Susanna’s Secret

Susanna’s Secret or Il segreto di Susanna is an intermezzo in one act by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to an Italian libretto by Enrico Golisciani.

The original text

The opera premiered in 1909.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1953: Presented by the South African College of Music together with the Rhodesian Music Societies and the UCT Opera Company on a tour of Southern Rhodesia between 4 and 21 February 1953 in four towns: Umtali, Salisbury, Gwelo and Bulawayo. With Nellie du Toit, Noreen Berry, Jeanette Schatz, Ernest Dennis. Produced by Gregorio Fiasconaro and conducted by Erik Chisholm.

1963: Presented by PACT Opera.

1971: Presented by PACOFS Opera.

1972: Presented by NAPAC Opera; presented by PACOFS Opera.

1975: Presented by CAPAB Opera.

2011: Presented by Black Tie Ensemble at the Brooklyn Theatre (production sponsored by The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF)). Director - Marcus Desando, Repetitor - Susan Steenkamp-Swanepoel and Willem Luitingh, Costume coordinator - Bronwen Lovegrove, Set Designer - Arnold Cloete, Stage Manager - Itumeleng Tladi. With Caroline Nkwe (Contessa Susanna), Thabang Senekal (Count Gil), Elias Moss (Sante).

Sources

Alexandra Xenia Sabina Mossolow. 2003. The career of South African soprano Nellie du Toit, born 1929. Unpublished Masters thesis. University of Stellenbosch.

Antoinette Johanna Olivier. 2014. 'Exploring contributions to opera by The Black Tie Ensemble: a historical case study'. Mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master‟s in Music at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University.