Lo speziale
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Lo speziale (The Apothecary), is a three act opera buffa by Joseph Haydn, with libretto by Carlo Goldoni composed and first performed to popular and critical acclaim in 1768. A love triangle between the poor apprentice Mengone, the rich and assured dandy Volpino, and the local apothecary's ward, Grilletta, Lo speziale is a sidesplitting comedy of great warmth and ebullience.
[edit] Plot
An old man (the apothecary Sempronio) determined to marry a young woman, Grilletta, more for her money than for any other reason. This will remind opera lovers of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, but it is a love rectangle, not the usual triangle. Sempronio has not one young rival but two: his apprentice, Mengone, who has taken the job only to be near Grilletta, and Volpino, a young man about town.
"Lo Speziale" prefigures Mozart. It opens with an aria, that complains about an apprentice apothecary's job, much like Leporello's opening aria in Don Giovanni. The trouser role of Volpino reminds one of Cherubino in Le Nozze Di Figaro and the young lovers' use of disguises will call Cosi Fan Tutte to mind.
[edit] Roles
- Sempronio (tenor, an old apothecary)
- Grilletta (soprano, Sempronio's ward)
- Mengone (tenor, Sempronio's apprentice)
- Volpino (soprano — a breeches role, a young rich dandy)
