# Which ballet preceded Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda ?



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I have asked in the ballet forum without the response, so I'll try here. Bellini and his librettist Felice Romani were preparing a new opera, with the libretto partially written. However, the primadona Giudita Pasta saw a ballet about Beatrice di Tenda, which impressed her, and asked Bellini, if that could be an opera topic. And it indeed happened, although it caused pressures with the need of new libretto halfway in the process and caused a conflict between Bellini and Romani.

What was that ballet about Beatrice di Tenda ? Who was the composer ? Is it still played, at least rarely ?


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

The beheading of Beatrice and Michele Orombello inspired a tragedy by Carlo Tedaldi-Flores (1739-1829) entitled Beatrice di Tenda which became popular throughout Italy, and which inserted the name of Beatrice into the popular imagination. The work of Tedaldi-Flores in turn inspired a dance by the Italian choreographer, ballet dancer and composer Antonio Monticini ("mimic-historical action" reads the poster, without indicating the composer) who in 1832 at La Scala interspersed the 39 performances of Caritea, queen of Spain by Saverio Mercadante. The dance attracted the attention of the soprano Giuditta Pasta, called some time later to interpret the opening work of the 1833 Carnival season at the Fenice, the drafting of which had been commissioned to Bellini. La Pasta convinced the composer - it is not known how - to adopt that intriguing subject and Felice Romani, who had already been working for him for months around a Christina of Sweden (plot taken from Dumas father) therefore had to concentrate reluctantly on a new subject. It was a heavy task, given that at the same time he was required to satisfy the requests of Donizetti, Mercadante, Coccia, Majocchi, and perhaps someone else.


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