The hapless fish merchant Mendoza, wooing the woman he thinks is the rich and beautiful Louisa. Actually she’s Louisa’s poor, ugly yet very savvy Nanny
Everything about this has a joke, including the title, in Prokofiev’s romantic opera, composed between 1940-46 and completed in Almaty, Kazakstan. It’s a nod to the Italian influence on Russian opera, with the plot involving Don Jerome, who intends his daughter Louisa to marry the vain, wealthy and ugly fish merchant Mendoza. However, she loves instead Antonio, who is poor, though noble in spirit. Furthermore, Don Ferdinand, son of Don Jerome and prone to fits of jealousy, wants to marry Clara d’Almanza, who is a virtual prisoner of her stepmother. It’s the Italian classic story of being married off for financial gain rather than for true love.
The two love-sick women run away, of course…and therein lies the tale. But which will ultimately triumph – love,or money? The Mariinsky’s stage performance based this in 17th century Italy, yet accompanied by music written by a Russian from 200 years in the future. It works.
Ferdinand, with his love Clara, who runs away to a Monastery before they are reconciled.
Clara prays with the Nuns for an end to her love turmoil
Mendoza accepts the Nanny as his love, despite the fact he’s been tricked into marrying her.
Nanny (centre, Nadezhda Vassileva), with the randy old yet rich goat Mendoza (Gennady Bezzubenkov) she marries to her right, with Clara (Yulia Matochkina) and Ferdinand (Vladislav Sulimsky), and on her left, Don Jerome (Vasily Gorshkov), Louisa (Karina Chepurnova) and Don Antonio (Stanislav Leontiev)
Antonio’s love aria to Louisa can be heard here.