Calto is an opera seria in three acts by Francesco Bianchi. The libretto was by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, after the 'Celtic' poetry of Ossian. The opera was first performed at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice on 23 January 1788.
| Calto | |
|---|---|
| Opera seria by Francesco Bianchi | |
 The composer in 1805 | |
| Librettist | Giuseppe Foppa |
| Language | Italian |
| Based on | Celtic poetry by Ossian |
| Premiere | 7 February 1786 Teatro San Benedetto, Venice |
Calto was an innovative work with some special instrumentation. As Marita P. McClymonds explains "Bianchi uses flat keys, fluctuating modes, chromatic dissonances and an unusually wide range of wind timbres (oboe, bassoon, clarinet, horn and English horn) for maximum dramatic effect."[1]
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 23 January 1788 (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| Duntalmo, usurper king | tenor | Giuseppe Bertelli |
| Corimba, Duntalmo's daughter, secretly married to Calto | soprano | Maria Giacinta Galli |
| Sinveno | soprano castrato | Tommaso Catena |
| Calto, son of the rightful king killed by Duntalmo, adopted by Sinveno | soprano castrato | Giovanni Rubinelli |
| Asteria | soprano | Maria Bellavigna |
| Conalbo | tenor | Antonio Mora |
Synopsis
editCalto claims his rightful throne from the usurper Duntalmo, but the latter is saved by Corimba, who turns out to be both Duntalmo's daughter and the mother of Calto's two children.
References
edit- ^ McClymonds, Marita P (1992), 'Calto' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera p 692
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Calto". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- McClymonds, Marita P (1992), 'Calto' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7