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Overview
Synopsis
Several prestigious guests have been staying at The Golden Lily Hotel and Spa on their way to the coronation of Charles X, in Reims. The day of the coronation has finally arrived, and the hotel is alive with the preparations for this grand journey. During their stay, the travellers have got to know each other鈥檚 particular quirks, and have formed new friendships and relationships. But all of this drama could not prepare them for some tragic news: there are no horses available to pull their coach to Reims. Their plans will have to be abandoned.
The company are quickly saved from despair by a letter from Paris, which informs them that the new King will be heading to Paris shortly after the coronation, so anyone who missed the great event can join in the festivities there. Overjoyed at this news, and with money to spare, the travellers decide to hold a grand banquet at the hotel instead. A travelling troupe of dancers are brought in to perform during the celebrations, and each traveller performs a toast from their homeland, in a celebration of grandeur, splendor, culture, and, of course, France.
Rossini鈥檚 rather underappreciated opera Il viaggio a Reims has some of the most challenging vocal writing of any of his operas which, combined with this sitcom-like farce offers a really entertaining show, on a par with many of his other more well-known operas, such as The Barber of Seville.
Show Information
- Music
- Gioachino Rossini
- Libretto
- Luigi Balocchi
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1825
- Genres
- Comedy, Farce, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Bourbon Restoration, 1825, Spa hotel, Coronation of Charles X of France
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- Large Cast, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters
Context
In 1824, the famous Italian composer Rossini left Italy, and moved to Paris, France, where he already had an enormous following, and so could expect a generous salary. Before restaging any of his famous Italian works, he wrote his final opera in Italian: Il viaggio a Reims, which premiered at the Salle Louvois on 19th June 1825. Shortly before Rossini鈥檚 move, Louis XVIII of France died, and Charles X was to be crowned at Reims Cathedral on 29 May 1825. A royal funeral, and a coronation are
to read the context for Il viaggio a Reims and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
At the spa hotel The Golden Lily, the housekeeper Maddalena is chivvying the other servant and gardeners to hasten their preparations for their new arrivals (鈥楶resto, presto...su, coraggio!鈥�). The day of the great journey (to the coronation of Charles X) has arrived, and there is a lot to do. The other servants make fun of Maddalena, who is notorious for getting angry at them over nothing. They wind her up until she is about to burst, when Don Prudenzio, the doctor at the spa, interrupts the
to read the plot for Il viaggio a Reims and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Scene One
No. 1 Introduction 鈥楶resto, presto...su, coraggio!鈥� - Maddalena, Chorus
Scene Two
[No. 1 cont.] 鈥楤enche, grazie al mio talento鈥� - Prudenzio, Antonio, Chorus
Scene Three
[No. 1 cont.] Aria 鈥楧i vaghi raggi adorno鈥� - Cortese, Maddalena, Prudenzio, Antonio, Chorus
Scene Four
Recitative 鈥楶artire io pur vorrei鈥� - Cortese, Folleville, Maddalena, Modestina
Scene Five
Recitative 鈥楢mabil Contessina鈥� - Luigino, Folleville
Scene Six
Recitative 鈥楥he accade?鈥� - Maddalena, Trombonok, Luigino, Folleville, Prudenzio
No. 2 Recitative 鈥楢hime! Sta in gran pericolo鈥� - Folleville, Luigino, Trombonok, Prudenzio
Aria 鈥楶artir, oh ciel! Desio鈥� - Folleville, Maddalena, Luigino, Trombonok, Antonio, Prudenzio
Scene Seven
[No. 2 cont.] 鈥楥he miro! Ah! Qual sorpresa!鈥� - Folleville, Maddalena, Modestina, Luigino, Trombonok, Antonio, Prudenzio
Scene Eight
Recitative 鈥楨h! Senti, mastro Antonio鈥� - Antonio, Trombonok
No. 3 Sextet 鈥楽i, di matti una gran gabbia鈥� - Trombonok
Scene Nine
[No. 3 cont.] 鈥楲a mia quota a voi consegno鈥� - Profondo, Alvaro, Melibea
Scene Ten
[No. 3 cont.] 鈥楧onna ingrata, a stento in petto鈥� - Libenskof, Alvaro, Melibea, Trombonok
Scene Eleven
[No. 3 cont.] 鈥楴aturale 猫 l鈥檌mpazienza鈥� - Cortese, Libenskof, Melibea, Alvaro, Profondo, Trombonok
Aria 鈥楢rpa gentil che fida compagna ognor mi sei鈥� - Corinna, Cortese, Libenskof, Melibea, Alvaro, Profondo, Trombonok
Scene Twelve
Recitative 鈥榋efirin non ritornia鈥� - Cortese
No. 4 Scene - 鈥楢h! Perche la conobbi?鈥� - Sidney
Aria 鈥業nvan strappar dal core鈥� - Sidney, Chorus
Scene Thirteen
Recitative 鈥楳ilord, una parola鈥� - Sidney, Profondo
Scene Fourteen
Recitative 鈥楤uon giorno, illustre amica!鈥� - Profondo, Corinna, Delia
Scene Fifteen
No. 5 Recitative 鈥楽ola ritrovo alfina la balla Dea鈥� - Corinna, Belfiore
Duet 鈥楴el suo divin sembiante鈥� - Corinna, Belfiore, Profondo
Scene Sixteen
Recitative 鈥楤ravo il signor Ganimede!鈥� - Profondo
No. 6 Aria 鈥業o! Medaglie incomparabili鈥� - Profondo
Scene Seventeen
Recitative 鈥榁edeste il Cavaliere?鈥� - Folleville, Profondo
Scene Eighteen
Recitative 鈥楢mici, che si fa?鈥� - Alvaro, Libenskof, Profondo, Trombonok, Folleville
Scene Nineteen
Recitative 鈥楢h! Melibea! Milord! Corinna! Oh ciel!鈥� - Trombonok, Zefirino
No. 7 Great Concert Piece of 14 voices 鈥楢h! A tal colpo in aspettato鈥� - Folleville, Corinna, Melibea, Delia, Modestina, Libenskof, Belfiero, Zefirino, Trombonok, Alvaro, Sidney, Profondo, Prudenzio
Scene Twenty
[No. 7 cont.] 鈥楽ignore, ecco una lettera鈥� - Cortese, Folleville, Corinna, Melibea, Delia, Modestina, Libenskof, Belfiero, Zefirino, Trombonok, Alvaro, Sidney, Profondo, Prudenzio
Scene Twenty-One
[No. 7 cont.] 鈥楽on qua, cosa comanda?鈥� - Antonio, Cortese, Gelsomino, Folleville, Corinna, Melibea, Delia, Modestina, Libenskof, Belfiero, Zefirino, Trombonok, Alvaro, Sidney, Profondo, Prudenzio
Scene Twenty-Two
[No. 7 cont.] 鈥楾utto va ben, ma come voi sapete鈥� - Trombonok, Libenskof, Melibea
Scene Twenty-Three
No. 8 Scene 鈥楧i che son reo鈥� - Melibea, Libenskof
Duet 鈥楧鈥檃lma celeste, oh Dio!鈥� - Melibea Libenskof
Scene Twenty-Four
Recitative 鈥楾utto e all鈥檕rdin鈥� - Maddalena, Gelsomino, Antonio
Scene Twenty-Five
No. 9 Finale
Ballet
Chorus 鈥楲鈥檃llegria e un sommo bene鈥� - Chorus
鈥極ra secondo l鈥檜so, i brindisi facciamo鈥� - Trombonok
German Anthem 鈥極r che regna fra le genti鈥� - Trombonok, Chorus
Polish Anthem 鈥楢i prodi guerrieri, seguaci di gloria鈥� - Meliba, Chorus
Russian Anthem 鈥極nore, gloria ed alto omaggio鈥� - Libenskof, Chorus
Spanish song 鈥極maggio all鈥檃ugusto duce鈥� - Alvaro, Chorus
English song 鈥楧ell鈥檃urea pianta il germe amato鈥� - Sidney, Chorus
French song 鈥楳adre del nuovo Enrico鈥� - Folleville, Belfiore, Chorus
Tyrolean song 鈥楶iu vivace e piu fecondo鈥� - Cortese, Profondo, Chorus
Improvised verses 鈥楢ll鈥檕mbra amena del Giglio d鈥檕r鈥� - Corinna
Stretta 鈥榁iva il diletto augusto regnator鈥� - Cortese, Folleville, Corinna, Melibea, Delia, Modestina, Libenskof, Belfiore, Gelsomino, Trombonok, Sidney, Alvaro, Profondo, Chorus
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.