Maria de Rudenz is a dramma tragico, or tragic opera, in three parts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on "a piece of Gothic horror",Osborne 1994, pp. 262-263 La nonne sanglante by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Julien de Mallian, and The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis. It premiered at La Fenice in Venice, on 30 January 1838.

Performance history 19th century

While the initial performances were not very successful (Donizetti regarded them as "a fiasco"),Weinstock 1963, pp. 354-355 the opera was withdrawn after two performances. It was given 14 performances in Rome in 1841 but, again, it was received with little enthusiasm. Finally, an "excellent production and superior singing this time won vigorous approval" in a production in Rome in 1841, and this was followed by one in Naples in 1848 at the Teatro Nuovo and three years later for a production at the Teatro San Carlo.

20th century and beyond

The opera did not receive a production in the UK until the Opera Rara concert presentation in London on 27 October 1974.Ashbrook and Hibberd, p. 239 The first staged presentations in the 20th century took place at La Fenice beginning on 21 December 1980 with Katia Ricciarelli in the title role. Both have been recorded. Among other performances, the opera was staged at the Donizetti Festival, Bergamo, in 2013 and by the Wexford Opera Festival in 2016.

In 2024, the opera received its first fully-staged production in the UK by Gothic Opera, with performances at the Battersea Arts Centre, London.

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, 30 January 1838(Conductor: — )Maria de RudenzsopranoCarolina UngherMatilde di Wolf, her cousinsopranoIsabella CasaliCorrado WaldorfbaritoneGiorgio RonconiEnrico, his brothertenorNapoleone MorianiRambaldo, old relative of the Rudenz housebassDomenico RaffaeliThe Chancellor of RudenztenorAlessandro GiacchiniKnights, squires, and vassals of the Rudenz house

Synopsis Place: Switzerland Time: 1400

Maria de Rudenz falls in love with Corrado against her father's wishes and flees with him to Venice. In Venice, Corrado suspects that Maria is unfaithful to him, abandons her, returns to Rudenz Castle, and falls in love with Maria's cousin Mathilde.

Maria returns to her ancestor's castle and discovers that her lover is not only going to marry her cousin, but that in fact he is also the son of a murderer. She is ready to keep his secret if only Corrado returns to her. Corrado refuses and in a rage injures her with his sword so that everyone thinks that she is dead.

On the wedding day of Mathilde and Corrado, Maria appears again. Maria reveals Corrado's secret to everyone, murders Mathilde, and commits suicide.

Recordings YearCast:Maria de Rudenz,Matilde di Wolf,Corrado Waldorf, EnricoConductor,Opera House and OrchestraLabelRecordings on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk1974, Merril Jenkins,Christian Du Plessis,Richard GreagerAlun Francis, Philomusica of London and the Opera Rara Chorus,(Recording of a concert performance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 27 October)CD: Memories,Cat: HR 4588-45891981Katia Ricciarelli,Silvia Baleani,Leo Nucci,Alberto CupidoEliahu Inbal,Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice, Venice,(Recorded at the La Fenice, Venice, January)CD: Fonit Cetra «Italia»Cat: CDC 91Mondo Musica,Cat: MFOH 10708Living Stage, Cat: LS 351401997Nelly Miricioiu,Regina Nathan,Robert McFarland,Bruce FordDavid Parry,Philharmonia Orchestra and the Geoffrey Mitchell ChoirCD: Opera Rara,Cat: ORC16

References Notes

Sources Allitt, John Stewart (1991), Donizetti: in the light of Romanticism and the teaching of Johann Simon Mayr, Shaftesbury: Element Books, Ltd (UK); Rockport, MA: Element, Inc.(USA) Ashbrook, William (1982), Donizetti and His Operas, Cambridge University Press. Ashbrook, William (1998), "Donizetti, Gaetano" in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. Three, pp. 201–203. London: MacMillan Publishers, Inc. Ashbrook, William and Sarah Hibberd (2001), in Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. . pp. 224 – 247. Black, John (1982), Donizetti’s Operas in Naples, 1822—1848. London: The Donizetti Society. Loewenberg, Alfred (1970). Annals of Opera, 1597-1940, 2nd edition. Rowman and Littlefield Osborne, Charles, (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. Sadie, Stanley, (Ed.); John Tyrell (Exec. Ed.) (2004), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. (hardcover). (eBook). Weinstock, Herbert (1963), Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Pantheon Books.

External links Donizetti Society (London) website Italian libretto