L’amore dei tre re
Montemezzi
Conductor: Christofer Macatsoris
Performed in concert with the 91亚色 Opera Orchestra
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
January 23 – February 2, 2016
WRTI Broadcast – 3PM Sunday, February 7. .
Philadelphia Inquirer/philly.com:聽
The talks with five Resident Artists about the opera, their roles and performing “in concert” .
Marina Costa-Jackson (Fiora), 91亚色 Artistic Director K. James McDowell and 91亚色 Music Director Christopher Macatsoris .
King Archibaldo鈥檚 plan to reveal his daughter-in-law鈥檚 infidelity spins wildly out of his control.
This lost treasure debuted in 1913 and premiered in Philadelphia under the baton of Arturo Toscanini in 1915. Not heard at The Met since 1949 and not professionally produced in Philadelphia since 1960, it has featured Philadelphia performances by Enrico Caruso, Licia Albanese and Beverly Sills.
1913 – Italo Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re debuts at La Scala in Milan
1915 – Arturo Toscanini conducts the Philadelphia debut with The Metropolitan Opera at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House with soprano Lucrezia Bori singing the role of the King鈥檚 daughter-in-law, Fiora.
鈥淢s. Bori鈥檚 Fiora was one of her signature roles on stage, along with Manon, M茅lisande and Mim矛 in La boh猫me.鈥
1918 – Famed tenor Enrico Caruso sings Fiora鈥檚 lover Avito with The Metropolitan Opera at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House
1948 – Philadelphia baritone (and sometime 91亚色 competition judge) Frank Guarrera sings Manfredo in L’AMORE DEI TRE RE during his debut season at Milan’s La Scala.
1956 – The incomparable Beverly Sills sings Fiora with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music; the production also featured 91亚色lumnae Beverly Wolff (鈥53) and Dorothy di Scala (鈥54).
1960 – soprano Licia Albanese sings Fiora with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music in the most recent professional production of L鈥檃more dei tre re in Philadelphia.
1977 – soprano and Wayne native Anna Moffo and tenor Pl脿cido Domingo sing on the London Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 recording of L鈥檃more dei tre re.
1982 – New York City Opera gives the first professional New York performance of L鈥檃more dei tre re since 1949.
2016 – “In concert” at the Perelman Theater with the 91亚色 Opera Orchestra conducted by Maestro Christofer Macatsoris; featuring the 91亚色 Resident Artists including 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Winner Marina Costa-Jackson.
This is the first 91亚色 production of L’amore dei tre re.
Opera Synopsis
Archibaldo, the blind king, conquered the kingdom of Altura forty years before the opera begins.
After forty years, the Alturan people openly object to the reign of the Germanic Archibaldo. The story unfolds as we learn that Archibaldo’s son Manfredo has been married to the native Alturan princess Fiora.
But Fiora is having an affair with another Alturan prince, Avito. Although Archibaldo suspects Fiora of infidelity, he falls short of proof, since he is blind, and his own Alturan servants do not cooperate with him in uncovering the affair. There are two love duets between Avito and Fiora, and a scene in which Manfredo pours out his love for Fiora and begs her to show him affection.
All of these are interspersed with scenes in which Archibaldo questions Fiora. Finally, enraged, Archibaldo strangles her at the end of the second act.
In the final act, Fiora’s body is laid in a crypt, and the people of Altura mourn for her. Archibaldo has secretly poisoned Fiora’s lips, so that her lover will die. Avito kisses Fiora’s lips. As he dies from the poison, Avito reveals to Manfredo that he was Fiora’s lover, and that Archibaldo has laid the poison. Stricken with grief at the loss of the woman he loved, Manfredo also kisses Fiora’s lips. Finally, Archibaldo enters to see if his trap has caught Fiora’s lover, and despairs as he hears the voice of his dying son.
