The Pirates (opera)
The Pirates is an opera by composer Stephen Storace with an English libretto by James Cobb. The work was partly adapted from Storace's 1786 opera Gli equivoci and is remarkable as affording one of the earliest instances of the introduction of a grand finale into an English opera.[1] The work premiered at the Haymarket Theatre on November 21, 1792.[2] The opera became a huge success and is considered by many music critics to be Storace's best composition. It was chosen as the starring prima buffa to be performed for King George III at the King's Theatre, London on 16 May 1794.[3]
Roles[4]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, November 21, 1792 |
|---|---|---|
| Don Altador | tenor | Michael Kelly |
| Don Gasparo | - | Richard "Dicky" Suett |
| Don Guillermo | - | Mr. Sedgwick |
| Blazio | - | John Bannister |
| Genariello | tenor | Charles Dignum |
| Sotillo | - | Ralph Wewitzer |
| Captain of the Guard | - | Mr. Cook |
| Cosmino | - | Mr. Phillimore |
| Captain of the ship | - | Mr. Benson |
| Donna Aurora | - | Anna Maria Crouch |
| Fidelia | - | Maria Bland |
| Fabulina | soprano | Nancy Storace |
| Marietta | - | Adelaide Du Camp |
Musical numbers[4]
|
Act I
|
Act II
|
Act III
|
Storace reused some of the music from his 1785 opera Gli sposi malcontenti in The Pirates.[5]
Later productions
On 29 November 1827, the opera was revived at Drury Lane with the title Isidore de Merida. Most of Storace's music was retained but set to a new libretto, probably due to the original libretto's lack of publication.[6]
References
- ^ Stephen Storace
- ^ Stephen Storace
- ^ Comprehensive Performances List
- ^ a b Cobb 1792.
- ^ Girdham, Jane (1997). English Opera in Late Eighteenth-Century London: Stephen Storace at Drury Lane. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-816254-5.
- ^ Girdham 2002.
Works consulted
- Cobb, James (1792), The Songs, Duets, Trios, Chorusses, &c. In The Pirates, An Opera, In Three Acts, London: E. Cox
- Girdham, Jane (2002), "Pirates, The", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press
External links
- The Pirates (vocal score): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- The Pirates at the Internet Archive (vocal score)
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