I DUE TIMIDI /THE TWO TIMID ONES

an opera by Nino Rota

Practical Studies Seminar of the State Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” – Sofia and the Stara Zagora State Opera

Director Ognyan Draganov
Conductors Viktor Krumov and Miroslav Georgiev
Scenography Ventsislav Petrov
Costumes Teodora Dzhambazova
Assistant Director Denis Boyadzhiev
Chief Accompanist Evelina Stanchovska
Vittorio (a cobbler / a story-teller – Lyuben Baychinski
Mariuccia (a pianist) – Anastasia Altukhova, Svetlozara Koynarska
Raimondo – Stoyan Buyukliev
Signora Guidotti (an owner of a boarding house) – Vaso Paraskeva, Milena Gemedzhieva
Dr. Sinisgalli – Kostadin Yakshev
Mariuccia’s mother – Ivona Ivanova, Milena Gemedzhieva
Lucia (a chambermaid) – Andzhela Geleva, Simona Todorova
Maria (a chambermaid) – Maria-Magdalena Nedkova, Lora Radeva
Lisa (a nurse) – Anna Yankova, Merriam Schams
A bellboy in the hotel – Tomas Tomov

Chamber Orchestra of the Stara Zagora State Opera

University students and teachers from the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”

NINO ROTA – Giovanni Rota Rinaldi was born on 3 December 1911 in Milan and died on 10 April 1979 in Rome. He wrote film music. The most popular one is his score for the film “The Leopard”.

The one-act comic opera “I due timidi” was created as a radio production in 1950. Its first performance on air was realized on 15 November 1950 conducted by Maestro Franco Ferrara. Its first opera production was in the London “Scala Club Theater” on 17 March 1952. There followed productions in  Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari and Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo /respectively on 18 January 1971 and 23 October 1972/.  The one-act comic opera was written based on the text by Suso Cecchi D’Amico under the title “I due timidi” (The Two Timid Ones). The action takes place in a small quarter in the suburbs of a modern city in the middle of the last century.

Short summary

In the yard there is a small cobble’s workshop, a small room for the porter, and inside it hosts the Guidotti Boarding House, the apartment of Mariuccia and the surgery of Dr. Sinisgalli. At the sunrise of dawn this yard becomes alive with interesting characters – the Cobbler Vittorio, an ironic observer of all which happens, the three young women Maria, Lucia and Lisa, who comment kindly, but with derision, on the events stirring the yard; the porter Vittorio, who cannot refuse yet another favor of buying a liter milk for Lucia. Mariuccia is a pianist. Her piano exercises do not appeal to their “listeners”, but everyone is kind to her. This is one of the characteristic features of the society there – the obligatory ethics, alas, not always sincere.

Mariuccia is in love, for the first time in her life, with Raimondo, the lad she met last year and they fell in love with each other truly and profoundly. For a whole year Raimondo, in love and a dreamer, goes round the Boarding House, but cannot find the courage to confess to Mariuccia how much he loves her.

Mariuccia too for a whole year deeply dreams of revealing her love for him. She talks to him when she is alone, pensive and entirely devoted to the intense impossible love. At last, Raimondo decides to look for a room in the Boarding House in order to be near his beloved. There happens the “unpredictable” evil which puts an end to the love destiny of these two timid, pure in soul young people. Raimondo goes to the window in order have a glimpse of Mariuccia, the blind falls down on his head and he loses consciousness. Unrest and distress spread among the occupants of the yard. Mariuccia faints and stays unconscious when she learns that Raimondo is wounded, and even maybe has died.

The Doctor rushes in to save both of them, who in their sleep tell of their magnificent, pure, humble love: Raimindo to the middle-aged blonde Landlady – Mrs Guidotti, while Mariuccia to Doctor Sinisgalli.  A mistake which costs too much to the dear Timid lovers.  This is what the two lonely gentlemen have been waiting for and they stay to the end and watch sleeplessly over this “love”, so that Raimondo and Maruccia cannot meet.

Raimondo marries the middle-aged blonde landlady, and Maruccia marries the Doctor. What humbleness! A tragic end to one first, innocent, tender, dreamed-filled Love. Time passes by – Mariuccia has two little children, while Raimondo runs sternly the Guidotti Boarding House. Mariuccia is no longer as good-looking as she used to be, has neither the time nor the money for that, and for that matter rarely plays the piano.  But, when Raimondo hears the sounds which he loved so dearly, he protests in a loud voice, but Mariuccia slams the windows angrily… And two of the young women in the yard marry the Cobbler and Porter Vittorio.