Anna, who is already busy rehearsing in Ferrara, to make clear to
Bollani that he has a choice between paying up, or watching the
singers suddenly go off ‘sick’. Still huffing and puffing, he plumps
for the former.
Antonio listens with difficulty to the excruciating report that Anna
brings back of her experiences in Ferrara. A continually absent
impresario Bollani, his tyrannical and completely tone-deaf
assistant Lanzetti, who nonetheless keeps every singer in her place,
a chaotic theatre, dreadful lighting and décor. Good grief! She’s
never seen anything like it. It’s a wonder the public didn’t walk out
en masse.
‘What a bunch of amateurs,’ sighs Vivaldi. ‘I’ll write a letter
to the Marquis d’Aragona and ask if I can take over as impresario
next year. We’ll show the poor folk of Ferrara what we mean by
professional theatre!’
Paolina gives an acerbic smile. She hopes he intends to ask
a better price for his work while he’s about it. There has been little
enough reward for all the time and trouble this winter. To her
relief, the New Year brings with it the prospect of a new opera for
Verona. It would seem that there, at least, they still know how to
prize Vivaldi’s work.
Antonio’s self-respect is bolstered by the applause of an audience
that includes the prospective king of Bavaria, a guest this evening
at the theatre of Verona. Catone in Utica has proved an operatic
success and, still fresh from the triumph, Antonio writes to the
Marquis d’Aragona.
With a sinking heart, Guido Bentivoglio, Marquis d’Aragona, slits
open Antonio’s letter. In fact, he had hoped the close of carnevale
would mark the end of his correspondence with the priest. He is
fed up to the teeth with the perpetual complaints about Bollani and
outstanding payments, and he had hoped everything was finally
tied up. As usual, the letter opens with a flood of servile flattery,
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