La rondine (The Swallow) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and . It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo (or the Théâtre du Casino) in Monte Carlo on 27 March 1917.

Composition history

In autumn 1913, the directors of Vienna's Carltheater commissioned Puccini to compose a Viennese operetta. After confirming that it could take the form of a comic opera with no spoken dialogue in the style of Der Rosenkavalier, "only more entertaining and more organic," he agreed. The work proceeded for two years, sometimes intensely, sometimes with great difficulty, and in spring 1916 the opera was finished. The originally intended Viennese première was impeded by the outbreak of World War I and the entrance of Italy in the Alliance against Austria-Hungary, hence the Opéra de Monte-Carlo was chosen as the location to present it, with Gilda dalla Rizza and Tito Schipa in the leading roles. A feature of the music is Puccini's use of modern dance rhythms, such as the tango, to denote the various characters.

In Italy, Puccini offered the work to his editor Tito Ricordi, who declined to buy it, dismissing it as "Bad Lehár"; The third version was not heard until 1994 in Turin. Moreover, a fire at Casa Sonzogno archives caused by Allied bombing during the war destroyed parts of the score which had to be restored based on the surviving vocal-piano arrangements. The orchestration of the third version was finally completed in authentic Puccinian style by the Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero at the request of Teatro Regio di Torino and subsequently performed there on 22 March 1994.

La Rondine was first performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Teatro Colón on 24 May 1917, two months after the world premiere in Monte Carlo. Gilda Dalla Rizza, who had performed the role in the world premiere, was Magda, and Charles Hackett was Ruggero.

The American premiere of La rondine took place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on March 10, 1928; Lucrezia Bori sang the role of Magda and Beniamino Gigli appeared as Ruggero. As part of a 1958 celebration marking the centenary of Puccini's birth, the Teatro di San Carlo at Naples, Italy, staged a revival of La rondine, at that time one of Puccini's least performed operas. The revival was well received, with audiences and critics deeming it a success.

Modern-day performances

In Europe since the 1990s stagings have included the première of the third version at Teatro Regio di Torino (1994), as well as performances at La Scala (1994), Leeds Opera North (1994, 2001), Oper Bonn and Ludwigshaven State Opera House (1995), Teatro del Giglio in Lucca (1998), Teatro Filarmonico di Verona (2002), Kansallisooppera, Helsinki (2002, 2003, 2007), Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London (2002, 2005, 2013), Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris (2005), Opéra de Monte-Carlo (2007), La Fenice in Venice (2008), 2012 Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos (2012), and Portuguese Symphony Orchestra.

In the US, major productions were seen at Pittsburgh Opera (1982), the New York City Opera (1984), Washington National Opera (1998), Los Angeles Opera (2000, 2008), Atlanta Opera (2002), Boston Lyric Opera (2003), Dallas Opera (2007), San Francisco Opera (2007), Sarasota Opera (2008), the Metropolitan Opera (2008, 2014, 2024), and Opera San José (2017).

Marta Domingo's production of La rondine in Bonn in 1995 used the third version, but added to the tragedy by having Magda commit suicide by drowning in the final bars of the opera. This version of the opera has since been staged by the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera.

Following the premiere of a joint new production by director Nicolas Joël at the Royal Opera House in 2002 (starring soprano Angela Gheorghiu as Magda) and at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, La rondine was seen at the Théâtre du Châtelet, revived at the Royal Opera House in 2005 and 2013, and presented by the San Francisco Opera in 2007, all with Gheorghiu. On 31 December 2008, again with Gheorghiu as Magda, the Metropolitan Opera in New York gave the company's first staging in 70 years. The matinée performance on 10 January 2009 was broadcast in HD to movie theaters and schools throughout the world. This opera also was performed by Des Moines Metro Opera (Indianola, IA) in July 2012, starring Joyce El-Khoury.

Recordings

The creator of the role of Lisette, Ines Maria Ferraris, made the earliest known recording of the aria "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" in 1928 for the Odeon label.

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!width="135"|Cast <br>(Ruggero, Magda, Rambaldo, Lisette, Prunier)

!Conductor,<br> Opera House and Orchestra

!Label

|-

| 1966 || Daniele Barioni,<br>Anna Moffo,<br>Mario Sereni,<br>Graziella Sciutti,<br>Piero de Palma|| Francesco Molinari-Pradelli,<br> RCA Italiana Opera orchestra and chorus|| CD:RCA Victor <br>Cat: GD60459(2)

|-

| 1981 || Plácido Domingo,<br>Kiri Te Kanawa,<br> Leo Nucci,<br>Mariana Nicolesco<br>David Rendall|| Lorin Maazel,<br> London Symphony Orchestra<br>Ambrosian Chorus|| CD:CBS <br>Cat: M2K-37852

|-

| 1997 || Roberto Alagna,<br>Angela Gheorghiu,<br>Alberto Rinaldi,<br>Inva Mula-Tchako,<br>William Matteuzzi|| Antonio Pappano,<br>London Symphony Orchestra<br>London Voices|| CD:EMI Classics <br>Cat: 56338

|-

| 1998 || Marcus Haddock,<br>Ainhoa Arteta,<br>William Parcher,<br>Inva Mula-Tchako,<br>Richard Troxell|| Emmanuel Villaume,<br>Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and Washington Opera Chorus<br>(Recording of a performance in the Kennedy Center, Washington. February/March)|| DVD: Decca<br>Cat: 074 3335

|-

| 2007 || Fabio Sartori,<br>Svetla Vassileva,<br>Marzio Giossi,<br>Maya Dashuk,<br>Emanuele Giannino|| Alberto Veronesi,<br>Orchestra and Chorus of the Puccini Festival<br />(Recording of performances at the Festival Puccini in Torre del Lago, August 2007)|| DVD:Naxos <br>Cat: 2.110266

|-

| 2008 || Fernando Portari,<br>Fiorenza Cedolins,<br>Stefano Antonucci,<br>Sandra Pastrana,<br>Emanuele Giannino|| Carlo Rizzi,<br>La Fenice Opera House Orchestra and Chorus<br>(Recording of performances at La Fenice, January)|| DVD: ArtHaus Musik<br>Cat: 101 329

|-

| 2009 || Roberto Alagna,<br>Angela Gheorghiu,<br>Samuel Ramey,<br>Lisette Oropesa,<br>Marius Brenciu|| Marco Armiliato,<br>Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York<br />(Recording of a performance at the Metropolitan Opera on 10 January 2009)|| DVD:EMI Classics <br>Cat: 50999 631618-9 2

|}

References

Notes

Sources

  • Budden, Julian (2002), Puccini: His Life and Works, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002
  • Fisher, Burton D. (2004), "Puccini, Giacomo", Opera Classics Library Puccini Companion: The Glorious Dozen, Boca Raton, FL: Opera Journeys Publishing, 2004
  • Kendell, Colin (2012), The Complete Puccini: The Story of the World's Most Popular Operatic Composer, Stroud, Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing, 2012.
  • Seligman, Vincent (2007), Puccini Among Friends, UK: Read Books, 2007
  • , 1928
  • , Washington National Opera production, 1998
  • , Washington National, 1998
  • Libretto (Italian and Spanish)
  • Reviews and photos of first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1928 at Metropolitan Opera Archives