Linda di Chamounix - Donizetti
An Italian Opera in Three Acts by Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti (November 29, 1797 – April 8, 1848), composed Linda di Chamounix. Libretto is by Gaetano Rossi, after "la Grace de Dieu" by Adolphe Philippe d'Ennery and Gustave Lemine. The opera premiered in Vienna, Austria, at Kärntnerthortheater, May 19, 1842. The setting is the village of Chamounix and Paris, circa 1760.
Two arias: "Ambo nati" (Antonio), "O luce di quest' anima" (Linda).
Character Roles
- Marquis of Boisfleury (baritone)
- Linda (soprano)
- Pierotto, young orphan (mezzo-soprano)
- Viscount Carlo (tenor)
- Maddalena, Linda's mother (mezzo-soprano)
- Antonio, Linda's father (baritone)
- Intendent (tender)
- The Prefect (bass)
Plot Summary / Synopses of Linda di Chamounix
Act 1. Inside a Farmhouse in the Village of Chamounix
The young people of Chamounix are leaving for Paris to earn money during the winter months. Linda's parents, Maddalena and Antonio, fear of losing their farm and hope the Marquis will extend the lease. The Marquis agrees since he wants the beautiful Linda. Pierotto, an orphan Savoyard, sings a farewell ballad for the villagers. Linda and Carlo are secretly in love. The prefect tells Antonio that the marquis means to seduce Linda. Outraged, Antonio sends Linda away to Paris with the young people.
The villages is assembled to farewell those who are leaving. The prefect invokes heaven's protection of them, and everyone prays "O tu che regoli gli umani eventi".
Act 2. Apartment in a Fine Parisian Mansion
Carlo has followed Linda to Paris. He reveals his true identity and offers to provide for her until the day they marry. Linda accepted and lives comfortably. Hearing music of Savoy played, she recognizes Pierotto. Linda tells him of her engagement to Carlo and that everything's a secret yet. Pierotto congratulates her with "Al bel destin che attèndevi" and leaves.
The Marquis appears. He assumes she is the lover of some rich man, so he offers her a finer house and more money. Linda refused. Meantime, Carlo is desperate because his mother the Marquise has arranged for his marriage. She threatens to have Linda imprisoned if he refuses. He did not have the heart to tell Linda, who worries about his behaviour.
Linda's father, Antonio, appears. He desperately needs help, having been unable to renew his leasehold. He does not recognize Linda, and she feels that in her ambiguous situation it is better not to reveal her identity. She gives him some money, but when Antonio tearfully tells her about the daughter he has lost ("Ah! che il ciel vi benedica,") Linda is moved and reveals her identity to her father. Antonio is shocked and angry, and refuses to recognize her, thinking she has become a mistress of an aristocrat.
Pierotto, who has heard of Carlo's arranged wedding, hurries to break the news. This is too much for Antonio, who has began cursing Linda from rage, but Pierotto restrains him. Linda goes mad from the news, and Pierotto takes her away from the house.
Act 3. Square in the Village of Chamounix
The young Savoyards are returning home with the money they earned in Paris, and the townspeople celebrate the event. Only Pierotto and Linda are missing.
Viscount Carlo approaches the prefect that his mother has consented to his marriage to Linda. The Marquis arrives and announces a celebration for the wedding of his nephew, but he does not reveal the bride's identity ("Ella è un giglio di puro candore.")
Pierotto and Linda appear from the hillside. Still insane and nearly unconscious, Pierotto's music keeps her going. The prefect is the first to encounter them, and immediately tells Linda's parents. He also meets Carlo, who has brought the mortgage for the farm and is about to leave for Paris to search for Linda. The Marquis arrives with all the townsfolk.
Pierotto suggests to Carlo that Linda might recognize him when he plays his music, so Carlo sings the refrain from their first act duet. Linda joins in and recognizes him, and everyone. Linda di Chamounix regains her sanity.
Sources:
The Da Capo Opera Manual by Nicholas Ivor Martin, 1997
The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham, OUP, 2002
