BEMF Chamber Opera
Pimpinone and Ino in Boston | Evening Performance: Saturday, June 14 at 8pm
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Pimpinone and Ino in the Berkshires | Evening Performance: Friday, June 27 at 8pm
Matinée Performance: Saturday, June 28 at 3pm
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Pimpinone and Ino in Caramoor | Matinée Performance: Sunday, June 29 at 4pm
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Venetian Theater, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, New York
Music composed by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Pimpinone libretto by Johann Philipp Praetorius (1696–1766) after Pietro Pariati (1665–1733)
Ino text by Karl Wilhelm Ramler (1725–1798)
Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors
Gilbert Blin & Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Stage Directors
Robert Mealy, Concertmaster
Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Choreographer
Gilbert Blin & WERIEM, Costume Designers
Kelly Martin, Lighting Designer
Kathleen Fay, Executive Producer
Boston Early Music Festival extends heartfelt thanks to the following generous friends for their leadership support
Glenn A. KnicKrehm and Constellation Charitable Foundation
Principal Production Sponsor
Lori Fay and Christopher Cherry
Sponsors of Kathleen Fay, Executive Producer, in Boston and Great Barrington
Joan Margot Smith
Sponsor of Sarah Darling, violin
Peter Libby
Sponsor of the pre-opera talk by Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs, and Fynn Liess
Cast
Pimpinone
Vespetta: Danielle Reutter-Harrah
Pimpinone: Christian Immler
Arlecchino: Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière
Ino
Ino: Amanda Forsythe
Arlecchino: Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière
Order of Presentation
Pimpinone: Intermezzo I
Ino: Part I
Pimpinone: Intermezzo II
Ino: Part II
Pimpinone: Intermezzo III
This performance will have an intermission.
Vocal Cast
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Danielle Reutter-Harrah, soprano
Christian Immler, bass-baritone
Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble
Robert Mealy, Sarah Darling, Jesse Irons & Beth Wenstrom, violin I
Cynthia Roberts, Julie Andrijeski & Emily Dahl Irons, violin II
Daniel Elyar & Laura Jeppesen, viola
Phoebe Carrai & Keiran Campbell, violoncello
Nathaniel Chase, double bass
Andrea LeBlanc & Mara Riley, flute
Todd Williams, natural horn (Boston performance only)
Nathanael Udell, natural horn
Joseph Gascho, harpsichord
Paul O’Dette, archlute
Stephen Stubbs, Baroque guitar
Rachel Nierenberg, natural horn (Mahaiwe and Caramoor performances only)
Boston Early Music Festival Dance Company
Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, dancer
Technical Crew
Mercedes Roman-Manson, Production Manager
Gabrielle Stryker, Production Stage Manager
Emma Belfer, Production Assistant
Erin Genett & Nicholas Holloway, Company Assistants
Ariane Prévost, Staging Assistant
Seth Bodie, Wigs and Makeup Designer & Supervisor
Jacqueline Quintal, Costume Shop Supervisor & Dresser
Chloe Moore, Wardrobe Supervisor and Head Dresser
Morgen Heissenbuettel, Intern Assistant to the Musical & Orchestra Directors
Grant Sorenson, Intern Assistant to the Stage Director
Isabel Oliart, Orchestra & Operations Intern Dan McGaha, Supertitles Supervisor and Operator
Kathy Wittman, Videographer and Photographer
Antonio Oliart Ros, Recording Engineer
Support Staff
Carla Chrisfield, General Manager
Maria van Kalken, Assistant to the Executive Producer
Brian Stuart, Director of Marketing and Publicity
Elizabeth Hardy, Marketing and Development Associate & Exhibition Manager
Perry Emerson, Operations Manager
Corey King, Box Office and Patron Services Director
Esme Hurlburt, Patron Services & Advertising Associate
Andrew Sigel, Publications Editor
The Boston Early Music Festival wishes to thank the following organizations and individuals for assistance with this production
Robert Mealy, BEMF Orchestra Director, for his editions of Pimpinone and Ino
Fynn Liess, Artistic Manager and Dramaturg, Center for Telemann Research Magdeburg, for his pre-opera talk alongside BEMF Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs
BEMF staff members Carla Chrisfield, Perry Emerson, Elizabeth Hardy, and Maria van Kalken, for their thoughtful caretaking of our Pimpinone and Ino Company
Andrew Sigel, for his careful attention to detail as editor of our publications including the material contained in this program book
W Double-manual French harpsichord by Allan Winkler, Medford, Massachusetts, 1991, X after Donzelague, property of the Boston Early Music Festival. (Boston performance only.)
W Double-manual German harpsichord by Allan Winkler, Medford, Massachusetts, 1989, X after Fleischer, property of the Boston Early Music Festival. (Mahaiwe and Caramoor performances only.)
Pimpinone I
Vespetta, a clever, diligent but poor woman, is seeking a position as chambermaid. She honestly admits that she is in fact looking for a dowry from her future employer, so she can get married as a way out of her poverty. She spots a wealthy, potentially suitable master: Pimpinone. Entranced by her rare combination of charm and modesty, the bachelor tries to find out if Vespetta is available to take care of his household. Vespetta uses this conversation to make it clear that, as her previous master was a brute, she now longs to work for a polite, wise, well-mannered, handsome, and gentle man, like… Pimpinone. This compliment causes the bachelor’s head to spin, and although aware that she is trying to manipulate him, he is already smitten. Vespetta succeeds, by flattery and promises of exemplary behavior, in obtaining the position. Pimpinone rejoices in his apparent good fortune. But Vespetta, feigning humility and respect, mocks him behind his back as they enter Pimpinone’s house.
Ino I
Queen Ino is fleeing her husband, King Athamas, who has been driven insane by the vengeful Saturnia, also called Juno, the queen of the gods. (The goddess was furious that Ino had reared Bacchus, the child of Juno’s husband Jupiter and Ino’s sister Semele.) Athamas has already killed his and Ino’s first-born son; she desperately tries to save Melicertes, their other son, carrying him over a rocky and inhospitable seacoast and expressing outrage at the injustice of Saturnia’s wrath. Ino presses on, trying to find a refuge, but she knows that Athamas is in close pursuit. To escape him, Ino leaps from a cliff into the sea with her son in her arms. Although the waves gently welcome Ino, she realizes that she has lost Melicertes during her fall. Devastated, she implores the gods of the sea to return her son to her. To her astonishment and gratitude, Melicertes appears atop the waves, lifted up by the tritons and nereids.
Pimpinone II
Vespetta, now in Pimpinone’s service, has established herself as an excellent and irreplaceable housekeeper. She begins the next steps in her marriage plan. Claiming that her sense of frugality is hurt by his unwise spending, she threatens to leave Pimpinone’s employ. Penitent, Pimpinone gives her the keys to the house’s safe and to pacify her, the rich bachelor presents her with valuable jewels as a token of his love. Vespetta still claims that she must leave because neighbors are chattering about the nature of their relationship. To stop
the gossip, Pimpinone offers to marry her under the condition that Vespetta would stay away from the opera, masquerades, and gambling…in short, that she should refrain from high living. Vespetta readily agrees to stay home, but points out that without a dowry, her status will still be that of a chambermaid. Pimpinone, eager to keep such a domestic pearl, offers an incredibly high dowry, but he requires that she should not leave the house and should not accept any visitors after the wedding celebration. Vespetta accepts these conditions and Pimpinone is in bliss contemplating their wedded future. With her dowry in hand, Vespetta marries Pimpinone.
Ino II
Ino and Melicertes are reunited. The gods of the sea accept both mother and son in their midst, elevating them to immortals. Their apotheosis as the goddess Leucothea and the god Palaemon are celebrated by trumpeting tritons and dancing nereids. Ino sees Neptune, monarch of the watery realms, appearing in his triumphant chariot, and she vows to thank him perpetually by her eternal presence as white foam on the waves.
Pimpinone III
Having become the mistress of the house, Vespetta has no intention of keeping her promises and frequently goes out. She is now preparing to attend a masked ball at her godmother’s house. This concerns Pimpinone, and he worries that the ladies there will make fun of him. When he reminds her of her vows of obedience, Vespetta laughs at her husband and claims her freedom as a married woman. Moreover, when Pimpinone also recalls her promise not to leave the house, she points out that she was then a maid, but now she is his wife. She tells of her desire to be just like all the other fashionable ladies by speaking French, dancing, dressing up in expensive clothes, and gambling. Overwhelmed, Pimpinone threatens her with physical punishment, but Vespetta promises to respond in kind. They insult each other and hurl promises of mayhem. Vespetta cows Pimpinone and reminds him that if they separated, he would have to give her control over her substantial dowry. Pimpinone, having fallen in love with his little wasp, ultimately agrees that going forward he will remain silent.
—Gilbert Blin