Lo Speziale – Der Apotheker Hob. XXVIII:3

The newly-built opera house in the park at Schloss Eszterháza was opened in September 1768 with Lo Speziale. The work has combinations of roles and the complications typical for opera buffa. The two youths Mengone and Volpino complete for the affections of Grilletta, the pretty ward of the strange apothecary Sempronio. But the apothecary would prefer the girl for himself. In the end, true love triumphs.

Unfortunately, the score of Lo Speziale has not survived the centuries in a complete form. Parts of the music of the third act are lost. The corresponding text has been taken from the libretto. The appendix includes a second version of aria no. 7, which has survived in Haydn’s autograph. The vocal score is based on the Urtext of the corresponding volume of the Haydn Complete Edition (XXV/3, 1959) and the Critical Commentary.