Anna Girò (also Girrò or Giraud) (c. 1710—c. 1748 or later), also known as l'Annina del Prete Rosso, la Nina del Prete Rosso, or l'Annina della Pietà, was the stage name of Anna Maria(?) Maddalena Tessieri (or Tesieri, Teseire or Testeiré), an Italian mezzo-soprano/contralto of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her numerous collaborations with composer Antonio Vivaldi who wrote operatic roles for her. She is the singer who performed the greatest number of Vivaldi's operas, the one who kept them in her repertoire the longest time and who made them known across the largest geographical area.
Early life and career Mantua Girò was born in Mantua in 1710 or a few years earlier. She was the daughter of a wig maker of French descent called Pietro, whose surname Giraud was made into Girò in italian and passed onto the offspring in its italianized graphy. Her mother was Bartolomea, widow of Giacomo Trevisan.
Venice At twelve she was sent to Venice to study singing. There, she was welcomed by her half-sister Paolina who was twenty years her senior and already a resident there. (Paolina assisted Anna throughout her career.)G. Vio, "Per una migliore conoscenza di Anna Girò (da documenti d'archivio)", in Informazioni e studi vivaldiani, 1988, vol. 9, pp. 26–44 Still very young, Girò made her debut in Treviso in 1723 and in Venice in 1724. She first sang roles en travesti and soon female roles followed. With her musical and acting talents she conquered the Venetian Opera Stage in a single year.She soon started a close professional collaboration with Antonio Vivaldi. She had been his student, was now his protégée, and soon would be his favorite prima donna.
Meeting Vivaldi Girò may have become acquainted with Vivaldi during his time in Mantua between 1718 and 1720. She was then an aspiring young singer and she may have been his student there. In any case, it is fair to assume that she would have met Antonio Vivaldi and sang some of his music for the first time between 1720 and 1723, as, by then, she was a student at the famous Ospedale della pietà, an "orphanage-cum-conservatoire where he was composer in residence". Vivaldi had recently been promoted to the specially created office of Maestro de' Concerti and was in charge of the Figlie di Choro (the musicians), the élite of the Pietà. It is not clear though how Girò was enrolled for the Pietà was "a home for abandoned and unwanted babies, not (as is often stated) a convent or a school for girls". Part of Vivaldi's job was to train those girls to sing and play instruments during services at La Pietà. Under his direction the choro became so famous that they attracted visitors from across Europe and a visit to the Pietà had become a feature of the Grand Tour. (Vivaldi wrote many works for the girls of this establishment (and of course when Girò was a student there), including, for instance, the Kyrie RV587, the Dixit RV594, the Domine RV593 etc.).
Dorilla in Tempe Dorilla in Tempe, which premiered at the Teatro Sant' Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726, was the first opera by Vivaldi to include Girò in its cast. In this opera she sings the role of Eudamia, the seconda donna. The arias written for her by Vivaldi were made to fit her singing abilities perfectly. (Her voice was not strong, but she was attractive and acted well.) For Girò – who will go through thick and thin with him for a long time – he gives priority to sincerity over virtuosity. The captivating aria "Al mio amore il tuo risponda" from act 1, scene 8, which she would have performed for the first time here, would be included in other future operas. The plaintive "Il povero mio core"from act 3, scene 4 🎼, although interpreted by Angela Capuano as Dorilla at the premiere, was reprised by Girò as an aria di baule that she would sing throughout her career. (The arie di baule or "suitcase arias" are an integral part of the traveling singers' luggage. They had them ready at every opportunity.)Dorilla in Tempe was well received and became especially popular with its choirs and ballets. It also became one of Vivaldi's personal favorites. Girò appeared in nearly all his operas after that.
Repertoire
Performances in chronological order +YearCityWorkComposerRoleMale / female rolePremiere or revivalAdditional notes1723TrevisoLa ninfa infelice e fortunataGiuseppe Boniventi. (Completed by Giacomo Maccari and Antonio Vivaldi)MirtilloMpremiere1724VeniceLaodiceTomaso AlbinoniClisteneMpremiere1724VeniceIl nemico amanteGiuseppe Maria Buini, Fortunato Chelleri, Antonio, K. Di Gaspari (?)IdalmaFrevised versionpasticcio (?)1725VeniceAgide re di SpartaGiovanni PortaFiloastroMpremiere1725VeniceLi sdegni cangiati in amoreGiuseppe Maria BuiniEvancoMpremiere1726VeniceDorilla in TempeAntonio VivaldiEudamiaFpremiere1726VeniceMedea e GiasoneFrancesco BrusaIsifileFpremiere1727VeniceFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFpremiere1727MilanTamerlanoGiovanni Antonio GiaìIreneFpremiere1727VeniceOrlando FuriosoAntonio VivaldiAlcinaFpremiere1728VeniceRosilena ed OrontaAntonio VivaldiOrontaFpremiere1728VeniceGl'odi delusi dal sangueBaldassare Galuppi and Giovanni Battista Pescetti. (Galuppi wrote the music for acts 1 and 3, whilst Pescetti wrote the music for act 2.)EvandroMpremiere1728BolognaTeodoricoGiuseppe Maria BuiniClotildeFpremiere1729FlorenceL'AtenaideAntonio VivaldiPulcheriaFpremiere1729FlorenceCatone in UticaLeonardo VinciEmiliaFrevival1730MilanEzioLuca Antonio Predieri(?), Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio (?)OnoriaFpremierepasticcio (?)1730MilanSemiramide riconosciutaGeminiano GiacomelliTamiriFpremiere1730VeniceDalisaJohann Adolf HasseEditaFpremiereGirò shared the stage with two stars: Faustina Hasse (Bordoni) and Angelo Amorevoli.1731TurinEzioRiccardo BroschiOnoriaFpremiere1731TurinPoroNicola PorporaErissenaFpremiereThis production had the exact same star-studded cast as Riccardo Broschi's Ezio, produced also in Turin in 1731.1731PaviaFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFrevival1732MantuaSemiramideAntonio VivaldiSemiramideFpremiere1732MantuaFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFrevival1733VeniceMotezumaAntonio VivaldiMitraneFpremiere1734VeronaLucio Papirio dittatoreGeminiano GiacomelliPapiriaFrevivalrole originally created by Faustina Bordini in 17291734VeronaArsaceGiuseppe Maria OrlandiniStatiraFrevival1735VeronaL'AdelaideAntonio VivaldiAdelaideFpremiere1735VeronaTamerlano aka BajazetAntonio VivaldiAsteriaFpremierepasticcio1735VeniceGriseldaAntonio VivaldiGriseldaFpremiere1736FlorenceCesare in EgittoGeminiano GiacomelliCorneliaFnew settingre-arranged by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini and later by Antonio Vivaldi1736FlorenceGinevra principessa di ScoziaAntonio VivaldiGinevraFpremiere1737FerraraDemetrioJohann Adolph HasseCleoniceFrevival1737FerraraAlessandro nell'IndieAntonio Vivaldi and Johann Adolph HasseCleofideFpasticcio based on Johann Adolph Hasse's music or new setting by Hasse (?)1737VeronaCatone in UticaAntonio VivaldiMarziaFpremiere1738VeniceL'oracolo in MesseniaAntonio VivaldiMeropeFpremiere1738VeniceArmida al campo d'EgittoAntonio VivaldiArmidaFrevised version1738VeniceRosmiraAntonio VivaldiRosmira /EurimeneFpremierepasticcio1738AnconaSiroe re di PersiaAntonio VivaldiEmiraFrevival1739FerraraSiroe re di PersiaAntonio VivaldiEmiraFrevival1739FerraraAttalo re di BitiniaJohann Adolph HasseArsinoeFrevival1739GrazCiro riconosciuto?MandaneF?1739GrazRosmiraLeonardo VinciRosmiraFrevivalpasticcio1739GrazLucio Papirio dittatoreFrancesco Zoppis ("other composers: AA. and VV.")PapiriaFpremierepasticcio (?)1740GrazCatone in UticaAntonio VivaldiMarziaFrevival1740GrazAmor, odio e pentimentoGiovanni PortaArneaFrevival1742ViennaL'oracolo in MesseniaAntonio VivaldiMerope (?)FrevivalPosthumous production (Vivaldi died in 1741)1743VeniceEzioGiovanni Battista LampugnaniFulviaFrevival1745MilanRicimeroBaldassare GaluppiEdiugeFpremiere1745MilanL'IpolitoChristoph Willibald GluckFedraFpremiere1746BresciaAlessandro nell'IndiePietro PellegriniCleofide (as "Anna Maria Girò")Fpremiere1747VeniceAchille in SciroGiovanni Battista RuncherAchilleM dressed as Fpremiere1748PiacenzaArtaserseGiuseppe CarcaniMandaneFpremiere
Vivaldi's and Girò's professional collaboration in figures
(Based on the information available to us – see above table)
1. From their first premiere together to their last: 12 years span 14 original productions (including premieres). i.e. 14 roles written by Vivaldi specifically for Girò. 2. From their first show together to their last: 15 years span 22 productions (including revivals and revised versions) 3. Their collaboration represents 15 years out of: 21 years (Girò). (length of her career whilst Vivaldi was alive) 18 years (Vivaldi) (length of his opera career whilst Girò was active professionally) 4. Their partnership lasted until the very death of the composer in 1741, or very close to it.
This sort of long and fruitful professional collaboration is unheard of concerning Vivaldi. And generally speaking, it was rather uncommon. For instance, Senesino, whom we consider as closely associated with George Frideric Handel for the many famous operas they collaborated on, spent 13 years working with Handel, out of 33 years (length of his career whilst Handel was alive). Together they created 16 roles and collaborated on 3 revivals. Finally, they stopped their partnership 7 years before the death of the composer.
Private life With the exception of Alderano Cybo-Malaspina, Duke of Massa and Carrara (who in 1725, through Vivaldi, gave her money for the purchase of a harpsichord), Girò seems to have always worked without depending on patrons. (Alderano dissipated the assets and heritage accumulated by the Cybo dynasty, including the Duchy of Massa and Carrara itself.)
In 1741, on his way to Vienna where he wished to take up the position of a composer in the imperial court, Vivaldi may have stopped in Graz to see Girò, and she likely went with him on his journey. Her schedule seems to support this theory as the records show that she was in Graz in 1740 and 1741 and then in Vienna in 1742. Vivaldi was hoping to make a fresh start in Vienna. However his asthma, exhaustion and the death of the music-loving Emperor Charles VI, one of his great admirers, put an end to the project before it had even begun, and the composer died on 28 July of the same year at the age of 63.
In 1748, while on tour in Piacenza, Girò met Count Antonio Maria Zanardi Landi, a local nobleman. He followed her back to Venice and persuaded her to marry him, despite the disparity of their conditions. They married in secret on 20 July 1748 in Venice. From 1748, there are no more records of her. She possibly retired from the stage and moved to Piacenza. There is no record of her death, so it is not known when and where she died.
Private relationship with Vivaldi
Speculations Vivaldi's contemporaries and modern scholars have speculated on the nature of the composer's and Girò's relationship, but no evidence exists to indicate anything beyond friendship and professional collaboration. Vivaldi in fact adamantly denied any romantic relationship with Girò in a letter to his patron Bentivoglio dated 16 November 1737.
All'Ospedale della Pietà In 2008, Susan Orlando – director of the Vivaldi Edition for Naïve/Opus 111 – writes in The Guardian: "From 1703 to 1735, Vivaldi ... played the role of music master and composer to the young girls living at La Pietà. Imagining Vivaldi ... in a role of both authority and intimacy among these vulnerable young women, has seduced writers and film-makers into fantasising about the erotic potential of the scenario. It is easy to imagine a libidinous red-haired priest exploiting the privileges of the cloth, in an institution that even 17th- and 18th-century visitors described with thinly veiled salaciousness. ... [But with regard to] illicit affairs, we have nothing to go on."
A priest's