From our archives

La pietra del paragone, melodramma giocoso in two acts to a libretto by Luigi Romanelli, was first performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 26th September 1812. The singers in the first performances were Maria Marcolini (Clarice), Carolina Zerbini (Aspasia), Orsola Fei (Fulvia), Filippo Galli (Asdrubale), Claudio Bonoli (Giocondo), Antonio Parlamagni (Macrobio), Pietro Vasoli (Pacuvio), Paolo Rossignoli (Fabrizio). The autograph of the score - almost complete - and the separate autograph of the Sinfonia are preserved in the Casa Ricordi Archive in Milan.

At the 2002 Festival, the opera was staged by Pier Luigi Pizzi, with Carlo Rizzi conducting the Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Prague Chamber Choir. The cast included Carmen Oprisanu (Marchesa Clarice), Laura Brioli (Baronessa Aspasia), Patrizia Biccirè (Donna Fulvia), Marco Vinco (Conte Asdrubale), Raul Giménez (Cavalier Giocondo), Pietro Spagnoli (Macrobio), Bruno de Simone (Pacuvio) e Dariusz Machej (Fabrizio). The performance was revived in 2017 under the direction of Daniele Rustioni, on the podium of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and the Coro Ventidio Basso.  The cast included Aya Wakizono (Marchesa Clarice), Aurora Faggioli (Baronessa Aspasia), Marina Monzó (Donna Fulvia), Gianluca Margheri (Conte Asdrubale), Maxim Mironov (Cavalier Giocondo), Davide Luciano (Macrobio), Paolo Bordogna (Pacuvio) and William Corrò (Fabrizio).