| Una cosa rara | |
| Genre Header: | Opera |
| Composer: | Vicente Martín y Soler |
| Librettist: | Lorenzo Da Ponte |
| Premiere Location: | Burgtheater, Vienna |
(A Rare Thing, or Beauty and Honesty) is an opera by the composer Vicente Martín y Soler. It takes the form of a dramma giocoso in two acts. The libretto, by Lorenzo Da Ponte, is based on the play by Luis Vélez de Guevara. The opera was first performed at the Burgtheater, Vienna, on 17 November 1786. It was a huge success and was shown 78 times. Mozart quotes a melody from this opera, "", in the orchestral accompaniment to the trio of the finale of Don Giovanni.[1]
| Isabella, Queen of Spain | soprano | Luisa Laschi-Mombelli | |
| Prince Don Giovanni, Isabella's son | tenor | Vincenzo Calvesi | |
| Corrado, squire | tenor | Michael Kelly | |
| Lilla, a peasant | soprano | Nancy Storace | |
| Ghita, a peasant | soprano | ||
| Tita, betrothed to Ghita | bass | Francesco Benucci | |
| Lubino, betrothed to Lilla | baritone | Stefano Mandini | |
| Lisargo, village mayor | bass | Johann Hoffmann | |
| Chorus of hunters, shepherds and shepherdesses | |||
The town mayor and the Spanish prince Don Giovanni try to seduce the virtuous Lilla, who is engaged to Lubino. The queen finds out and resolves the state of affairs so Lilla is able to marry her beloved.