century :Place: Gaudenzio’s castle in France. Sofia and Florville are in love, but Sofia’s guardian, Gaudenzio, opposes the match. Florville’s father and Gaudenzio are old enemies. Florville’s father dies, removing one barrier, but Gaudenzio has already agreed to wed Sofia to the son of his old friend, Signor Bruschino senior. Sofia has never met her fiancé, Bruschino junior, as they were betrothed by correspondence. On his way to meet Sofia, young Bruschino stops at a tavern, runs up an impressive bill and is detained when he is unable to pay. Seizing the opportunity, Florville pretends to be Bruschino junior so that he can marry Sofia. Complications arise when Bruschino senior arrives at Gaudenzio’s house. Fortunately, however, he is eventually forced to accept Florville as his own son. In a playful trio, Florville (as Bruschino junior) begs his “father” for forgiveness, while Gaudenzio upbraids old Bruschino for his lack of fatherly sympathy.

Musical numbers#

• Sinfonia
• “Deh! tu m’assisti amore”
• Duettino - “Marianna!… Voi signore?”
• “Quanto e dolce a un’alma amnate”
• “A voi lieto ritorno, cara Sofia”
• “Ah se il colpo arrivo a fare”
• “A noi su, trasformiamoci”
• “Nel teatro del gran mondo”
• “Lasciatemi… che violenza!…”
• “Per un figlio gia pentito”
• “Impaziente son io di Saper”
• “Ah, voi condur volete… Ah, donate il caro sposo”
• “Qui convien finirla”
• “Ho la testa, o e andata via?”
• “Va tutto ben”
• “E bel nodo, che due cori”
• “Ebben, ragion, dovere”
• “E tornato Filiberto”

References#

Notes Sources *Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), “Il signor Bruschino” in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. *Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, London: Methuen; Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. *Osborne, Richard (1998), “Il signor Bruschino”, in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. xxxx. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc.

External links#

• Carlo Piazza, Il signor Bruschino from the Festival di Torrechiara, 2001, commentary, retrieved 26 February 2010
• Center for Italian Opera Studies at The University of Chicago critical edition outline, retrieved 26 February 2010
• Libretto, retrieved 14 November 2012