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- Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista
- Stoessel, Albert
Duration: 45 minutes
Description: LA SERVA PADRONA (THE MAID AS MISTRESS) was composed in 1733 by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) as a two-part intermezzo intended to be performed between the acts of his serious opera IL PRIGIONIER SUPERBO Il. The comic plot centers on the clever servant Serpina, who schemes—through wit, feigned authority, and the silent accomplice Vespone—to outmaneuver her pompous master Uberto and secure marriage, thereby reversing the social order. LA SERVA PADRONA was first performed in 1733 in Naples, but it achieved international prominence during its Paris revival in 1752, which famously sparked the Querelle des Bouffons, a heated debate that helped shift European taste toward Italian comic opera and naturalistic expression. Today LA SERVA PADRONA is regarded as a foundational work of opera buffa, frequently staged and studied. Instrumentation: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Vocal Soli (2 roles, SB): CS (Pno-Cond) in set. This edition by Albert Stoessel has been translated to English. The original Italian version (A4534) is also available from the publisher.