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Giovanna d'Arco

Dramma lirico [in four acts]
Libretto by TEMISTOCLE SOLERA

First performance
Milan, Teatro alla Scala, 15 February 1845

Critical Edition by
ALBERTO RIZZUTI

The University of Chicago Press, 2009

CHARACTERS
CARLO VII [Charles VII], King of France, tenor
GIOVANNA [Joan of Arc], daughter of Giacomo, soprano
GIACOMO, a shepherd in Dom-Rémy, baritone
DELIL, an officer of the king, tenor
TALBOT, supreme commander of the English army, bass

Mixed chorus king's officers, villagers, people of Reims, French soldiers, English soldiers, blessed spirits, evil spirits
Extras: nobles of the realm, heralds, pages, young girls, marshals, deputies, knights and ladies, magistrates, halbardiers, honor guards

The action takes place in France between 1428 and 1431.

Instrumentation: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, English horn, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Cimbasso, Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum [and Cymbals], Bass Drum [in the Band], Cymbals [No. 10], Triangle or Sistro, Bell, Cannon, Wind Band (No. 6), Wind Band of Brass Instruments Only (Nos. 10, 16), Harp, Harmonium (Reed Organ), Strings
Offstage: 6 or 9 Trumpets, Band (No. 11)

Performance time: 2 hrs. 50 minutes

Giovanna d'Arco [Joan of Arc] premiered at La Scala in 1845 to great public success, despite what Verdi considered to be subpar production standards. Modern performances too have swept away both audiences and critical reservations when the work is executed with faithfulness to the composer's score. At the heart of this large-scale opera, with its prominent choruses, is the difficult and beautiful part of Joan-simultaneously ethereal soprano and dynamic warrior. The libretto, based in part on Schiller's play Die Jungfrau von Orleans, omits Joan's trial for heresy and burning at the stake, ending instead with an offstage battle in which she is mortally wounded leading the French to victory against the English.

The critical edition, the first publication of Giovanna d'Arco in full score, is based on the composer's autograph manuscript. It restores the opera's original text, which had been heavily censored, and accurately reflects Verdi's colorful and elaborate musical setting. Editor Alberto Rizzuti's introduction discusses the opera's origins, sources, and performance questions, while the critical commentary details editorial problems and solutions.

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