Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 – 1736)

La serva padrona

20 September 2025

Intermezzo per musica
Libretto by Gennaro Federico after the play by Jacopo Angello Nelli.
First performed on 05. September 1733 in the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples.

The performance will also include arie antiche by (or attributed to) Pergolesi.



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Synopsis

Premiered in Naples on 28 August 1733 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples, La Serva Padrona quickly secured its place in history as the first great example of opera buffa—comic opera. Originally conceived as a brief intermezzo between the acts of Pergolesi’s opera seria Il Prigionier Superbo, this light-hearted work soon outshone its parent piece, charming audiences with its wit, elegance, and concise theatrical brilliance.

The story unfolds in two lively acts. Uberto, weary of Serpina’s increasingly presumptuous behaviour, decides it is time to find a wife. Serpina, however, has other plans. Enlisting the silent Vespone, she concocts a ruse involving a fictitious suitor—Captain Tempesta—who demands a dowry under threat of violence. Flustered and afraid, Uberto agrees to marry Serpina to escape the fabricated threat. In the end, affection triumphs over trickery, as both characters come to recognise the love that has long simmered beneath their quarrels.

With music that sparkles with charm and character, Pergolesi captures both the comic spirit and tender humanity of his figures. La Serva Padrona remains a jewel of the operatic repertoire—elegant in form, vivid in feeling, and timeless in its appeal.

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Information

Performances:

Saturday 20. September 2020
16:00 | Amstelveld, Amsterdam

Sunday 16. November 2025
16:00 | Orpheus, Apeldoorn

Saturday 22. November 2025
time tba | Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Sunday 23. November 2025
15:00 | NehPho Koepel, Amsterdam

Saturday 29. November 2025
time tba | Amare, The Hague

A collaboration with the Classical Department, Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Production in association with Klassiek op het Amstelveld.

Creative team

Christina Domnick
conductor  (20.09; 16. & 23.11.2026)

Isaac Lam
conductor (22. & 29. November)

Rennik-Jan Neggers
director & design

Isaac Lam
continuo

With a string ensemble from the Classical Department, Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Cast

Román Bordón/ Jaap van der Wel
Uberto, an old man

Aimee Kearney/ Clarisse Planchais
Serpina, his maid

Jaap van der Wel/tba
Vespone, his servant

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Tickets

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The closing date for applications to join the programme in Autumn 2026 is Sunday 11. January 2026.

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