Ginevra di Scozia is an opera in two acts by Simon Mayr set to an Italian libretto by Gaetano Rossi based on Antonio Salvi's Ginevra, principessa di Scozia, which in turn was adapted from cantos 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Ginevra di Scozia premiered on 21 April 1801 at the Regio Teatro Nuovo in Trieste to celebrate the inauguration of the new theatre. The story is virtually identical to that of Handel's Ariodante which shares the same source for the libretto.
Roles +RoleVoice typePremiere cast21 April 1801Ginevra, daughter of the King of Scotland soprano Teresa BertinottiAriodante, an Italian soldier prince, betrothed to Ginevra soprano castrato Luigi MarchesiPolinesso, Duke of Albany, Ariodante's rival tenor Giacomo DavidDalinda, attendant on Ginevra, secretly in love with Polinesso soprano Angiola Pirovani-BianchiRe di Scozia, King of Scotland bass Lurcanio, Ariodante's brother tenor Gaetano BianchiVafrino, Ariodante's squire tenor Pietro RighiGran Solitario, a hermit bass
Recordings Mayr: Ginevra di Scozia – Live recording to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opera's premiere. Tiziano Severini conducts the orchestra and chorus of the Teatro Lirico "Giuseppe Verdi", with Elizabeth Vidal as Ginevra and Daniela Barcellona as Ariodante. Label: Opera Rara ORC 23 Mayr: Ginevra di Scozia – Live recording. George Petrou, conductor, Münchner Rundfunkorchester with Myrtò Papatanasiu, Anna Bonitatibus, Mario Zeffiri. Label : Oehms Classics OC 960Petrou recording, Naxos Records
References Notes
Further reading
External links
Libretto (in Italian)