DOMENICO CIMAROSA
THE SECRET MARRIAGE
opera
Director Valery Merkulov
12+
duration 2 h 30 min
with one intermission
The Secret Marriage is an 18th-century Italian comic opera by Domenico Cimarosa on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick. It is a perfect comedy filled with comic intrigues and confusions, which contains everything that an opera buffa should.
Opera has been a hit from its earliest days. At its 1792 premiere in Vienna, Emperor Leopold II was so delighted by the performance that he ordered the whole company to play the entire opera through again, immediately.
In order to raise his status, the rich merchant Geronimo wants to marry off his two daughters Carolina and Elisetta to gentleman of the nobility. But the younger daughter, Carolina, is already married to Geronimo’s servant Paolino. They have kept their marriage secret because of the difference in their status. This causes serious problems for the young couple and there is one misunderstanding after another and marriage comes under threat.
