
Overview
Synopsis
Bogus astrologer, Ecclitico, is deeply in love with Clarice, but her father, Bonafede, is very protective of his daughters and wants to secure good marriages for them. When Ecclitico learns that Bonafede is particularly interested in astrology, he devises a plan to persuade Bonafede to give him Clarice’s hand in marriage. With the help of his friend Ernesto, who is in love with Bonafede’s oldest daughter Flaminia, and the servant Cecco, who is in love with Bonafede’s maid, Lisetta, Ecclitico makes Bonafede believe that there is a world on the moon. He persuades Bonafede that they must go and meet the Emperor of the moon, and gives him a sleeping draught, telling him it is a potion that will make him light enough to float to the moon.
When he wakes up in Ecclitico’s garden, Bonafede is convinced he has travelled to the moon. Ecclitico has filled the garden with machinery and scenery to convince him that the world is transformed. Cecco disguises himself as the Emperor, and Ernesto is one of the Emperor’s esteemed knights. But will they convince Bonafede that the customs on the moon require that his daughters and maid marry these mysterious men, right here on the moon, or will Bonafede realise it is all a trick?
Haydn’s Il mondo della luna is a hilarious opera buffa, with great scope for imaginative directing and design as the characters recreate an entire moonscape, complete with resident moon-people, called ‘lunatics’, and their own alien language.
Show Information
- Music
- Joseph Haydn
- Libretto
- Carlo Goldoni , Gennaro Astarita
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1777
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings, Period
- Time & Place
- A house with an observatory tower, Night of the full moon
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Professional Opera, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
---|---|---|---|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Lead |
Male |
Bass |
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Mezzo-Soprano, Countertenor, Contralto |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
- No. 1 Sinfonia
Scene 1
- No. 2a Chorus ‘O luna lucente’ - Ecclitico, Scholars
- No. 2b Recitative ‘Basta, basta, discepoli’ - Ecclitico
- No. 2c ‘Prendiamo, fratelli’ - Scholars
- No. 3 Recitative’ Oh le gran belle cose’ - Ecclitico
Scene 2
- Recitative ‘Si puol entrar?’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
Scene 3
- No. 4 Chorus ‘Servitor obbligato’ - Ecclitico, Scholars, Bonafede
- No. 5 Recitative ‘Olà, Claudio, Pasquino’ - Ecclitico
- No. 6a Interlude
- No. 6b Recitative ‘Il signor Bonafede’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
- No. 6c Cavatina ‘Ho veduto una ragazza’ - Bonafede
- No. 6d Recitative ‘Se una ragazza’ - Ecclitico
- No. 6e Interlude
- No. 6f Recitative ‘Ho veduto, ho veduto’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
- No. 6g Cavatina ‘Ho veduto un buon marito’ - Bonafede
- No. 6h Recitative ‘Volesse il ciel’ - Ecclitico
- No. 6i Interlude
- No. 6j Recitative ‘Oh questa assai mi piace!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
- No. 6k Cavatina ‘Ho veduto dall'amante’ - Bonafede
- No. 7 Recitative ‘E qui ancora si useria’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
- No. 8 Aria ‘La ragazza col vecchione’ - Bonafede
Scene 4
- No. 9 Recitative ‘Io la caccia’ - Ecclitico, Ernesto, Cecco
- No. 10 Aria ‘Un poco di denaro’ - Ecclitico
Scene 5
- No. 11 Recitative ‘Costui dovrebbe al certo’ - Cecco, Ernesto
- No. 12 Aria ‘Begli occhi vezzosi’ - Ernesto
Scene 6
- No. 13 Recitative ‘Qualche volta il padron’ - Cecco
- No. 14 Aria ‘Mi fanno ridere’ - Cecco
Scene 7
- No. 15 Recitative ‘Eh venite, germana’ - Clarice, Flaminia
- No. 16 Aria ‘Ragion nell'alma siede’ - Flaminia
Scene 8
- No. 17 Recitative ‘Brava, signora figlia!’ - Bonafede, Clarice
- No. 18 Aria ‘Son fanciulla da marito’ - Clarice
Scene 9
- No. 19 Recitative ‘Se mandarla potessi’ - Bonafede, Lisetta
- No. 20 Aria ‘Una donna come me’ - Lisetta
Scene 10
- No. 21 Recitative, Accompagnato ‘È poi la mia Lisetta’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
- No. 22 Finale ‘Vado, vado; volo, volo’ - Clarice, Lisetta, Ecclitico, Bonafede
Act Two
- No. 23 Sinfonia
Scene 1
- No. 24 Recitative ‘Ecco qui Bonafede’ - Ecclitico, Ernesto
Scene 2
- Recitative ‘Bonafede ancor dorme’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede
- No. 25 Interlude
- No. 26 Recitative ‘Bravi, bravissimi!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
- No. 27 Ballet
- No. 28 Recitative ‘Oh ehe ninfe gentili!’ - Bonafede , Ecclitico
Scene 3
- No. 29 Chorus ‘Uomo felice’ - Ecclitico, Bonafede, 4 Cavalieri
- No. 30 Recitative ‘Come avrò a contenermi?’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico
- No. 31 Aria ‘Voi lo wallpaper’ - Ecclitico
Scene 4
- No. 32 Recitative ‘Parmi ehe dica il vero’ - Bonafede
Scene 5
- No. 33 Interlude
- No. 34 Recitative ‘Umilmente m'inchino’ - Bonafede, Cecco, Ernesto
- No. 35 Aria ‘Un avaro suda e pena’ - Cecco
Scene 6
- No. 36 Recitative ‘Voi avete due figlie?’ - Ernesto, Bonafede
- No. 37 Aria ‘Qualche volta non fa male’ - Ernesto
Scene 7
- No. 38 Recitative ‘Echo Io resto stupefatto’ - Bonafede
- No. 39 Aria ‘Che mondo amabile’ - Bonafede
Scene 8
- No. 40 Recitative ‘Dove mi conducete?’ - Lisetta, Ecclitico
Scene 9
- Recitative ‘Quello é il padrone?’ - Lisetta, Bonafede
- No. 41 Duet ‘Non aver di me sospetto’ - Lisetta, Bonafede
Scene 10
- No. 42a Recitative ‘Olà, presto, fermate’ - Cecco, Bonafede, Lisetta
- No. 42b Recitativo accompagnato ‘Cecco Lei è mio’ - Lisetta
- No. 42c Aria ‘Se lo comanda’ - Lisetta, Cecco
- No. 43 Recitative ‘Eccelso imperator’ - Bonafede, Cecco
Scene 11
- No. 44 Interlude
- No. 45 Recitative ‘Figlie, mie care figlie’ - Bonafede, Flaminia, Clarice, Cecco, Ernesto
- No. 46 Aria ‘Se la mia stella’ - Flaminia
Scene 12
- No. 47 Recitative ‘Mia sorella sta bene’ - Clarice, Cecco, Ecclitico, Bonafede
- No. 48 Aria ‘Quanta gente che sospira’ - Clarice
Scene 13
- No. 49 Recitative ‘Ed io son stata qui’ - Lisetta, Cecco, Bonafede
Scene 14
- Recitativo ‘Ecco già preparato’ - Ecclitico
Scene 15
- No. 50 Finale ‘Al comando tuo lunatico’ - Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede
Scene 16
- Finale (cont.) ‘A questa coppia amabile’ - Clarice, Flaminia, Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede
Act Three
- No. 51 Sinfonia
Scene 1
- No. 52 Recitative ‘Voglio sortir, cospetto!’ - Bonafede, Ecclitico, Ernesto, Cecco
Scene 2
- Recitative ‘Sposino’ - Clarice , Ecclitico
- No. 53 Duet ‘Un certo ruscelletto’ - Clarice, Ecclitico
Final Scene
- No. 54 Recitative ‘Vien qui, figlia, m'abbraccia’ - Bonafede, Clarice, Flaminia, Cecco, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Lisetta
- No. 55 Finale ‘Dal Mondo della Luna’ - Clarice, Flaminia, Lisetta, Ernesto, Ecclitico, Cecco, Bonafede
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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