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Theatre of the Warsaw Chamber Opera

Alessandro Stradella / David Pountney

La Serenata de’ delitti

Libretto | David Pountney i Delia Casadei

Creative Team

Musical Director | Andrea De Carlo
Direction | David Pountney
Scenography | Robert Innes Hopkins
Costumes | Marie-Jeanne Lecca

Assistant Conductor | Miłosz Korpol

Cast

The Choir of The Warsaw Chamber Opera

Choir Master | Alexander Ebert

Period Instrument Orchestra of The Warsaw Chamber Opera
Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense (MACV)

Conductor | Andrea De Carlo

“La Serenata de’ Delitti” – a crime opera

Alessandro Stradella was a composer whose music captivated audiences. He also possessed an extraordinary talent for seduction, improvisation and escaping even the most difficult situations. His story begins in Rome, where two judges are troubled by the consequences of their own sins. Disguised as a priest, Stradella convinces one of them that, for a sufficiently generous payment, he can regain his peace of mind and obtain absolution. By morning, the money has vanished—and so has the composer.

In Venice, Stradella becomes the singing teacher of Lucilla, the young mistress of the powerful Monsignore Bisato. Their lessons soon become an excuse for meetings the Monsignore must never witness. Teacher and pupil fall in love and plan their escape, using music to distract the household. Their deception is discovered, however. The Monsignore’s servants catch Stradella, beat him brutally and leave him severely wounded, convinced that he will not survive.

The composer escapes with his life, but his rescue comes at a price. In Naples, the man who provided him with shelter, care and medical assistance demands repayment of the debt. He gives Stradella a seemingly impossible task: to find him a virtuous wife from the highest ranks of society who will secure his social position and open the doors to the great world. Stradella responds with another carefully constructed deception. He assumes the identity of a mysterious and seductive lady, creating an illusion to which his benefactor readily succumbs.

The final part of the story takes place in Genoa. Stradella is involved with Zenobia, who is deeply in love with him, but her devotion gradually begins to bore him. He is far more interested in Despina, his beloved’s young maid. When Zenobia discovers his betrayal, her love turns into fury and a desire for revenge. She seeks the help of her powerful father, who sentences the composer to death. This time, Stradella’s ingenuity, charm and gift for escape may no longer be enough to protect him from the consequences of his actions.

“La Serenata de’ Delitti” tells the story of an artist whose ingenuity knew no bounds and whose untamed desire for freedom, adventure and love repeatedly drew him into danger. Four Italian cities, a succession of disguises, romances and increasingly risky schemes create a vivid tale in which comedy gradually takes on darker tones and moves towards a criminal finale.

Music drawn from Alessandro Stradella’s works gives the story its pace and emotional intensity—from flirtation, mischievous humour and situational comedy to jealousy, fury, revenge and the threat of death. The production presents a protagonist full of contradictions: a brilliant composer, seducer, swindler and master of disguise who repeatedly played with fate until he ultimately became a victim of his own passions.