About the work
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli, premiered in 1876 at La Scala in Milan. The libretto was written by Arrigo Boito (under the anagram "Tobia Gorrio") after a drama by Victor Hugo. It is Ponchielli's only opera still in the repertoire today and a major work of Italian grand opera.
Plot
In seventeenth-century Venice, the street singer Gioconda loves the nobleman Enzo—who, however, loves the married Laura. The sinister Inquisition spy Barnaba desires Gioconda and spins an intrigue that drags everyone toward ruin. Out of love and self-sacrifice, Gioconda even saves her rival Laura and helps the lovers escape. When Barnaba finally demands his reward—Gioconda's body—she escapes him through suicide. In the background, Gioconda's blind mother suffers, falsely accused of witchcraft.
Cultural significance
La Gioconda is famous for the spectacular ballet Dance of the Hours (known beyond the opera through Disney's Fantasia) and for the great tenor aria Cielo e mar, as well as Gioconda's dramatic Suicidio!. The work combines lush melody, grand choral scenes, and highly dramatic conflicts into a model of Italian opera between Verdi and verismo. It remains a demanding showcase role for dramatic sopranos.