78. La Fanciulla del West

First performance: 10 December 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.
Cast: Emmy Destinn (Minnie), Pasquale Amato (Rance), Enrico Caruso (Johnson), Albert Reiss (Nick), Adamo Didur (Ashby), Dinh Gilly (Sonora), Marie Mattfeld (Wowkle); conductor: Arturo Toscanini.

Italian première after the early revisions: 12 June 1911 at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome.
Cast: Eugenia Burzio (Minnie), Pasquale Amato (Rance), Amedeo Bassi (Johnson), Luigi Cilla (Nick), Benedetto Challis (Ashby), Ramon Blanchart (Sonora), Elvira Leveroni (Wowkle); conductor: Arturo Toscanini.

First performance with the additional revisions in Act 1: 29 December 1912 at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Cast: Ernestina Poli-Randaccio (Minnie), Carlo Galeffi (Rance), Giovanni Martinelli (Johnson); conductor: Tullio Serafin.

First performance with the new end of the duet in Act 2: 9 September 1923 at the Teatro Politeama, Viareggio. Cast: Giulia Tess (Minnie), Domenico Viglione Borghese (Rance), Carmelo Alabiso (Johnson); conductor: Giacomo Armani.

Minnie (Soprano)
Jack Rance, sceriffo (Bass)
Dick Johnson (Ramerrez) (Tenor)
Ashby, agente della Compagnia di trasporti Wells Fargo (Bass) Sonora, minatore (Baritone)
Trin, minatore (Tenor)
Sid, minatore (Baritone)
Bello, minatore (Baritone)
Harry, minatore (Tenor)
Joe, minatore (Tenor)
Happy, minatore (Baritone)
Larkens, minatore (Bass)
Billy Jackrabbit, indiano pellirosse (Bass)
Wowkle, la donna indiana di Billy (Mezzo-soprano)
Jack Wallace, cantastorie girovago (Baritone)
José Castro, meticcio, della banda di Ramerrez (Bass)
Un postiglione (Tenor)

Chorus: Tenor, Baritone, Bass.

Piccolo, 3 Flutes, 3 Oboes, English horn, 3 Clarinets, Bass clarinet, 3 Bassoons, Contra-bassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Bass trombone, 2 Harps, Celesta, Glockenspiel, Timpani, Bass drum, Cymbals, Drum, Triangle, Tam-tam, Strings; Backstage: Tubular bells, Wind machine, Harp, Fonica.Note: *This special instrument was constructed to Puccini’s specifications. It sounds similar to a vibraphone (see the explanation in Girardi 1995, Italian edition, p. 307 footnote 50.