Mascagni, Pietro

Pietro Mascagni – Pinotta

(b. Livorno, 7. December 1863 – d. Rome, 2. August 1945)

Idillio in two acts. Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti;
music by Pietro Mascagni, adapted from his student composition In filanda (1881) – Bozzetto lombardo to a text by Alfredo Soffredini.

Characters:
Pinotta, an orphan (soprano), Baldo, a workman (tenor), Andrea, owner of the spinning-mill (bass or baritone), Zephyrs (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto).

Chorus:
Spinners, Workmen.

Setting:
Lombardy.

Orchestration:
2fl+Pic, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn; 4hn, 2trp, 3trb, b.tba; timp, perc (cymbals, bells); hp; strings.

Duration:
50 min.

Premiere:
23 March 1932; Sanremo; Teatro del Casinò.
Mafalda Favero (Pinotta); Alessandro Ziliani (Baldo); Ernesto Badini (Andrea); Nerina Ferrari, Carmen Girolami, Mimma Pantaleone (Le voci degli Zeffiri); Pietro Mascagni (conductor).

Synopsis
During the short orchestral Prelude, a trio of Zephyrs announce that they will tell the story of two lovers (Di primavera gli Zeffiri noi siamo).

Act One
The interior of a large spinning-mill in Lombardy.

On an early morning in spring, spinners and workmen assemble in the spinning mill (Appena di roseo). Before work begins for the day, the mill owner, Andrea, leads them in morning prayers (Signor, cui sempre loda l’angelica armonia). Amongst the women is Pinotta, and she adds her prayers to those of Andrea, asking the Holy Mother to soothe her pain (Santa Maria). …

Read full preface / Das ganze Vorwort lesen> HERE