Camilla (Bononcini)

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Camilla (Bononcini) is a baroque opera that first reached London’s Drury Lane on 30 April 1706. The libretto came from Il Trionfo di Camilla, regina de’ Volsci by Silvio Stampiglia, translated into English verse by Owen Swiny, Peter Motteux, or others. The music was credited to Giovanni Bononcini, with possible involvement by his brother Marc Antonio; the London version was adapted by Nicola Haym.

It was the first London opera sung in a mix of English and Italian, and it featured the famous castrato Nicolò Grimaldi (Nicolini). Three separate London productions ran from 1706 to 1728, totaling about 111 or 112 performances, making it one of the era’s most popular works after The Beggar’s Opera.

The story loosely follows the mythic Camilla from Virgil’s Aeneid. Key characters include Camilla (heiress to the Volscians, in disguise as Dorinda), Prenesto (prince of Latium), Latinus (king of Latium), Lavinia (Latinus’s daughter), Turnus (king of the Rutuli, in disguise as Armidoro), Metius (Camilla’s confidant), Linco (Camilla’s servant), Tullia (Lavinia’s maid), and a Hunter.

Plot overview:
- Act I: Camilla, disguised as a shepherdess, aims to overthrow King Latinus. Prenesto is saved from a boar by Camilla and falls for her. Lavinia shelters Turnus in the palace. Prenesto gives Camilla access to Latinus’s entourage as she schemes with Metius.
- Act II: Love and political plots deepen. Camilla swears revenge and incites the people. Turnus tries to influence Lavinia, offering her poison and a dagger; Latinus learns Turnus’s true identity and accepts him as a son-in-law.
- Act III: Latinus and Turnus join against Camilla. Lavinia’s maid reveals Camilla’s true identity. Prenesto frees Camilla; despite the feud, he loves her. A banquet uprising wins, and Camilla and Prenesto marry, ending the feud.

The McSwiney and Haym version cut much of the recitative to suit English audiences, though early performances were entirely English, and sections were later sung in Italian to accommodate foreign singers. The original cast included Catherine Tofts as Camilla, Joanna Maria Lindelheim as Lavinia, Holcomb as Prenesto, Hughs as Turnus, and others; from December 1707 the cast shifted to a mix of languages. Turnus was later sung by Valentino Urbani, Lavinia by Lindelheim, and Prenesto by Margherita de l’Épine. A 1709 revival saw Nicolini Grimaldi take over Prenesto, with Catherine Tofts remaining Camilla; the season opened with nine performances, followed by 21 the next year and 14 the year after.

The opera was revived several times with Bononcini’s original score in 1717, 1719, and 1726–28. Its popularity led to five editions of the libretto published by Jacob Tonson in 1726. It was also performed at court for Queen Anne’s birthday in February 1707. The original Italian version by Stampiglia and Bononcini premiered in Naples on 27 December 1696, and the libretto was used in many productions before 1767. Bononcini’s score was used in many of these, while other composers such as Leo, Vinci (Parma 1725), and Porpora contributed 38 additional settings.