# La Serva Padrona



## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

I just watched this full performance of the one act La Serva Padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi recently on youtube and must say that it is now definitately one of my favorite operas. So much so that I even had a dream recently where I was about to attend a baraque opera production and was so excited because it was my favorite genre of opera. (in my dream that is) In reality I'd say that Mozart is my favorite genre, but I'd love to learn more about baraque comedies as awsome as La Serva Padrona.

Oh and never mind that there are no subtitles I don't think they are needed.






Oh by the way, I was awoken in the middle of my dream before the opera started. I was so pissed.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I think the first full opera I heard. I love it, and a good length for Baroque opera. Doesn't make you pray for death like Handel.


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

Huummmm...you're making me anxious...

Unfortunately i haven't heard it yet (altough i know a lot from it) because before La Serva i have lots of others in queue.

According to my plans, i'll soon begin to (amateur) study _dramma per musica_ with works of Hasse, Porpora, etc. This is the book i'm about to read (at the same time with _From whom the bell tolls_ and one about WWI):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dramma-Musica-Italian-Eighteenth-Century/dp/0300064543

Although i know still very little about Opera Seria, this is one of my favourite operatic genres.But i think what we have today is but a glimpse of what Opera Seria was. We'll never know the real power of those singers and how music was played. Back then baroque music gave musicians such liberty as jazz players today. I refuse to believe that Opera Seria was mere an accident in Opera. If it existed and, still today, is subject of such debate and criticism, there must have been something powerfull beyond our imagination.

Nevertheless, which recordings of La Serva Padrona do you people recommend?


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

Great Opera Buffa, so successful at the time that went from to be an intermezzo in an Opera Seria to live a successful life standalone (and in the process it popularized the genre).

I love this staging:





Also don't miss Livietta e Tracollo, as good as La Serva Padrona IMO:





EDIT:


Couchie said:


> I think the first full opera I heard. I love it, and a good length for Baroque opera. Doesn't make you pray for death like Handel.


That surprise me, I thought your alpha and omega was Wagner


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

I think between alpha and omega there are other greek letters hehehehhe....


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Giovanni Paisiello ,an Italian contemporary of Mozart and Haydn, also set the same libretto for his own opera, and I recently borrowed the DVD from my library, a performance with two rather obscure singers at the Catania opera in Sicily . It's also very enjoyable . Paisiello was best known for his Il Barbiere di Siviglia, which was very popular in Europe until Rossini's famous version of the Beaumarchais story was premiered .
There have been a few recordings of it, but I have not heard them .


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

superhorn said:


> Giovanni Paisiello ,an Italian contemporary of Mozart and Haydn, also set the same libretto for his own opera, and I recently borrowed the DVD from my library, a performance with two rather obscure singers at the Catania opera in Sicily . It's also very enjoyable . Paisiello was best known for his Il Barbiere di Siviglia, which was very popular in Europe until Rossini's famous version of the Beaumarchais story was premiered .
> There have been a few recordings of it, but I have not heard them .


Paisiello La serva padrona eclipsed in popularity Pergolesi version, same happened in reverse when Rossini's did his own Barbiere.

L'osteria di Marechiaro is another good Opera buffa by Paisiello that's available in DVD.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

A new release in the UK:


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

obwan said:


> I just watched this full performance of the one act La Serva Padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi recently on youtube and must say that it is now definitately one of my favorite operas. So much so that I even had a dream recently where I was about to attend a baraque opera production and was so excited because it was my favorite genre of opera. (in my dream that is) In reality I'd say that Mozart is my favorite genre, but I'd love to learn more about baraque comedies as awsome as La Serva Padrona.
> 
> Oh and never mind that there are no subtitles I don't think they are needed.


Thank you for posting this link! Amazing opera and production! The only sad thing is that Pergolesi died at 26...


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

Let's not exaggerate. La Serva Padrone is a mere, albeit nice and beautiful, intermezzo like quite a few others by more competent composers as Mozart, etc. Its musical beauty does not justify its great value as a major composition.
As for recordings, one of the very best has been the one with the Collegium Aureum, now existing only in the 10 Cd budget price Collegium Aureum Edition, on DHM.
For some full scale Pergolesi, if you dare, you may try _Adriano in Siria_, on Bongiovanni, or the more rewarding (and more recent) _L'Olimpiade_, on DHM. 
However, the only true masterpiece by Pergolesi is his poignant and musically subtle _Stabat Mater_.

Principe


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

principe said:


> Let's not exaggerate. La Serva Padrone is a mere, albeit nice and beautiful, intermezzo like quite a few others by more competent composers as Mozart, etc. Its musical beauty does not justify its great value as a major composition.
> As for recordings, one of the very best has been the one with the Collegium Aureum, now existing only in the 10 Cd budget price Collegium Aureum Edition, on DHM.
> For some full scale Pergolesi, if you dare, you may try _Adriano in Siria_, on Bongiovanni, or the more rewarding (and more recent) _L'Olimpiade_, on DHM.
> However, the only true masterpiece by Pergolesi is his poignant and musically subtle _Stabat Mater_.
> ...


Also, if you're in the mood for a rather trite, somewhat pervy Pergolesi opera buffa, there's always Lo frate 'nnamorato.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

This past summer, Medici.TV was playing a very minimalistic production of La Serva Padrona from the Verbier Festival which was very well done. I checked and it unfortunately is no longer available online on Medici.TV, as they delete older performances.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> This past summer, Medici.TV was playing a very minimalistic production of La Serva Padrona from the Verbier Festival which was very well done. I checked and it unfortunately is no longer available online on Medici.TV, as they delete older performances.


It might reappear in the regular catalogue then. That's what happened with The Kuafmann/Koch Werther.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Here's Beethoven's grandfather. The score he is holding is a passage from La Serva Padrona.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

KenOC said:


> Here's Beethoven's grandfather. The score he is holding is a passage from La Serva Padrona.
> 
> View attachment 9528


And Beethoven himself admired the work so much. (Quoted by Rossini)


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

I'm looking for a good valuable audio recording, so guys, what would you recommend?


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

quoted by rossini lol.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Il_Penseroso said:


> I'm looking for a good valuable audio recording, so guys, what would you recommend?


Does it have to be audio-only? I just watched today, while I was waiting for US election results to come in, a brand new recording and was very impressed by the quality of the singing!
http://www.amazon.com/Prigionier-Superbo-Serva-Padrona-Blu-ray/dp/B00925T94W/ref=lh_ni_t


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Does it have to be audio-only? I just watched today, while I was waiting for US election results to come in, a brand new recording and was very impressed by the quality of the singing!
> http://www.amazon.com/Prigionier-Superbo-Serva-Padrona-Blu-ray/dp/B00925T94W/ref=lh_ni_t


I've watched a few videos of La serva padrona. A good audio version is needed for my CD collection.  Anyway thanks for the link. :tiphat:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Il_Penseroso said:


> I've watched a few videos of La serva padrona. A good audio version is needed for my CD collection.  Anyway thanks for the link. :tiphat:


Did you ever find a good audio set, and if so, what one did you get?

I was just checking some out and found a couple that I thought might be worthy, but both are rather expensive used:



















Too bad there is no audio recording of the one with Anna Moffo (Serpina), Paolo Montarsolo (Uberto), which is on You Tube but needs remastering.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Wow, I found a new release of the second one I posted above and got it new for $9 plus shipping:


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## BaritoneAssoluto (Jun 6, 2016)

Isn't this the opera where the aria "Stizzoso, mio Stizzoso" comes from? If so, I think that's a little cute operatic aria for a soubrette. But, I think the opera itself is boring lol.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> Isn't this the opera where the aria "Stizzoso, mio Stizzoso" comes from? If so, I think that's a little cute operatic aria for a soubrette. But, I think the opera itself is boring lol.


Yes it is the one where Stizzoso comes from. You maybe need to watch a video production to gain a better appreciation.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Ok, lets hear it. What are your favorite recordings of this opera? This is a much neglected opera. If you don't own it, you probably should. I think my favorite is one that I found on You Tube, sung in English, that I cannot find a recording of anywhere.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Florestan said:


> Ok, lets hear it. What are your favorite recordings of this opera? This is a much neglected opera. If you don't own it, you probably should. I think my favorite is one that I found on You Tube, sung in English, that I cannot find a recording of anywhere.


Don't have one, I am not that fond of it.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Pugg said:


> Don't have one, I am not that fond of it.


I am surprised because it is a delightful opera. You need to know the story and that is given her in this sung-in-English production that is one of my favorites (wish it were available on CD):


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

You can try out this opera for 99 cents and get 116 other Baroque tracks along with it. I just downloaded the Amazon Big Baroque Box III for 99 cents in order to get this opera:








*Sound Clips*

Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PUGYHPS/
La Serva Padrona is the last 13 tracks.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I have only one , on the Ensayo label, Capecchi / Bustamante singing.
Give it a spin again later.








this one is on now.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Beethoven revered his grandfather, also named Ludwig van Beethoven. He took with him a painting of his grandfather by Radoux wherever he went in his life. In that painting, which is still extant, the older Beethoven is holding the score of La Serva Padrona.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Pugg said:


> I have only one , on the Ensayo label, Capecchi / Bustamante singing.
> Give it a spin again later.
> 
> 
> ...


That one is not doing it for me. Here are the sound clips for reference: 
http://www.allmusic.com/album/pergolesi-la-serva-padrona-mw0001852740

Serpina seems a bit shrill to me.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I have been listening to nothing but La Serva Padrona for the past several days and can't stop. I an seriously considering this one, which has a bonus of Salve Regina sung by a woman (I heard one that seemed like a counter tenor):

Sound Clips: http://www.allmusic.com/album/pergolesi-la-serva-padrona-salve-regina-mw0002701520


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Well I have acquired eight sets of this opera since 2014 and never noticed that there are two different endings. I have some of both. I just discovered it with my latest purchase, the one with Renata Scotto. Wikipedia says,



> Duetto finale (†): Contento tu sarai (Serpina, Uberto)
> 
> (†It later became customary to replace this final duet with another: Per te ho io nel core. This the composer wrote two years later, in 1735, for his commedia per musica, Il Flaminio.)


Here are examples of both endings:

*Contento Tu Sarai*





This is my favorite set and has the ending I prefer.
*Per te ho io nel core*


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