Anna Girò

Anna Girò (also Girrò or Giraud) (c. 1710—c. 1748 or later), also known as l'Annina del Prete Rosso, la Nina del Prete Rosso, or l'Annina della Pietà, was the stage name of Anna Maria(?) Maddalena Tessieri (or Tesieri, Teseire or Testeiré), an Italian mezzo-soprano/contralto of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her numerous collaborations with composer Antonio Vivaldi who wrote operatic roles for her. She is the singer who performed the greatest number of Vivaldi's operas, the one who kept them in her repertoire the longest time and who made them known across the largest geographical area.

Early life and career Mantua Girò was born in Mantua in 1710 or a few years earlier. She was the daughter of a wig maker of French descent called Pietro, whose surname Giraud was made into Girò in italian and passed onto the offspring in its italianized graphy. Her mother was Bartolomea, widow of Giacomo Trevisan. Still very young, Girò made her debut in Treviso in 1723 and in Venice in 1724. She first sang roles en travesti and soon female roles followed. With her musical and acting talents she conquered the Venetian Opera Stage in a single year.

Meeting Vivaldi Girò may have become acquainted with Vivaldi during his time in Mantua between 1718 and 1720. She was then an aspiring young singer and she may have been his student there. an "orphanage-cum-conservatoire where he was composer in residence". Vivaldi had recently been promoted to the specially created office of Maestro de' Concerti and was in charge of the Figlie di Choro (the musicians), the élite of the Pietà. It is not clear though how Girò was enrolled for the Pietà was "a home for abandoned and unwanted babies, not (as is often stated) a convent or a school for girls". (Vivaldi wrote many works for the girls of this establishment (and of course when Girò was a student there), including, for instance, the Kyrie RV587, the Dixit RV594, the Domine RV593 etc.).

Dorilla in Tempe Dorilla in Tempe, which premiered at the Teatro Sant' Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726, was the first opera by Vivaldi to include Girò in its cast. In this opera she sings the role of Eudamia, the seconda donna. The arias written for her by Vivaldi were made to fit her singing abilities perfectly. For Girò – who will go through thick and thin with him for a long time – he gives priority to sincerity over virtuosity. The captivating aria "Al mio amore il tuo risponda" from act 1, scene 8, which she would have performed for the first time here, would be included in other future operas. The plaintive "Il povero mio core"from act 3, scene 4 🎼, although interpreted by Angela Capuano as Dorilla at the premiere, was reprised by Girò as an aria di baule that she would sing throughout her career. (The arie di baule or "suitcase arias" are an integral part of the traveling singers' luggage. They had them ready at every opportunity.)

Repertoire

The first two pages of the aria "La figlia, lo sposo" written specifically for Girò. This aria concludes the second act of Vivaldi's Motezuma. The music of Motezuma was thought to have been lost in its entirety, but fragments of it, among which this aria, were discovered in 2002 in the archive of the music library of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin.

Performances in chronological order +YearCityWorkComposerRoleMale / female rolePremiere or revivalAdditional notes1723TrevisoLa ninfa infelice e fortunataGiuseppe Boniventi. (Completed by Giacomo Maccari and Antonio Vivaldi) Mpremierethumb|centre|upright=2.1|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1723 Treviso premiere of La Ninfa Infelice e Fortunata. Girò made her debut in this pastoral opera. She played the role of "Mirtillo, pastore amante di Filli" (Mirtillo, shepherd in love with Filli) as "La Sig. Anna Giro di Mantova" (Miss Anna Girò from Mantua). Her first professional role was en travesti.1724VeniceLaodiceTomaso AlbinoniClistene Mpremiere1724VeniceIl nemico amanteGiuseppe Maria Buini, Fortunato Chelleri, Idalma Mpremierethumb|centre|upright=2.6|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1726 production of Giovanni Porta's Agide, Re di Sparta. Girò appears under the role of "Filoastro, Principe amante di Antianira, Capitano delle guardie reali" (Filoastro, Prince in love with Antianira, Captain of the royal guards) as "La Sig. Anna Girò Mantovana" (Ms Anna Girò, Mantuan). This is another breeches role for Girò. Giovanni Porta's name appears preceded by (by the famous).1725VeniceLi sdegni cangiati in amoreGiuseppe Maria BuiniEvanco Mpremiere1726VeniceDorilla in TempeAntonio VivaldiEudamiaFpremierethumb|centre|upright=2|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1726 premiere of Vivaldi's Dorilla in Tempe. Girò appears under the role of "Eudamia, ninfa amante non corrisposta d'Elmiro" (Eudamia, nymph, feeling unrequited love for Elmiro). Vivaldi's name appears preceded by (by the famous).1726VeniceMedea e GiasoneFrancesco BrusaIsifile Fpremiere1727VeniceFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFpremiere1727MilanTamerlanoGiovanni Antonio GiaìIrene Fpremiere1727VeniceOrlando FuriosoAntonio VivaldiAlcinaFpremiere1728VeniceRosilena ed OrontaAntonio VivaldiOronta Fpremierethumb|centre|upright=1.9|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1728 premiere of Vivaldi's Rosilena ed Oronta at the Sant'Angelo Theatre in Venice. This (musical drama) was put together for the Carnival. Girò sings "Oronta, Reina vedova d'Armenia" (Oronta, widowed Queen of Armenia), a seconda donna role. Vivaldi had already written a prima donna role for her in Farnace (Tamiri) the year before. But Oronta, if not a prima donna role, is still one of the title characters.1728VeniceGl'odi delusi dal sangueBaldassare Galuppi and Giovanni Battista Pescetti. (Galuppi wrote the music for acts 1 and 3, whilst Pescetti wrote the music for act 2.)Evandro Mpremierethumb|centre|upright=1.8|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1728 premier of Gallupi's and Pescetti's Gl'Odj Delusi dal Sangue. Girò is once again playing a role en travesti: "Evandro, creduto figlio d'Oreste poi scoperto figlio di Mezenzio, amante di Turia" (Evandro, thought to be Oreste's son, then revealed to be Mezenzio's son, in love with Tiria).1728BolognaTeodoricoGiuseppe Maria Buini Clotilde Frevivalthumb|centre|upright=1.9|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1729 production of Leonardo Vinci's Catone in Utica in Florence. Girò is listed under the role of "Emilia, vedova di Pompeo" (Emilia, widow of Pompey) as "La Signora Anna Girò di Venezia" (Ms Anna Girò from Venice). In this production Girò is reprising a female role which was created the year before by the castrato Giovanni Ossi ("Il Sig. Giovanni Ossi, virtuoso di S.E. il Sig. prencipe Borghese"). 1730MilanEzioLuca Antonio Predieri (?)Onoria Fpremiere1730VeniceDalisaJohann Adolf HasseEdita FpremiereGirò shared the stage with two stars: Faustina Hasse (Bordoni) and Angelo Amorevoli.1731TurinEzioRiccardo BroschiOnoriaFpremierethumb|centre|upright=1.9|Frontispiece and cast from the libretto of the 1731 production of Riccardo Broschi's Ezio in Turin. Girò is listed under the role of "Onoria, sorella di Valentiniano, amante occulta d'Ezio" (Onoria, Valentiniano's sister, secretly in love with Ezio) as "La Signora Anna Girò Veneziana" (Ms Anna Girò, Venetian). In this production Girò shares the stage with a star-studded cast: the soprano castrato Farinelli, the mezzo-soprano Faustina Hasse (Bordoni), the bass Antonio Montagnana, the tenor Angiolo Amorevoli, all of whom sing in cities and capitals all over Europe.1731TurinPoroNicola PorporaErissena FpremiereThis production had the exact same star-studded cast as Riccardo Broschi's Ezio, produced also in Turin in 1731.1731PaviaFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFrevival1732MantuaSemiramideAntonio VivaldiSemiramideFpremiere1732MantuaFarnaceAntonio VivaldiTamiriFrevival1733VeniceMotezumaAntonio VivaldiMitraneFpremiere1734VeronaLucio Papirio dittatoreGeminiano GiacomelliPapiria Frevivalrole originally created by Faustina Bordini in 1729 1734VeronaArsaceGiuseppe Maria OrlandiniStatiraFrevival1735VeronaL'AdelaideAntonio VivaldiAdelaide Fpremierethumb|centre|upright=2.5|Frontispiece, cast, and Adelaide's aria (act 1, scene 16) from the libretto of Vivaldi's opera . The role of "Adelaide, Vedova di Lontario, Reina d'Italia" (Lontario's widow, Queen of Italy) was created by Girò in 1735 at the Carnaval in Verona. Text of the aria: "You are much too easy to believe, Warrior. Every hour this pale face of yours, this trembling gait show you coward and false. In my chest there is a tenacious heart. Do you want to see how strong it is? You ruthless and haughty one!". Like almost the entire opera L'Adelaide, the music to this aria is lost.1735VeronaTamerlano aka BajazetAntonio VivaldiAsteriaFpremierepasticcio1735VeniceGriseldaAntonio VivaldiGriseldaFpremierethumb|centre|upright=2.7|Frontispiece, cast and the famous scene 7, act 1 from the libretto of the 1735 original production of Vivaldi's Griselda. Originally, Vivaldi considered the opera's subject to be too "plebeian" for the Venetian theatres. In the end, Griselda turned into a vehicle for Girò (for whom Vivaldi composed the title role). The libretto, written by Carlo Goldoni, was a subject of tension between the playwright and the composer. One of the points of contention was Vivaldi's incessant requests for Goldoni to revise the text again and again to make it fit Girò's vocal limitations. Text of scene 12 which concludes act 1: (Griselda is alone) "Unfortunate Griselda! What is there left for me to fear? Ah! I wish I could, but I do not see any reason to hope. The Stars are all against me: abandoned, betrayed, scorned. I have forever lost my peace, and solace. Ah, Cruel Destiny! My Son! My Spouse! My heart already torn to pieces by innumerable pains, pitiless people. All conspire against me. I wish I could hide, I wish I could flee. The lightening sky frightens me. I am becoming numb by this excruciating pain. I have no more tears. I have no more voice. I cannot even cry. I cannot even talk." 🎼1736FlorenceCesare in EgittoGeminiano GiacomelliCornelia Fnew settingre-arranged by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini and later by Antonio Vivaldi1736FlorenceGinevra principessa di ScoziaAntonio VivaldiGinevraFpremiere1737FerraraDemetrioJohann Adolph HasseCleonice Frevival1737FerraraAlessandro nell'IndieAntonio Vivaldi and Johann Adolph HasseCleofideFpasticcio based on Johann Adolph Hasse's music or new setting by Hasse (?)1737VeronaCatone in UticaAntonio VivaldiMarziaFpremiere1738VeniceL'oracolo in MesseniaAntonio VivaldiMeropeFpremiere1738VeniceArmida al campo d'EgittoAntonio VivaldiArmida Frevised version1738VeniceRosmiraAntonio VivaldiRosmira

Vivaldi's and Girò's professional collaboration in figures

(Based on the information available to us – see above table)

1. From their first premiere together to their last: 12 years span 14 original productions (including premieres). i.e. 14 roles written by Vivaldi specifically for Girò. 2. From their first show together to their last: 15 years span 22 productions (including revivals and revised versions) 3. Their collaboration represents 15 years out of: 21 years (Girò). (length of her career whilst Vivaldi was alive) 18 years (Vivaldi) (length of his opera career whilst Girò was active professionally) 4. Their partnership lasted until the very death of the composer in 1741, or very close to it.

This sort of long and fruitful professional collaboration is unheard of concerning Vivaldi. And generally speaking, it was rather uncommon. For instance, Senesino, whom we consider as closely associated with George Frideric Handel for the many famous operas they collaborated on, spent 13 years working with Handel, out of 33 years (length of his career whilst Handel was alive). Together they created 16 roles and collaborated on 3 revivals. Finally, they stopped their partnership 7 years before the death of the composer.

Private life With the exception of Alderano Cybo-Malaspina, Duke of Massa and Carrara (who in 1725, through Vivaldi, gave her money for the purchase of a harpsichord), Girò seems to have always worked without depending on patrons. )

In 1741, on his way to Vienna where he wished to take up the position of a composer in the imperial court, Vivaldi may have stopped in Graz to see Girò, and she likely went with him on his journey.

All'Ospedale della Pietà In 2008, Susan Orlando – director of the Vivaldi Edition for Naïve/Opus 111 – writes in The Guardian: "From 1703 to 1735, Vivaldi ... played the role of music master and composer to the young girls living at La Pietà. Imagining Vivaldi ... in a role of both authority and intimacy among these vulnerable young women, has seduced writers and film-makers into fantasising about the erotic potential of the scenario. It is easy to imagine a libidinous red-haired priest exploiting the privileges of the cloth, in an institution that even 17th- and 18th-century visitors described with thinly veiled salaciousness. ... [But with regard to] illicit affairs, we have nothing to go on." In the 2006 French fictional drama Antonio Vivaldi, Un Prince à Venise directed by Jean-Louis Guillermou, Girò is played by actress Annette Schreiber and her sister is played by actress Diana Fertikh.

Books (fiction)

Romijn, André (2007) Hidden Harmonies The Secret Life of Antonio Vivaldi. Roman House Publishers Ltd. Bruce Kelly, Sarah (2009) The Red Priest's Annina: A Novel of Vivaldi and Anna Girò. Bel Canto Press.

Discography Many roles once sung or created by Girò have been interpreted and recorded by mezzo-sopranos, contraltos or countertenors. The musical links below (🎼) will take you to audio recordings of some of Girò's arias that survived the centuries. Vinci. Catone in Utica Emilia: Vince Yi. Riccardo Minasi, Il pomo d'oro. Decca 01588194. 2015. 🎼 Vivaldi. Armida all Campo d'Egitto Armida: Sara Mingardo. Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano. Naïve/Opus111 OP30492. 2010 🎼 Vivaldi. Atenaide Pulcheria: Guillemette Laurens. Federico Maria Sardelli, Modo Antiquo. Naïve/Opus111 Vivaldi Edition OP30438. 2007 🎼 Vivaldi. Bajazet Asteria: Marijana Mijanović. Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante. Virgin VCDW 545676-2. 2005 🎼 Vivaldi. Catone in Utica Marzia: Liliana Faraon. Jean-Claude Malgoire. La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy. Dynamic 403/1-2. 2002 🎼 Vivaldi. Catone in Utica Marzia: Sonia Prina. Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco. Naïve OP30545. 2013 🎼 Vivaldi. Dorilla in Tempe. Eudamia: Consuelo Caroli. Gilbert Bezzina, Ensemble Baroque de Nice. Pierre Verany PV794092. 1994 🎼 Vivaldi. Dorilla in Tempe. Eudamia: Sonia Prina. Diego Fasolis, I Barocchisti. Opus111/Naïve. OP30560. 2017 🎼 Vivaldi. Farnace Tamiri: Ruxandra Donose. Diego Fasolis, I Barocchisti. Virgin Classics 2011 🎼 Vivaldi. Farnace Tamiri: Sara Mingardo. Jordi Savall, Le Concert Des Nations. Opus111/Naïve. OP30471. 2009 🎼 Vivaldi. Griselda Griselda: Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Ensemble Mattheus. Opus111/Naïve OP30419. 2006 🎼 Vivaldi. Griselda Griselda: Caitlin Hulcup. Erin Helyard, Orchestra of the Antipodes. Pinchgut Live PG002. 2011 🎼 Vivaldi. Griselda Griselda: Marion Newman. Kevin Mallon, Aradia Ensemble. Naxos 8.660211-13. 2008 🎼 Vivaldi. Motezuma Mitrena: Marijana Mijanović. Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco. DG-Archiv 477 599–6. 2006 🎼 Vivaldi. Orlando furioso. Alcina: Jennifer Larmore. Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Ensemble Mattheus. Opus111/Naïve OP30393. 2004 🎼 Vivaldi. Orlando furioso. Alcina: Marina de Liso. Federico Maria Sardelli, Modo Antiquo. cpo 777095-2. 2008 🎼 Vivaldi. Rosmira Rosmira: Marianna Pizzolato. Gilbert Bezzina, Ensemble Baroque de Nice. Dynamic CDS437/1-3. 2003 🎼 La Ninfa Infelice e Fortunata. This pasticcio is likely to have reused a number of arias from Vivaldi's La Verità in Cimento. It marked the operatic debut of Girò. Frédéric Delaméa writes in the liner notes to the Naïve/Opus 111 recording of La Verità in Cimento (OP 30365. 2003) that it "bears the stamp" of Vivaldi.