Domenico Cimarosa: HD The Secret Marriage (Il Matrimonio Segreto) is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick.
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| Domenico Cimarosa (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Carolina, the younger daughter of the wealthy merchant Geronimo, has secretly married her father's clerk, Paolino. The young couple discusses how to break the news to her family. Geronimo wants his daughters to marry into the aristocracy, but he has already arranged a marriage between his older daughter, Elisetta, and the Count Robinson, who hopes to gain money by marrying into the middle class. Carolina and Paolino hope that once one daughter has married into the aristocracy, Geronimo will be satisfied enough to bless their marriage.
When Count Robinson arrives, however, he is immediately smitten with Carolina. At the same time, Geronimo's widowed sister Fidalma tries to win Paolino's heart. The two must find a way to get out of these complications without revealing their secret marriage.
Act II
Count Robinson proposes to give up half of the proposed dowry in order to reject Elisabetta for Carolina. Geronimo, not caring which daughter marries into the aristocracy as long as someone does, agrees. Carolina tries to convince the Count that she is too uncultured to make a good wife, while the Count tries to persuade Elisetta, who still has her eye set on him, that he is an ugly drunk and would make a terrible husband.
Fidalma, recognizing that something is going on between Carolina and Paolino, convinces Geronimo to send Carolina to a nunnery. Paolino and Carolina decide to escape together, but Elisetta, overhearing a man in her sister's room and thinking it to be the Count, raises an alarm. Geronimo and Fidalma arrive and demand that the Count come out; he does, but from his own room, heightening the confusion. Carolina and Paolino emerge and confess that they are married. Seeing that he cannot have Carolina, but still wishing to marry into wealth, the Count agrees to marry Elisetta after all and convinces Geronimo to forgive the young couple.
