Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari

I Quattro Rusteghi

Intermezzo from act 2. Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, a 20th century Venetian opera composer, drew inspiration from the styles of Mozart and Rossini, adopting the 18th century as a model. His opera "I quattro rusteghi" (The Four Curmudgeons) from 1906, adapted from a play by Goldoni, revolves around the generation gap and the dialectic between the sexes. The intermezzo from the 2nd act, characterized by a barcarole-style melody, is one of the opera's most famous pieces.

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (Venice, 1886-1948) musically trained between Venice and Munich, became an opera composer who looked more to Mozart and Rossini than to Puccini and Cilea. Hence, he made the stylistic choice that takes the eighteenth century as a model (including the influence of Carlo Goldoni’s theater) and that earned him success in theaters all over the world.The Opera “I quattro rusteghi” of 1906 falls fully into this vein and draws from the Goldonian comedy “The company of the salvadeghi, that is the Rusteghi” which revolves around the marriage contract stipulated by the parents on behalf of two young people. The story becomes the ground for a series of vicissitudes and intrigues from which the classic comic motifs of generational contrast and dialectic between sexes emerge.The Intermezzo from the 2nd act, one of the most famous sections of the opera, sums up well the musical style of the Venetian composer with the barcarolle-like melody supported by a light instrumental writing. The transcription for wind band, maintaining these characteristics, lends itself well to being placed in a concert program centered on symphonic-operatic music, almost like a light and graceful oasis of sound.