page_title: Anna Girò
section_title: Dorilla in Tempe
hierarchical_section_title: Anna Girò / Early life and career / Dorilla in Tempe
caption_attribution_description: First two pages of Vivaldi's aria "La figlia, lo sposo", at the end of Act II of Motezuma.
context_page_description: Anna Girò, also known as l'Annina del Prete Rosso, la Nina del Prete Rosso, or l'Annina della Pietà, was the stage name of Anna Maria Maddalena Tessieri, an Italian mezzo-soprano/contralto of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her numerous collaborations with composer Antonio Vivaldi who wrote operatic roles for her. She is the singer who performed the greatest number of Vivaldi's operas, the one who kept them in her repertoire the longest time and who made them known across the largest geographical area.
context_section_description: Dorilla in Tempe, which premiered at the Teatro Sant' Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726, was the first opera by Vivaldi to include Anna Girò in its cast. In this opera she sings the role of Eudamia, the seconda donna. The arias written for her by Vivaldi were made to fit her singing abilities perfectly. (Her voice was not strong, but she was attractive and acted well). For Anna - who will go through thick and thin with him for a long time - he gives priority to sincerity over virtuosity. The captivating aria “Al mio amore il tuo risponda” from Act I, Scene VIII 🎼, which she would have been performing for the first time here, will be included in other operas. (With Vivaldi nothing goes to waste, everything is recycled).
   The plaintive “Il povero mio core” from Act III, Scene IV 🎼, although interpreted by Angela Capuano as Dorilla at the premiere, will be reprised by Anna Girò as an aria di baule that she will sing throughout her career. (The arie di baule or "suitcase arias" are an integral part of the traveling singers' luggage. They had them ready at every opportunity.)Dorilla in Tempe was well received and became especially popular with its choirs and ballets - rarities in Vivaldi's operas. It also became one of Vivaldi's personal favorites.
  Anna appeared in nearly all his operas after that.
caption: The first two pages of the aria "La figlia, lo sposo" 🎼 written specifically for Anna Girò. This aria concludes the second act of Vivaldi's Motezuma. The music of Motezuma was thought to have been lost in its entirety, but fragments of it, among which this aria, were discovered in 2002 in the archive of the music library of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin.
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