Il Matrimonio Segreto - Cimarosa [DVD] [2005]

"The Secret Marriage" is Domenico Cimarosa's most famous opera buffa and is reputed to have been so popular with Emperor Leopold II that its first performance in 1792 was encored in its entirety. This opera compares favourably with Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, although it lacks that opera’s depth of characters. While it makes fun of social climbing and ambition, it does so light heartedly and without the heavier emphasis of Mozart’s operas, particularly ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. For a time Cimarosa was held in higher regard than Mozart and the feeling was obviously not unwarranted as Mozart and Haydn were both happy to provide additional arias for some of Cimarosa’s operas. Cimarosa’s style falls somewhere between Mozart & Rossini and yet remains distinctly individual.

The source of the opera is George Coleman and David Garrick’s satire ‘A Clandestine Marriage’ which itself was based on William Hogarth’s series of oil paintings entitled ‘Marriage a la monde’.

Resume: Palino and Carolina have secretly married. Carolina is the youngest daughter of Signor Geronimo a wealthy merchant. Elisetta is his oldest and their aunt Fidalma, widowed lives in the same house and has a heavy investment in the family business. A marriage contract is drawn up to tie Elisetta to Count Robinson, a local Lord. Apprised of the situation a sibling debate is entered into as to Elisetta's new title. The widowed aunt who keeps the peace, secretly has a passion for Palino, who is sponsored by the count. Count Robinson arrives for the first time to meet his intended but takes a fancy to Carolina. The fun and the confusion now begins with many scenario's to follow. The Count offers a dowry reduction to Geronimo and follows up to tell the intended, what a rouge he is. Robinson piles up the character flaws. She tells him these are mere trifles, not convinced burst into uncontrollable laughter. Eventually the secret surfaces. The count gives his blessing and will marry Elisetta. Fidamal is embarrassed. Geronimo who has been spun into confusion wants to disown Carolina. He is reminded that
she is with child. All is forgiven.

This production was recorded live during the Cologne Opera's guest appearance at the Schwetzingen Festival in June 1986. The production had already won international acclaim when staged in Paris, Stockholm and London--where it won the Olivier Award for Best Opera Production. A single stage setting with six fine singers who are also fine actors. Carlos Feller is suitably confused as Geronimo while Claudio Nicolai is wonderfully urbane. David Kuebler and Georgine Resick are superb as the couple hiding their clandestine marriage, although Resick does have a slightly off putting singing style with her strange tongue placing. Barbara Daniels and Marta Szirmay make up the rest of the fine cast, with Werner Sinderman also credited in the non-singing role of Geronimo’s servant (complete with long-suffering facial expressions). The whole thing is a delight with the Drottingholm Court Theatre Orchestra conducted by Hilary Griffiths

This recording has been available on DVD for a number of years but only in North America/Canada format. I have had a video recording taken from a televised showing for over 10 years and have been waiting for this to be released on DVD in European format since then. It has been well worth waiting for and is recommended to those familiar with the work of Cimarosa (probably through his oboe concerto) or those new to it.