Gaetano Donizetti - Gianni di Parigi (1831) - Brindisi/Origin of Tonio's aria - "Persona amabil"

"Gianni di Parigi" is early Donizetti, composed a year after "Anna Bolena" and a year before "L'elisir damore". Felice Romani's libretto was based on an earlier work by Claude Godard d'Aucourt de Saint-Just that was set to music by Boieldieu in 1812 and by Francesco Morlacchi for an opera in 1818. Although Donizetti composed the work in 1831 (with the tenor part written specifically for Rubini who never actually sang it), the opera was not premiered until a 1839 production at La Scala which proved not successful.

The plot is one of those "we're engaged to be married, but since we've never seen each other, I'll disguise myself as someone else to see if you love me" affairs: Gianni (tenor) is really the Dauphin of France who has taken the identity of a well-heeled burgher in order to have a furtive first look at the royal bride (soprano) he has never seen. The scene is a traveler's inn, where the betrothed and their entourages intersect. Class distinctions waver, as Gianni's page, Oliviero (contralto), gives chase to the innkeeper's daughter. The Princess's major-domo (bass) rails against the impudence of the supposed commoner but, in an amusing sequence, eyes Gianni's feast that he is in danger of missing and consents to join it. Mutual recognition and mutual love are not far behind and, predictably, all ends happily. Romani subtitled the work as "melodrama" but Donizetti's score falls into the semi-serious realm where comedy and sentiment share the spotlight. Throughout, "Gianni" is a likable, if not illuminating, score, chock full of clever tunes and pretty arias, with lots of ornamentation and opportunities for vocal gymnastics.

Though I am planning on uploading several other excepts from the opera, I decided to start with a rather interesting case that is presented in the Brindisi of Act Two, "Persona piu amabil", a sextet with chorus, which contains practically the whole array of musical ideas that Donizetti would subsequently reuse in the tempo di mezzo from Tonio's brilliant "Ah! mes amis" of "La fille du regiment" fame. Thus, the main melody of the Brindisi, sprinkled generously with ornaments for the contralto, as the members of both courts celebrates the Princess' considerable merits, will be transformed into the choral interjections of Tonio's aria; while the sentimental B section, as the lovers contemplate their feelings, also forms the melody of Tonio's cabaletta, "Pour mon ame, quel destin". A rather interesting reuse of music on Donizetti's part.

Luciana Serra - La Principessa di Navarra,
Angelo Romero - Il Gran Siniscalco,
Giuseppe Morino - Gianni di Parigi,
Enrico Fissore - Pedrigo, owner of the inn (bass),
Silvana Manga - Lorezza, his daughter (mezzo-soprano),
Elena Zilio - Oliviero.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Donizetti
• Ah
• mes
• amis
• Pour
• mon
• ame
• belcanto
• romantic
• classical
• opera
• coloratura

[lehar]

Maybe I'm conservative, but I think this music is best when used in La Fille du Regiment...

[rockgor]

Thanks for the interesting post.

[lanesville]

Thanks for posting this part of Gianni di Parigi!

The reutilisation of themes in Donizetti always reminds me of "Sì, quell'arca", from Il Diluvio Universale, which later became "Chacun le sait". It's so interesting to see how a composer could transform his own music to set another text and another atmosphere.

[tklogan11809]

thanks Lindoro I haven't listened to Gianni di Parigi in a long time, this is the perfect excuse to revisit it. There are no high Cs in the original, a brilliant addition to the more famous Fille du Regiment version.