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Bianca e Falliero o sia Il consiglio dei Tre

[Bianca and Falliero or The Council of Three]

Melodramma in two acts by
FELICE ROMANI

First performance:
Milan - Teatro alla Scala
26 December 1819

Critical Edition by
GABRIELE DOTTO

FONDAZIONE ROSSINI PESARO 1996

CHARACTERS:
PRIULI, Doge of Venice, bass
CONTARENO, Senator, tenor
CAPELLIO, Senator, bass
LOREDANO, speaking part
FALLIERO, Venetian general, contralto
BIANCA, Contareno's daughter, soprano
COSTANZA, Bianca's nurse, soprano
CLERK of the Council of Three, tenor
[Officer], tenor
[Bailiff], tenor
Mixed chorus and extras: senators, Venetian noblemen and women, bailiffs, soldiers, Contareno's servants, Bianca's ladies-in-waiting.

The scene is Venice.
The action takes place in the 17th century after the famous conspiracy of the Marchese of Badamar

Instrumentation: 2 Flutes/Piccolo, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Timpani, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Strings, Continuo
Performance time: 3h

In 1819, a watershed year in the Milanese debates between "classicism" and "romanticism," Rossini prepared Bianca e Falliero for La Scala, where his opere serie had never fared well. Working with a confirmed classicist librettist, he created a traditionally structured bel canto tour-de-force that ran for thirty-nine performances - still a record for his serious operas at La Scala. It is a mature opera of musical riches of harmonic style, melodic character, and orchestral subtlety.

Heavily butchered in later productions, Bianca e Falliero soon disappeared from the stage, but its finest pieces remained in concert repertory for half a century. The critical edition, the first publication of the full score, restores the original Milan version. An appendix offers Rossini's vocal variants for the two lead roles.

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