Opera in 2 Acts by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
19~21/10 (Friday to Sunday);8pm (19, 20/10); 3pm (21/10)
Dom Pedro V Theatre
Tickets: MOP 250, 200, 150
Music: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Libretto: Jacopo Angello Nelli
Adapted by Gennaro Antonio Federico
Production: Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government
Conductor: Zhang Jiemin
Director, Costumes and Lighting Designer and Libretto Translator: Li Wei
Set Designer: Wang Qi
Chief Technician: Xu Peijian
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Characters and Cast:
Uberto, an old man Stefan Szkafarowsky, Bass
Serpina, his maid Wang Bing Bing, Soprano
Vespone, his servant Dicky Tsang, Silent actor
With surtitles in Chinese, Portuguese and English
Premiered in 1733, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona was originally an intermezzo for another of the composer’s operas, Il prigionier superbo (The Proud Prisoner), but its success led to its being performed on its own. It tells the story of Serpina, an arrogant maid who tries to rule over her employer, and Uberto, her master, who decides to get married to be rid of his maid. Upon hearing about Uberto’s intentions, Serpina devises a plan of her own to trick her master into marrying her, thereby making her mistress of the household.
The performance of this intermezzo in Paris in 1752 broke with the operatic conventions of the time, giving rise to debates and disputes regarding the merits of French opera as opposed to the Italian opera buffa (comic opera), in an argument that became known as the “Querelle des Bouffons” (Quarrel of the Comic Actors). Despite the controversy, La Serva Padrona stood the test of time and has been performed all over the world.
Duration: approximately 1 hour, no interval
