Opera Scotland

Livietta e Tracollo o La contadina astuta; or The Wise Peasant Girl

Tours by decade

Tours by location

Music

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (born Jesi, 4 January 1710; died Pozzuoli, 16 March 1736)

Text

Tommaso Mariani

Source

Original

 

Premières

First Performance: Naples (Teatro San Bartolomeo), 25 October 1734.

First Performance in UK: to be confirmed (1763).

First Performance in Scotland: Edinburgh (Canongate Theatre), 11 July 1763.

Scottish Opera première: N/A.

 

Background

Like Pergolesi's earlier La serva padrona, this comic Intermezzo was extremely popular in its own right for many years, and quickly appeared all over Europe in a number of guises. On the 1763 tour to Edinburgh and some English centres it was titled Tracollo, or The Amorous Robber.

 

Characters

Livietta (soprano)

Tracollo (baritone)

Fulvia, Livietta's friend (silent)

 

Plot Summary

Tracollo is an incompetent petty thief who tries to cheat Livietta under different disguises which she quickly sees through. In the first intermezzo, Tracollo has been going round in a Polish style dress (another alternative title for the work was La finta Polacca), robbing people of their jewels. He tries to rob Fulvia, but is caught and unmasked by Livietta. He unsuccessfully declares his love for her. In the second scene he pretends to be a mad astrologer. gazing at the stars. Livietta again sees through the disguise, but, overwhelmed by his constant proposals and assurances that he is a reformed character, she at last agrees to marry him.