I GIOJELLI DELLA MADONNA
(THE JEWELS OF THE MADONNA)
Opera in three acts by Wolf-Ferrari; plot by the composer, versification by C. Zangarini and E. Golisciani. Produced in German (Der Schmuck der Madonna), at the Kurfuersten Oper, Berlin, December 23, 1911. Covent Garden Theatre, London, March 30, 1912. Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, January 16, 1912; Metropolitan Opera House, New York, March 5, 1912, both the Chicago and New York productions by the Chicago Opera Company, conducted by Cleofonte Campanini, with Carolina White, Louis Bérat, Bassi, and Sammares.
Characters
| Gennaro, in love with Maliella | Tenor |
| Maliella, in love with Rafaele | Soprano |
| Rafaele, leader of the Camorrists | Baritone |
| Carmela, Gennaro's mother | Mezzo-Soprano |
| Biaso | Tenor |
| Ciccillo | Tenor |
| Stella | Soprano |
| Concetta | Soprano |
| Serena | Soprano |
| Rocco | Bass |
Grazia, a dancer; Totonno, vendors, monks, populace.
Time—The present.
Place—Naples.
Act I. A small square in Naples, near the sea. Carmela's house, Gennaro's smithy, an inn, and the little hut of Biaso, the scribe, among many other details. "It is the gorgeous afternoon of the festival of the Madonna, and the square swarms with a noisy crowd, rejoicing and celebrating the event with that strange mixture of carnival and superstition so characteristic of Southern Italy." This describes most aptly the gay, crowded scene, and the character of the music with which the opera opens. It is quite kaleidoscopic in its constant shifting of interest. At last many in the crowd follow a band, which has crossed the square.
Gennaro in his blacksmith's shop is seen giving the finishing touches to a candelabra on which he has been working. He places it on the anvil, as on an altar, kneels before it, and sings a prayer to the Madonna—"Madonna, con sospiri" (Madonna, tears and sighing).