Donna Aurora, o sia il romanzo all’improvviso is a comic opera in two acts by Francesco Morlacchi, with a libretto by Felice Romani. Composed in 1821, it received its first performance at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 2 October of that year.
This A3 full-score anthology, edited by Eugenio Di Lieto, contains eight selected numbers from the opera. The edition draws on the autograph manuscript preserved at the Biblioteca Planettiana in Jesi and the original printed libretto. It includes acknowledgments and a preface in Italian and English, historical costume designs, and the Italian libretto. English translation by Ashley Marie Slater.
The plot follows the young lovers Adolfo and Giulia, who exploit Donna Aurora’s enthusiasm for chivalric romances in their efforts to obtain her consent to their marriage. The editor’s preface reconstructs the circumstances of the opera’s first production and its reception.
Contents of the anthology
- “Dov’è l’età felice” – Cavatina di Giulia
- “Nume, Diavolo, Pazzia” – Quartetto
- “Non ti vedo mai raccolta” – Cavatina di Donna Aurora
- “Con questo bel cimiero” – Aria di Frontino
- “Se fato barbaro” – Romanza di Giulia
- “Corsi invano il mondo intero” – Duetto
- “Notte propizia” – Notturnino
- “Sì matrone: il grande esempio” – Aria di Donna Aurora
Scoring
Vocal soloists: three sopranos, one tenor and two basses. Orchestra: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, timpani and strings.
A3 paperback score, 178 pages. This volume presents an anthology of selected numbers, rather than the complete opera.