Overview
Introduction
Crispino e la comare (The Cobbler and the Fairy) is an opera written collaboratively by Luigi Ricci and Federico Ricci with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.
Performance history
The premiere took place on 28 February 1850 at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice.
The work was very popular during the 19th century, and was an especial favourite of touring Italian companies in the Americas, and in the Asia-Pacific region generally.
It had its London premiere on 17 November 1857 at St James's Theatre. It was first performed in Paris on 4 April 1865 in Italian by the Théâtre Italien and was given on 18 September 1869 as Le Docteur Crispin, a French translation by Charles Nuitter and Beaumont, at the Théâtre de l'Athénée on the rue Scribe. Its Calcutta premiere was in 1867 at the Calcutta Opera House and its Australian premiere on 11 August 1871 at the Princess's Theatre, Melbourne.
While rarely performed in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca, Italy staged the work as part of its 39th festival in July/August 2013. Bass-baritone Domenico Colaianni sang Crispino, while the role of Annetta was taken by Stefania Bonfadelli.
Synopsis
- Place: Venice
- Time: the 17th century
Crispino is a poor cobbler who cannot make ends meet. He is helped by a fairy who encourages him to start practicing medicine, though he cannot even read. He is successful with the fairy’s help but cannot bear prosperity gracefully and mistreats his wife. The fairy makes him aware of his faults and the cobbler’s family is happily reunited.
