Don Gregorio

Staged for the first time at Teatro Nuovo in Naples in 1826, Don Gregorio is the Neapolitan version of one of the earliest masterpieces by Gaetano Donizetti, L’ajo nell’imbarazzo (1824). This is thefirst representation in Italy in modern times.In its new adaptation, the work differs from the original version under several aspects, the most important one being the insertion of spoken dialogues in Neapolitan dialect in place of the recitatives.But Donizetti’s musical verve remains unchanged as he underlines the very enjoyable farcical situations of this comic work.This production was filmed and recorded in Donizetti’s hometown Bergamo in the autumn of 2007, and is a worthy addition to anybody’s Donizetti collection.The plot centres on Don Gregorio, the tutor of two young men whose father Don Giulio wishes to preserve from the sins of the world and more especially the temptations of women. The result is that the younger of the two, Pippetto, falls in love with the family’s elderly maid, while his brother has gone off and married in secret. The child that Gilda has borne him adds to the poignancy as well as the comedy of the situation.The characters are inspired by Italian Commedia dell’Arte, but posess at the same time a deeper psychological