by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
In fernem Land
from Act III, Scene 2 of the German opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner
Libretto: Richard Wagner
Role: Lohengrin, a knight
Voice Part: tenor Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor
Setting: a plain on the banks of the Schelbt, Antwerp, first half of the 10th century
Synopsis: To this point, the Knight has not been allowed to tell his name or his origin. However, he now must leave because he has killed Frederick, the Count of Brabant, and now tells his past. He is a Knight of the Grail from the island of Montsalvat and his father is Parsifal, the leader of all the Knights of Grail who strive to do good in the world as long as no one knows their secret. He finally reveals that his true name is Lohengrin. Range: Tessitura:
not entered G3 - F#/Gb4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Libretto entered by Robert Glaubitz (added 1999-02-25) Sounds:
MIDI version by Bill King
Sheet Music/Scores:
The Ultimate Tenor Aria Album (Version 2.0). Published by CD Sheet Music. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com.
Adler, Kurt. Operatic Anthology, Volume 3 - Tenor. Published by G. Schirmer. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com. Recordings:
none
Mein lieber Schwan
from Act III, Scene 2 of the German opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner
Libretto: Richard Wagner
Role: Lohengrin, a knight
Voice Part: tenor Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor
Setting: a plain on the banks of the Schelbt, Antwerp, first half of the 10th century
Synopsis: As a beautiful swan floats towards them, Lohengrin says goodbye to Elsa. He tells her that her brother Gottfried who disappeared a while ago would have reappeared in a year if Lohengrin did not have to leave. However, he is now forced to leave and gives his sword, his ring, and his horn to Elsa, saying that Gottfried should be given them when he returns. Range: Tessitura:
not entered G3 - G4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Libretto entered by Robert Glaubitz (added 1999-02-25) Sounds:
MIDI version by Bill King
Sheet Music/Scores:
The Ultimate Tenor Aria Album (Version 2.0). Published by CD Sheet Music. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com. Recordings:
none
Morgenlich leuchtend im rosigen Schein (Walter's Prize Song)
from Act III, Scene 2 of the German opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner
Libretto: Richard Wagner
Role: Walter von Stolzing, a young knight from Franconia
Voice Part: tenor
Setting: a meadow outside of Nuremburg, Germany, mid-sixteenth century
Synopsis: Walter sings his Prize Song for the song contest. It is a beautiful and magical piece which poetically describes his love for Eva. Range: Tessitura:
not entered G3 - G4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Libretto entered by Mike Richter (added 1999-05-11) Sounds:
MIDI version by Arnold Miller
Sheet Music/Scores:
The Ultimate Tenor Aria Album (Version 2.0). Published by CD Sheet Music. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com.
Adler, Kurt. Operatic Anthology, Volume 3 - Tenor. Published by G. Schirmer. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com. Recordings:
none
Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater
from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner
Libretto: Richard Wagner
Role: Siegmund, son of Wotan and Fricka
Voice Part: tenor Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor
Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times
Synopsis: Siegmund soliloquizes, mentioning that his father promised him a sword at one time. In addition, he also expresses his desire for his host's wife, Sieglinde, who is actually his long-lost twin sister. Range: Tessitura:
C3 - G4 G3 - F4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Libretto entered by Lyle Neff (added 1999-02-25) Sounds:
MIDI version by Santiago Schleh
Sheet Music/Scores:
The Ultimate Tenor Aria Album (Version 2.0). Published by CD Sheet Music. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com. Recordings:
none
Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond (Spring Song)
from Act I, Scene 3 of the German opera Die Walküre by Richard Wagner
Libretto: Richard Wagner
Role: Siegmund, son of Wotan and Fricka
Voice Part: tenor Fach: dramatic tenor/heldentenor
Setting: the interior of Hunding's house, Germany, mythical times
Synopsis: After Sieglinde offers him escape from her husband Hunding as well as a sword which is stuck in a tree outside, Siegmund compares his love for Sieglinde to the beauty of springtime. Range: Tessitura:
C3 - G4 F3 - F4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Libretto entered by Lyle Neff (added 1999-02-25) Sounds:
MIDI version by Louis Sauter
Sheet Music/Scores:
The Ultimate Tenor Aria Album (Version 2.0). Published by CD Sheet Music. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com.
Adler, Kurt. Operatic Anthology, Volume 3 - Tenor. Published by G. Schirmer. Available at Amazon.com and Sheetmusicplus.com.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Guglielmo's other aria in "Mignon": 'Quale sguardo strano': lyrics and midi
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Rec. YouTube, T. Schipa
Recit.
Ah, quale sguardo strano
piu tenero di me questo vegliardo
a consolar pervenne
l'infelice fanciulla
indovinai
di quel core l'arcan
dalle sua labbra
il nome mio sfuggia.
----
I
ah, non credevi tu nel vergin tuo candore
che l'innocente ardor
ond'era accesa in sen,
potesse un di mutarsi
nel piu fervente amore
e perturbare il corso
del viver suo seren
--- sel del fior
gli smunti colori
oggi tu brami
ravvisare ancor.
--- almo april,
dagli un bacio che l'irrori
dagli, o mio cor,
un sospiro d'amor.
II
ahi, che le chieggo invano
un detto, un solo accento
de' mali suoi l'arcan
non posso penetrar
lo guardo mio la turba
e l'empie di sgomento
la fanno i detti miei
dirotta lagrimar.
Rec. YouTube, T. Schipa
Recit.
Ah, quale sguardo strano
piu tenero di me questo vegliardo
a consolar pervenne
l'infelice fanciulla
indovinai
di quel core l'arcan
dalle sua labbra
il nome mio sfuggia.
----
I
ah, non credevi tu nel vergin tuo candore
che l'innocente ardor
ond'era accesa in sen,
potesse un di mutarsi
nel piu fervente amore
e perturbare il corso
del viver suo seren
--- sel del fior
gli smunti colori
oggi tu brami
ravvisare ancor.
--- almo april,
dagli un bacio che l'irrori
dagli, o mio cor,
un sospiro d'amor.
II
ahi, che le chieggo invano
un detto, un solo accento
de' mali suoi l'arcan
non posso penetrar
lo guardo mio la turba
e l'empie di sgomento
la fanno i detti miei
dirotta lagrimar.
Midi and Lyrics "Addio Mignon" --
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Addio, Mignon, fa' core
non lagrimar
ne' verd'anni tuoi
presto passa il dolore
Dio ti consolerà
su te saprà vegliar
non lagrimar
quest'atto non imputa a perfida incostanza
ne d'amorosa fiamma incolpa il folle ardor
nel congedarti, o cara, io nutro la speranza
di riverderti ancor.
Addio, Mignon, fa' core
non lagrimar
ne' verd'anni tuoi
presto passa il dolore
Dio ti consolerà
su te saprà vegliar
non lagrimar
quest'atto non imputa a perfida incostanza
ne d'amorosa fiamma incolpa il folle ardor
nel congedarti, o cara, io nutro la speranza
di riverderti ancor.
Lyrics and midi: 1866 "Mignon" (Thomas) -- 'Addio, Mignon! Fa core!'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
rec. by T. Schipa,
Addio, Mignon, fa core,
non lagrimar,
Ah, ne' verd' anni tuoi
presto passa il dolore
Su te sempre il signore
sapra dal ciel vegliar,
sapra dal ciel vegliar,
non lagrimar.
Deh, rinvenir tu possa
la terra tua natia
Deh, possa arnica sorte arriderti in cammin.
M'e duro inver lasciarti
l'afflitta anima mia
compiange il tuo destin.
rec. by T. Schipa,
Addio, Mignon, fa core,
non lagrimar,
Ah, ne' verd' anni tuoi
presto passa il dolore
Su te sempre il signore
sapra dal ciel vegliar,
sapra dal ciel vegliar,
non lagrimar.
Deh, rinvenir tu possa
la terra tua natia
Deh, possa arnica sorte arriderti in cammin.
M'e duro inver lasciarti
l'afflitta anima mia
compiange il tuo destin.
"Addio, Mignon" 1866 -- Thomas's masterpiece for tenor
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
"Mignon" è una tragedia lirica in tre atti e 5 quadri di Ambroise Thomas, su libretto di Jules Barbier e Michel Carré tratta da Les Années d'apprentissage de Wilhelm Meister da Goethe, rappresentata all'Opéra-Comique di Parigi il 17 novembre 1866.
I librettisti Jules Barbier e Michel Carré furono all'origine del progetto Mignon.
Dopo aver adattato, con il successo conseguente, il Faust da Goethe, essi decisero di trarre un libretto da Wilhelm Meister dello stesso autore.
Essi proposero subito il libretto a Meyerbeer, che lo rifiutò, poi a Gounod ed infine ad Ambroise Thomas.
Quest'ultimo era conosciuto essenzialmente come compositore di opéra comique che anche se avevano avuto un certo successo non erano mai rimaste in repertorio.
Con "Mignon", all'età di oltre cinquant'anni, il compositore poté conoscere il trionfo e la fama internazionale, confermata più tardi con Hamlet.
In origine, "Mignon" fu creata con una conclusione tragica, poiché "Mignon", come nel romanzo di Goethe, moriva brutalmente in una festa di villaggio alla vista di Philine.
Questa fine urtava la convenzione allora in vigore, e che fu abbandonata solamente con Carmen di Georges Bizet nel 1875, che voleva che l'opéra comique si concludesse in maniera gioiosa.
Perciò l'opera, all'epoca delle prime rappresentazioni, fu accolta tiepidamente.
"Allora, riporta Jules Barbier, come da persone pratiche quali eravamo, ci dicemmo: ma per rispettare questa scomparsa di "Mignon", secondo quanto previsto da Goethe, dobbiamo privarci di 7-800 rapprestazioni?
Sarebbe molto meglio farli sposare come comuni borghesi e lasciare la porta aperta alla loro numerosa posterità. "
Questo fu fatto ed il lavoro conobbe allora successo travolgente.
Napoleone III assistette alla 22ª rappresentazione, ed entusiasta fece dare 15 rappresentazioni l'anno successivo per i sovrani europei riuniti a Parigi per Exposition universelle del 1867.
Dal 1868, l'opera fu rappresentata a Weimar ed a Vienna dove divenne rapidamente molto popolare.
********************************
Nel 1870 venne rappresentata anche a Londra in italiano con grande successo.
******************* tenor aria: "Addio, Mignon"
Nel 1894, "Mignon" raggiunse la millesima rappresentazione all'Opéra-Comique, divendo così la prima opera lirica a raggiungere le 1.000 rappresentazioni con il suo compositore ancora in vita.
Per rispondere al successo dell'opera, Ambroise Thomas trasformò il suo lavoro in grand opéra trasformando in recitativi i dialoghi parlati.
Ed è in questa versione che l'opera venne ulteriormente ripresa.
Thomas mise a punto anche una versione con l'epilogo tragico da destinare al pubblico tedesco che ben conosceva l'opera originale del connazionale Goethe.
Personaggi
Mignon -------------------------- mezzosoprano
Philine, attrice, --------------- soprano
Wilhelm Meister, studente ------- tenore
Lothario, cantante itinerante --- bass-baritone
Frédéric ------------------------ mezzosoprano
Laërte -------------------------- tenore
Jarno --------------------------- basso
Antonio ------------------------- basso
Abitanti del villaggio, contadini, bohémiens
Nel cortile di una locanda, Atto I, davanti agli abitanti del villaggio, un musicista itinerante, Lothario, canta il suo dolore: egli ricerca sua figlia Sperata, scomparsa da molto tempo.
Arriva una compagnia di attori diretta dal crudele Jarno, che fa la sua rappresentazione sul tema di due commedianti, la civetta Philine e lo spirituale Laërte. Jarno annuncia che la giovane Mignon eseguirà il celebre « pas des œufs » ma la giovane si rifiuta.
Nel momento in cui Jarno sta per picchiarla, un giovane e ricco studente, Wilhelm Meister, s'interpone.
Philine è molto interessata al giovane il quale spiega a Laërte che conduce un'esistenza oziosa e gioiosa e che è anche lui interessato a Philine e deciso a conquistarla.
Arriva Mignon, venuta a ringraziare Wilhelm Meister del suo aiuto.
Il giovane uomo l'interroga ma ella risponde in modo misterioso, che ignora la sua età, ha perso i suoi genitori, e si ricorda solamente di essere stata rapita in un paese soleggiato, forse l'Italia: e canta l'aria celeberrima
"Connais-tu le pays où fleurit l'oranger ? ".
Commosso per questo racconto, Wilhelm Meister riscatta da Jarno la libertà di Mignon.
Philine ritrova uno dei suoi spasimanti, Federico che è furioso per la presenza di Wilhelm. Laërte porta un invito del barone di Rosenberg, zio di Federico, a dare una rappresentazione nel suo castello.
Mignon vuole seguire Wilhelm Meister.
Questo ultimo in un primo momento rifiuta ma finisce per acconsentire a patto che lei si travesta.
Nel boudoir del castello di Rosenberg, Atto II, Philine si prepara per la rappresentazione di Songe d'une nuit d'été di William Shakespeare. Wilhelm le rende visita in compagnia di Manon travestita da paggio. Philine si burla di Manon. Questa decide di abbigliarsi con gli abiti di Philine per sedurre Wilhelm.
Quest'ultimo entrando nel camerino di Philine vede Manon nei panni di Philine e nello stesso tempo entrare Fredreric. I due uomini litigano e Manon esce dal nascondiglio per dividerli ma Wilhelm, che pensa sia solo una bambina, le chiede di andare via. Arriva Philine che vede Manon vestita con i suoi abiti. Ella glieli lascia burlandosi ma Manon se li toglie con rabbia perché è disperata di vedere che Wilhelm ama Philine. Si affida a Lothario che è appena arrivato al castello e che decide di aiutarla a vendicarsi.
Nel parco, Philine trionfa nel suo ruolo di Titania: canta la famosa aria "Je suis Titania la blonde… ". Lothario sopraggiunge come smarrito: ha dato fuoco al castello. Philine manda Manon a cercare il suo bouquet tra le fiamme e viene salvata da Wilhelm.
Nel salone di un palazzo in Italia, Atto III, Lothario ha condotto Mignon e Wilhelm nel palazzo dei Cipriani.
Wilhelm veglia sul sonno della ragazza e contemplandola comprende di esserne innamorato e vuole acquistarle il palazzo. Laërte l'avverte che Philine li ha seguiti e che è là. Manon si sveglia e Wilhelm gli dichiara il suo amore, ma la voce di Philine li interrompe e Manon sviene.
Lothario entra vestito con un abito magnifico e con un cofanetto in mano rivela loro che il palazzo gli appartiene. Wilhelm e Manon lo prendono per matto. Lothario offre alla ragazza una sciarpa ricamata, un braccialetto di corallo ed un libro di orazioni, ma Manon non ha bisogno di aprire il libro per dire la preghiera. Poco a poco, i suoi ricordi ritornano e riconosce il palazzo della sua infanzia. Lothario è suo padre e lei non è altro che Sperata. La ragazza, schiantata dall'emozione, crolla a terra.
Per la prima rappresentazione dell'opera nel 1866, "Mignon" beneficiò di una splendida compagnia di canto.
L'interpretazione di Célestine Galli-Marié nel ruolo di Mignon, contribuì in maniera notevole al successo dell'opera.
Dans le rôle-titre contribua grandement au succès de l'ouvrage.
Ella fu attorniata da Marie Cabel (Philine), Léon Achard (Wilhelm) e Charles Aimable Bataille (Lothario).
A Londra, nel 1870, Christine Nilsson, che aveva interpretato il ruolo di Ofelia in Hamlet nel 1868, trionfò nel ruolo di Mignon. Jean-Baptiste Faure interpretò il ruolo di Lothario.
Sigrid Arnoldson fu una delle più celebri Mignon della primi anni del XX secolo.
Ella aveva debuttato nel ruolo all'Opera comique nel 1887 e la cantò in tutto il mondo.
Nel 1907 celebrò a Dresda la sua 500ª rappresentazione nel ruolo di Mignon.
In quella occasione la signora Thomas le scrisse:
«voi siete sempre, per me, la Mignon prediletta dal maestro. vous êtes toujours pour moi la Mignon favorite du maître. Vi sono molto riconoscente di essere rimasta fedele a questo poetico ruolo, a questo ruolo in cui avete saputo trovare l'ideale.>>
Altri progetti[modifica] Wikimedia Commons contiene file multimediali su Mignon
"Mignon" è una tragedia lirica in tre atti e 5 quadri di Ambroise Thomas, su libretto di Jules Barbier e Michel Carré tratta da Les Années d'apprentissage de Wilhelm Meister da Goethe, rappresentata all'Opéra-Comique di Parigi il 17 novembre 1866.
I librettisti Jules Barbier e Michel Carré furono all'origine del progetto Mignon.
Dopo aver adattato, con il successo conseguente, il Faust da Goethe, essi decisero di trarre un libretto da Wilhelm Meister dello stesso autore.
Essi proposero subito il libretto a Meyerbeer, che lo rifiutò, poi a Gounod ed infine ad Ambroise Thomas.
Quest'ultimo era conosciuto essenzialmente come compositore di opéra comique che anche se avevano avuto un certo successo non erano mai rimaste in repertorio.
Con "Mignon", all'età di oltre cinquant'anni, il compositore poté conoscere il trionfo e la fama internazionale, confermata più tardi con Hamlet.
In origine, "Mignon" fu creata con una conclusione tragica, poiché "Mignon", come nel romanzo di Goethe, moriva brutalmente in una festa di villaggio alla vista di Philine.
Questa fine urtava la convenzione allora in vigore, e che fu abbandonata solamente con Carmen di Georges Bizet nel 1875, che voleva che l'opéra comique si concludesse in maniera gioiosa.
Perciò l'opera, all'epoca delle prime rappresentazioni, fu accolta tiepidamente.
"Allora, riporta Jules Barbier, come da persone pratiche quali eravamo, ci dicemmo: ma per rispettare questa scomparsa di "Mignon", secondo quanto previsto da Goethe, dobbiamo privarci di 7-800 rapprestazioni?
Sarebbe molto meglio farli sposare come comuni borghesi e lasciare la porta aperta alla loro numerosa posterità. "
Questo fu fatto ed il lavoro conobbe allora successo travolgente.
Napoleone III assistette alla 22ª rappresentazione, ed entusiasta fece dare 15 rappresentazioni l'anno successivo per i sovrani europei riuniti a Parigi per Exposition universelle del 1867.
Dal 1868, l'opera fu rappresentata a Weimar ed a Vienna dove divenne rapidamente molto popolare.
********************************
Nel 1870 venne rappresentata anche a Londra in italiano con grande successo.
******************* tenor aria: "Addio, Mignon"
Nel 1894, "Mignon" raggiunse la millesima rappresentazione all'Opéra-Comique, divendo così la prima opera lirica a raggiungere le 1.000 rappresentazioni con il suo compositore ancora in vita.
Per rispondere al successo dell'opera, Ambroise Thomas trasformò il suo lavoro in grand opéra trasformando in recitativi i dialoghi parlati.
Ed è in questa versione che l'opera venne ulteriormente ripresa.
Thomas mise a punto anche una versione con l'epilogo tragico da destinare al pubblico tedesco che ben conosceva l'opera originale del connazionale Goethe.
Personaggi
Mignon -------------------------- mezzosoprano
Philine, attrice, --------------- soprano
Wilhelm Meister, studente ------- tenore
Lothario, cantante itinerante --- bass-baritone
Frédéric ------------------------ mezzosoprano
Laërte -------------------------- tenore
Jarno --------------------------- basso
Antonio ------------------------- basso
Abitanti del villaggio, contadini, bohémiens
Nel cortile di una locanda, Atto I, davanti agli abitanti del villaggio, un musicista itinerante, Lothario, canta il suo dolore: egli ricerca sua figlia Sperata, scomparsa da molto tempo.
Arriva una compagnia di attori diretta dal crudele Jarno, che fa la sua rappresentazione sul tema di due commedianti, la civetta Philine e lo spirituale Laërte. Jarno annuncia che la giovane Mignon eseguirà il celebre « pas des œufs » ma la giovane si rifiuta.
Nel momento in cui Jarno sta per picchiarla, un giovane e ricco studente, Wilhelm Meister, s'interpone.
Philine è molto interessata al giovane il quale spiega a Laërte che conduce un'esistenza oziosa e gioiosa e che è anche lui interessato a Philine e deciso a conquistarla.
Arriva Mignon, venuta a ringraziare Wilhelm Meister del suo aiuto.
Il giovane uomo l'interroga ma ella risponde in modo misterioso, che ignora la sua età, ha perso i suoi genitori, e si ricorda solamente di essere stata rapita in un paese soleggiato, forse l'Italia: e canta l'aria celeberrima
"Connais-tu le pays où fleurit l'oranger ? ".
Commosso per questo racconto, Wilhelm Meister riscatta da Jarno la libertà di Mignon.
Philine ritrova uno dei suoi spasimanti, Federico che è furioso per la presenza di Wilhelm. Laërte porta un invito del barone di Rosenberg, zio di Federico, a dare una rappresentazione nel suo castello.
Mignon vuole seguire Wilhelm Meister.
Questo ultimo in un primo momento rifiuta ma finisce per acconsentire a patto che lei si travesta.
Nel boudoir del castello di Rosenberg, Atto II, Philine si prepara per la rappresentazione di Songe d'une nuit d'été di William Shakespeare. Wilhelm le rende visita in compagnia di Manon travestita da paggio. Philine si burla di Manon. Questa decide di abbigliarsi con gli abiti di Philine per sedurre Wilhelm.
Quest'ultimo entrando nel camerino di Philine vede Manon nei panni di Philine e nello stesso tempo entrare Fredreric. I due uomini litigano e Manon esce dal nascondiglio per dividerli ma Wilhelm, che pensa sia solo una bambina, le chiede di andare via. Arriva Philine che vede Manon vestita con i suoi abiti. Ella glieli lascia burlandosi ma Manon se li toglie con rabbia perché è disperata di vedere che Wilhelm ama Philine. Si affida a Lothario che è appena arrivato al castello e che decide di aiutarla a vendicarsi.
Nel parco, Philine trionfa nel suo ruolo di Titania: canta la famosa aria "Je suis Titania la blonde… ". Lothario sopraggiunge come smarrito: ha dato fuoco al castello. Philine manda Manon a cercare il suo bouquet tra le fiamme e viene salvata da Wilhelm.
Nel salone di un palazzo in Italia, Atto III, Lothario ha condotto Mignon e Wilhelm nel palazzo dei Cipriani.
Wilhelm veglia sul sonno della ragazza e contemplandola comprende di esserne innamorato e vuole acquistarle il palazzo. Laërte l'avverte che Philine li ha seguiti e che è là. Manon si sveglia e Wilhelm gli dichiara il suo amore, ma la voce di Philine li interrompe e Manon sviene.
Lothario entra vestito con un abito magnifico e con un cofanetto in mano rivela loro che il palazzo gli appartiene. Wilhelm e Manon lo prendono per matto. Lothario offre alla ragazza una sciarpa ricamata, un braccialetto di corallo ed un libro di orazioni, ma Manon non ha bisogno di aprire il libro per dire la preghiera. Poco a poco, i suoi ricordi ritornano e riconosce il palazzo della sua infanzia. Lothario è suo padre e lei non è altro che Sperata. La ragazza, schiantata dall'emozione, crolla a terra.
Per la prima rappresentazione dell'opera nel 1866, "Mignon" beneficiò di una splendida compagnia di canto.
L'interpretazione di Célestine Galli-Marié nel ruolo di Mignon, contribuì in maniera notevole al successo dell'opera.
Dans le rôle-titre contribua grandement au succès de l'ouvrage.
Ella fu attorniata da Marie Cabel (Philine), Léon Achard (Wilhelm) e Charles Aimable Bataille (Lothario).
A Londra, nel 1870, Christine Nilsson, che aveva interpretato il ruolo di Ofelia in Hamlet nel 1868, trionfò nel ruolo di Mignon. Jean-Baptiste Faure interpretò il ruolo di Lothario.
Sigrid Arnoldson fu una delle più celebri Mignon della primi anni del XX secolo.
Ella aveva debuttato nel ruolo all'Opera comique nel 1887 e la cantò in tutto il mondo.
Nel 1907 celebrò a Dresda la sua 500ª rappresentazione nel ruolo di Mignon.
In quella occasione la signora Thomas le scrisse:
«voi siete sempre, per me, la Mignon prediletta dal maestro. vous êtes toujours pour moi la Mignon favorite du maître. Vi sono molto riconoscente di essere rimasta fedele a questo poetico ruolo, a questo ruolo in cui avete saputo trovare l'ideale.>>
Altri progetti[modifica] Wikimedia Commons contiene file multimediali su Mignon
"Addio, Mignon"
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (Metz, 5 agosto 1811 – Parigi, 12 febbraio 1896) è stato un compositore francese, molto famoso nel XIX secolo per le sue opere, specialmente per "Mignon".
Ragazzo prodigio, figlio di un violinista di Metz, Jean-Baptiste-Martin Thomas, e di una cantante, Ambroise Thomas apprese la musica da suo padre, imparando nel contempo a suonare il pianoforte ed il violino.
Suo padre morì nel 1823 lasciando la famiglia senza risorse.
Sua moglie, si trasferì a Parigi nel 1827 e l'anno dopo Ambroise entrò al Conservatorio di Parigi dove studiò con Zimmerman, Doulen, Jean-François Lesueur per la composizione e Kalkbrenner per il pianoforte.
Vinse il primo premio di pianoforte nel 1829, il primo premio di armonia nel 1830 e, dopo un primo tentativo infruttuoso nel 1831, il Prix de Rome nel 1832 con la cantata Herman et Ketty.
Durante un suo soggiorno in Italia a Villa Medici, egli compose essenzialmente della musica da camera e divenne amico di Hippolyte Frandin, che gli fece un ritratto, ed Ingres, allora direttore dell'Accademia di Francia.
Egli andò, in seguito, a Vienna, Monaco di Baviera e Lipsia.
Egli era a quei tempi, secondo la descrizione di Léon Escudier, « un giovane uomo di linea slanciata, dalla fisionomia espressiva, con degli occhi azzurri di una dolcezza ammaliante, dal passo noncurante e dai modi eleganti e garbati.
Questo giovane uomo ha la voce flessuosa e penetrante e non si fa pregare molto per sedersi al piano e suonare.
Egli suona bene questo strumento, non alla maniara dei virtuosi da concerto sempre in cerca di approvazione e produttori di sonorità assordanti.
Ma un poeta che sa parlare al cuore e trovare i colori per dipingere i suoi trasporti ed i suoi sogni. »
Àl suo ritorno a Parigi nel 1837, Thomas si indirizza alla composizione di opere, che saranno tutte brillanti.
Anche se le opere di questo periodo, composte in uno stile leggero e molodioso, ottengono un buon successo, nessuna riesce a rimanere in repertorio.
"La Double Échelle" del (1837), che ebbe i complimenti di Hector Berlioz.
"Le Caïd" del 1849, operetta brillante che riportò un grande successo.
"Le Songe d'une Nuit d'Été" del 1850, fantasia drammatica ben accolta, o il Falstaff da William Shakespeare.
"Raymond" del 1851, la cui ouverture rimase popolare, Le Roman d'Elvire, etc.
Grazie al successo di "Caïd", Ambroise Thomas viene eletto trionfalmente all'Académie des Beaux-Arts de l'Institut de France nel 1851, surclassando Berlioz che non ottenne alcun voto.
*********************************
Fu all'età di oltre cinquant'anni che la sua opera "Mignon" del 1866, riportò un notevole successo dopo un debutto mediocre.
Da allora Thomas, la cui fama era stata relativamente modesta, assurse al rango di grande compositore.
Nel 1894 "Mignon" era già stata rappresentata oltre 1.000 volte solamente all'Opéra-Comique ed era un successo in tutti i teatri d'Europa.
La sua opera successiva, "Hamlet" del 1868, dalla tragedia di Shakespeare, gli darà rinomanza internazionale.
La musica di Thomas non era molto calzante al soggetto ma l'opera riuscì comunque ad avere successo, anche per merito della compagnia di canto, tanto che il compositore sarà il primo compositore a ricevere l'insegna di Commendatore della Légion d'honneur direttamente dalle mani di Napoleone III.
Thomas divenne poi professore di composizione al Conservatorio di Parigi nel 1856, succedendo ad Adolphe Adam ed avendo come colleghi Massenet, Édouard Colonne, Théodore Dubois, Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray, Albert Lavignac e Francis Thomé.
Alla morte di Daniel Auber nel 1871, Thomas gli succedette nell'incarico di direttore del Conservatorio.
Egli smise allora di comporre ad eccezione della Françoise de Rimini del 1874, che non ebbe grande successo e di un balletto, La Tempête del 1889, entrambi da Shakespeare, rappresentati all'Opéra de Paris.
Durante la sua direzione del Conservatorio, si oppose alle influenze tedesche nella musica frances, assegnò la cattedra di organo a César Franck nel 1872 e combatté contro la nomina di Gabriel Fauré, che divenne direttore del Conservatorio soltanto dopo la morte di Thomas nel 1896.
All'inizio della sua carriera di compositore, Ambroise Thomas compose alcuni pezzi di musica sacra così come di musica strumentale e sinfonica.
Nel 1887, presiedette la commissione istituita dal ministro della guerra per scegliere la versione ufficiale de La Marseillaise. La version decisa dalla commissione fu adottata fino al 1974.
« Vi sono due generi di musica, la buona e la cattiva e poi c'é la musica di Ambroise Thomas », disse Emmanuel Chabrier: intendendo dire in effetti che la musica di Ambroise Thomas non era ne buona ne cattiva; léggera, facile, melodiosa, era pensata per piacere al pubblico popolare del Secondo impero.
Opere:
La Double échelle, Opéra-Comique, 1837
Le Perruquier de la Régence, 1838
Gipsy, 1839
Le comte de Carmagnola, 1842
Angélique et Médor, 1843
Le Caïd, 1849
Le Songe d'une nuit d'été, 1850
Raymond, 1851
Psyché, 1857
Le Roman d'Elvire, 1860
*******************
Mignon, tragedia lirica in 3 atti e 5 quadri, libretto di Michel Carré e Jules Barbier, rappresentata al Opéra-Comique il 17 novembre 1866
************* tenor aria: "Addio, Mignon" (Guillelmo, studente)
Hamlet, opera in 5 atti, libretto di Michel Carré e Jules Barbier, rappresentata all'Opéra de Paris il 9 marzo 1868
Françoise de Rimini, Opéra de Paris, 1874
La Tempête, balletto, 1889
Altri progetti[modifica] Wikimedia Commons contiene file multimediali su Ambroise Thomas
Collegamenti esterni[modifica]Spartiti liberi di Ambroise Thomas su International Music Score Library Project
Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (Metz, 5 agosto 1811 – Parigi, 12 febbraio 1896) è stato un compositore francese, molto famoso nel XIX secolo per le sue opere, specialmente per "Mignon".
Ragazzo prodigio, figlio di un violinista di Metz, Jean-Baptiste-Martin Thomas, e di una cantante, Ambroise Thomas apprese la musica da suo padre, imparando nel contempo a suonare il pianoforte ed il violino.
Suo padre morì nel 1823 lasciando la famiglia senza risorse.
Sua moglie, si trasferì a Parigi nel 1827 e l'anno dopo Ambroise entrò al Conservatorio di Parigi dove studiò con Zimmerman, Doulen, Jean-François Lesueur per la composizione e Kalkbrenner per il pianoforte.
Vinse il primo premio di pianoforte nel 1829, il primo premio di armonia nel 1830 e, dopo un primo tentativo infruttuoso nel 1831, il Prix de Rome nel 1832 con la cantata Herman et Ketty.
Durante un suo soggiorno in Italia a Villa Medici, egli compose essenzialmente della musica da camera e divenne amico di Hippolyte Frandin, che gli fece un ritratto, ed Ingres, allora direttore dell'Accademia di Francia.
Egli andò, in seguito, a Vienna, Monaco di Baviera e Lipsia.
Egli era a quei tempi, secondo la descrizione di Léon Escudier, « un giovane uomo di linea slanciata, dalla fisionomia espressiva, con degli occhi azzurri di una dolcezza ammaliante, dal passo noncurante e dai modi eleganti e garbati.
Questo giovane uomo ha la voce flessuosa e penetrante e non si fa pregare molto per sedersi al piano e suonare.
Egli suona bene questo strumento, non alla maniara dei virtuosi da concerto sempre in cerca di approvazione e produttori di sonorità assordanti.
Ma un poeta che sa parlare al cuore e trovare i colori per dipingere i suoi trasporti ed i suoi sogni. »
Àl suo ritorno a Parigi nel 1837, Thomas si indirizza alla composizione di opere, che saranno tutte brillanti.
Anche se le opere di questo periodo, composte in uno stile leggero e molodioso, ottengono un buon successo, nessuna riesce a rimanere in repertorio.
"La Double Échelle" del (1837), che ebbe i complimenti di Hector Berlioz.
"Le Caïd" del 1849, operetta brillante che riportò un grande successo.
"Le Songe d'une Nuit d'Été" del 1850, fantasia drammatica ben accolta, o il Falstaff da William Shakespeare.
"Raymond" del 1851, la cui ouverture rimase popolare, Le Roman d'Elvire, etc.
Grazie al successo di "Caïd", Ambroise Thomas viene eletto trionfalmente all'Académie des Beaux-Arts de l'Institut de France nel 1851, surclassando Berlioz che non ottenne alcun voto.
*********************************
Fu all'età di oltre cinquant'anni che la sua opera "Mignon" del 1866, riportò un notevole successo dopo un debutto mediocre.
Da allora Thomas, la cui fama era stata relativamente modesta, assurse al rango di grande compositore.
Nel 1894 "Mignon" era già stata rappresentata oltre 1.000 volte solamente all'Opéra-Comique ed era un successo in tutti i teatri d'Europa.
La sua opera successiva, "Hamlet" del 1868, dalla tragedia di Shakespeare, gli darà rinomanza internazionale.
La musica di Thomas non era molto calzante al soggetto ma l'opera riuscì comunque ad avere successo, anche per merito della compagnia di canto, tanto che il compositore sarà il primo compositore a ricevere l'insegna di Commendatore della Légion d'honneur direttamente dalle mani di Napoleone III.
Thomas divenne poi professore di composizione al Conservatorio di Parigi nel 1856, succedendo ad Adolphe Adam ed avendo come colleghi Massenet, Édouard Colonne, Théodore Dubois, Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray, Albert Lavignac e Francis Thomé.
Alla morte di Daniel Auber nel 1871, Thomas gli succedette nell'incarico di direttore del Conservatorio.
Egli smise allora di comporre ad eccezione della Françoise de Rimini del 1874, che non ebbe grande successo e di un balletto, La Tempête del 1889, entrambi da Shakespeare, rappresentati all'Opéra de Paris.
Durante la sua direzione del Conservatorio, si oppose alle influenze tedesche nella musica frances, assegnò la cattedra di organo a César Franck nel 1872 e combatté contro la nomina di Gabriel Fauré, che divenne direttore del Conservatorio soltanto dopo la morte di Thomas nel 1896.
All'inizio della sua carriera di compositore, Ambroise Thomas compose alcuni pezzi di musica sacra così come di musica strumentale e sinfonica.
Nel 1887, presiedette la commissione istituita dal ministro della guerra per scegliere la versione ufficiale de La Marseillaise. La version decisa dalla commissione fu adottata fino al 1974.
« Vi sono due generi di musica, la buona e la cattiva e poi c'é la musica di Ambroise Thomas », disse Emmanuel Chabrier: intendendo dire in effetti che la musica di Ambroise Thomas non era ne buona ne cattiva; léggera, facile, melodiosa, era pensata per piacere al pubblico popolare del Secondo impero.
Opere:
La Double échelle, Opéra-Comique, 1837
Le Perruquier de la Régence, 1838
Gipsy, 1839
Le comte de Carmagnola, 1842
Angélique et Médor, 1843
Le Caïd, 1849
Le Songe d'une nuit d'été, 1850
Raymond, 1851
Psyché, 1857
Le Roman d'Elvire, 1860
*******************
Mignon, tragedia lirica in 3 atti e 5 quadri, libretto di Michel Carré e Jules Barbier, rappresentata al Opéra-Comique il 17 novembre 1866
************* tenor aria: "Addio, Mignon" (Guillelmo, studente)
Hamlet, opera in 5 atti, libretto di Michel Carré e Jules Barbier, rappresentata all'Opéra de Paris il 9 marzo 1868
Françoise de Rimini, Opéra de Paris, 1874
La Tempête, balletto, 1889
Altri progetti[modifica] Wikimedia Commons contiene file multimediali su Ambroise Thomas
Collegamenti esterni[modifica]Spartiti liberi di Ambroise Thomas su International Music Score Library Project
Midi and lyrics for second melodious intervention by Tamino in "Flauto Magico" -- 'O wenn ich doch'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
O wenn ich doch imstande wäre, Oh if only I were equal,
Allmächtige, zu eurer Ehre. Almighty, to your honor.
Mit jedem Tone meinen Dank With every tone my thanks
Zu schildern, wie er hier, entsprang. Arose to be portrayed, as here.
Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton, How strong is indeed your magic tone,
Weil, holde Flöte, durch dein Spielen For,gracious Flute,thru your playing
Selbst wilde Tiere Freude fühlen. Even wild animals feel joy.
Doch Pamina, nur Panima bleibt davon. Still Pamina, only Pamina stays away.
O wenn ich doch imstande wäre, Oh if only I were equal,
Allmächtige, zu eurer Ehre. Almighty, to your honor.
Mit jedem Tone meinen Dank With every tone my thanks
Zu schildern, wie er hier, entsprang. Arose to be portrayed, as here.
Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton, How strong is indeed your magic tone,
Weil, holde Flöte, durch dein Spielen For,gracious Flute,thru your playing
Selbst wilde Tiere Freude fühlen. Even wild animals feel joy.
Doch Pamina, nur Panima bleibt davon. Still Pamina, only Pamina stays away.
Lyrics and midi: 1892, "Werther" (Massenet) -- 'Allor sta proprio qua ... O natura di grazia piena'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Tenor aria, "L'ebrea' (1835): 'Rachele Allor Che Iddio a Voti Miei Propri'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Italian lyrics and midi for tenor aria in Halevy's "L'ebrea"
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Rachel, quand du Seigneur la grace tutelaire Rache, quando del ciel lam grazia tutelare
a mes tremblantes mains confia ton berceau, a mie trmanti man confidò la tua culla,
j'avais à ton bonheur voué ma vie entière a tua felicità votai la vita intera
et c'est moi qui te livre au bourreau! ed or son io che ti voto a morir!
Mais j'entends une voix qui me crie: Ma odo una voce che mi grida:
sauvez-moi de la mort qui m'attend! salvatemi dalla morte che mi attende!
Je suis jeune et je tiens à la vie, Giovane son e ci tengo alla vita,
o mon pere, épargnez votre enfant! padre mio, salvate vostra figlia!
Ah! Rachel, quand ... ecc. Ah! Rachel, quando...ecc.
D'un mot arretant la sentence Ah! Con una parola soltanto
je puis te soustraire au trépas! alla morte sottrarti saprò!
Ah! J'ajourne à jamais ma vengeance, La vendetta io lascio da canto,
Rachel, non, tu ne mourras pas! Rachel morir non lascierò!
Rachel, quand du Seigneur la grace tutelaire Rache, quando del ciel lam grazia tutelare
a mes tremblantes mains confia ton berceau, a mie trmanti man confidò la tua culla,
j'avais à ton bonheur voué ma vie entière a tua felicità votai la vita intera
et c'est moi qui te livre au bourreau! ed or son io che ti voto a morir!
Mais j'entends une voix qui me crie: Ma odo una voce che mi grida:
sauvez-moi de la mort qui m'attend! salvatemi dalla morte che mi attende!
Je suis jeune et je tiens à la vie, Giovane son e ci tengo alla vita,
o mon pere, épargnez votre enfant! padre mio, salvate vostra figlia!
Ah! Rachel, quand ... ecc. Ah! Rachel, quando...ecc.
D'un mot arretant la sentence Ah! Con una parola soltanto
je puis te soustraire au trépas! alla morte sottrarti saprò!
Ah! J'ajourne à jamais ma vengeance, La vendetta io lascio da canto,
Rachel, non, tu ne mourras pas! Rachel morir non lascierò!
Italian lyrics and midi for Delibes's tenor aria in "Lakme" (tenor role: Geraldo)
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Prendre le dessin d'un bijou,
Est-ce donc aussi grave?
Ah! Frédéric est fou!
Mais d'où vient maintenant cette crainte insensée?
Quel sentiment surnaturel
A troublé ma pensée
Devant ce calme solennel!
Fille de mon caprice,
L'inconnue est devant mes yeux!
Sa voix à mon oreille glisse
Des mots mystérieux.
Non! non!
Fantaisie aux divins mensonges, tu reviens m'égarer encor.
Va, retourne au pays de songes,
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or!
Va! va! Retourne au pays des songes.
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or!
Au bras poli de la païenne
Cette annelet dut s'enlacer!
Elle tiendrait toute en la mienne,
La main qui seule y peut passer!
Ce cercle d'or
Je le suppose,
A suivi les pas voyageurs
D'un petit pied qui ne se pose
Que sur la mousse ou sur les fleurs..
Et ce collier encor parfumé d'elle,
De sa personne encor tout embaumé.
A pu sentir battre son coeur fidèle,
tout tressaillant au nom du bien aimé.
Non! Non! Fuyez!
Fuyez, chimères.
Rêves éphémères
Qui troublez ma raison.
Fantaisie aux divins mensonges,
Tu reviens m'égarer encor.
Va, retourne au pays des songes,
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or.
Prendre le dessin d'un bijou,
Est-ce donc aussi grave?
Ah! Frédéric est fou!
Mais d'où vient maintenant cette crainte insensée?
Quel sentiment surnaturel
A troublé ma pensée
Devant ce calme solennel!
Fille de mon caprice,
L'inconnue est devant mes yeux!
Sa voix à mon oreille glisse
Des mots mystérieux.
Non! non!
Fantaisie aux divins mensonges, tu reviens m'égarer encor.
Va, retourne au pays de songes,
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or!
Va! va! Retourne au pays des songes.
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or!
Au bras poli de la païenne
Cette annelet dut s'enlacer!
Elle tiendrait toute en la mienne,
La main qui seule y peut passer!
Ce cercle d'or
Je le suppose,
A suivi les pas voyageurs
D'un petit pied qui ne se pose
Que sur la mousse ou sur les fleurs..
Et ce collier encor parfumé d'elle,
De sa personne encor tout embaumé.
A pu sentir battre son coeur fidèle,
tout tressaillant au nom du bien aimé.
Non! Non! Fuyez!
Fuyez, chimères.
Rêves éphémères
Qui troublez ma raison.
Fantaisie aux divins mensonges,
Tu reviens m'égarer encor.
Va, retourne au pays des songes,
O fantaisie aux ailes d'or.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Didone Abbandonata -- Jommelli, 1747 -- Enea's two arias available on midi
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
"Didone abbandonata" is an opera by Jommelli, first presented in 1747.
Niccolò Jommelli (10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer.
He was born in Aversa and died in Naples.
Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he made important changes to opera and reduced the importance of star singers.
Jommelli was born to Francesco Antonio Jommelli and Margarita Cristiano in Aversa, a town some 20 kilometres north of Naples.
He had one brother Ignazio, who became a Dominican monk and helped the composer in his old age, and three sisters. His father was a prosperous linen merchant, who entrusted Jommelli to the choir director of the cathedral, Canon Muzzillo.
As he had shown talent for music Jommelli was enrolled after in 1725 at the Conservatorio di Santo Onofrio a Capuana in Naples, where he studied under Ignazio Prota and Francesco Feo. Three years later he was transferred to the Conservatorio di Santa Maria della Pietà dei Turchini, where he was trained under Niccolò Fago, having Don Giacomo Sarcuni and Andrea Basso, as second maestri, that is, singing teachers (maestri di canto).
Jommelli studied music under Canon Muzzillo, the director of the Aversa cathedral choir. In 1725 he was sent to the Conservatorio Sant'Onofrio at Naples, and studied alongside Francesco Feo and Tommaso Prota. In 1728 he moved to the Conservatorio dei Turchini, and was taught by Nicola Fago (among others). He was greatly influenced by Johann Adolph Hasse, who was in Naples during this period. After completing his studies he began work, and wrote two opere buffe, L’errore amorosa in early 1737 and Odoardo in late 1738. His first opera seria, Ricimero re di Goti, was such a success in Rome in 1740 that work was immediately commissioned from him by Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal-Duke of York.
When still studying at the conservatory, Jommelli was impressed with Hasse’s use of obbligato recitative to increase the tension at certain dramatic moments in his operas. Speaking of obbligato recitative for Ricimero, Charles de Brosses says that Jommelli’s use of obbligato recitative was better than anything he had heard in France.[1]
His first opera, the comedy L’errore amoroso, was presented, with great success, under the protection of the Marquis del Vasto, Giovanni Battista d’Avalos, the winter of 1737 in the Teatro Nuovo of Naples. It was followed in the next year by a second comic opera, Odoardo, in the Teatro dei Fiorentini. His first serious opera Ricimero rè de’ Goti, presented in the Roman Teatro Argentina in January 1740, brought him to the attention and then the protection of the Duke of York, Henry Benedict. The duke would later be raised to the rank of cardinal and procure Jommelli an appointment at the Vatican. During the 1740s Jommelli wrote operas for many Italian cities: Bologna, Venice, Turin, Padua, Ferrara, Lucca, Parma, along with Naples and Rome.
When in Bologna in 1741, for the production of his "Ezio", Jommelli (in a situation blurred with anecdotes) met Padre Martini. Saverio Mattei said that Jommelli studied with Martini, and acknowledged to have learned with him ‘the art of escaping any anguish or aridity’. Nevertheless, Jommelli’s constant travelling in order to produce his many operas seems to have prevented him from ever having any lessons on a regular basis. Moreover, Jommelli’s relationship with Martini was not without mutual criticism. The main result of his stay in Bologna and his acquaintance with Martini was to present to the Accademia Filarmonica of that city for the procedures of admission, his first known church music, a five-voice fugue a cappella, on the final words of the small doxology, the ‘Sicut Erat’. The musicologist Gustav Fellerer, who examined several such works testifies that Jommelli’s piece, though being just ‘a rigid school work’, could well rank among the best admission pieces now stored in the Bolognese Accademia Filarmonica. During the early 1740s Jommelli wrote an increasing amount of religious music, mainly oratorios, and his first liturgical piece still extant, a very simple "Lætatus sum" in F major dated 1743, is held in the Santini collection in Münster.
In 1741 Jommelli went to Bologna to compose the music for Metastasio's Ezio, studying for a time under the famous Franciscan Friar and musician, Father Giovanni Battista Martini and becoming a lifelong friend of his. He was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica. Shortly afterwards he moved to Venice, and composed his opera Merope, which was the forerunner for the French style of opera later in the century. In the years immediately after this, he wrote operas for Venice, Turin, Bologna, Ferrara, and Padua, and two popular oratorios, Isacco figura del Redentore and Betulia liberata.
Some time around 1745, Hasse recommended Jommelli for a position as the Director of Music at the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice, one of that city's colleges for female musicians. This full-time employment required him to compose sacred music (mostly settings of the Mass and the Divine Office), but the financial security it gave him also allowed him to compose several other dramatic works.
The appointment of Jommelli, recommended by Hasse, as maestro di cappella to the Ospedale degl’ Incurabili in Venice is not definitively documented. However, in 1745 he did start writing religious works for women’s choir to be performed in the church of the Incurabili, San Salvatore, a duty that was—together with the tuition of the more advanced students of the institution—part of the chapel master’s obligations. There are no autographs of Jommelli’s music composed for the Incurabili, but there are many copies of different versions of several of his works that may, with some certainty, be attributed to his period as maestro there. Among the music Helmut Hochstein lists as being composed for Venice, are to be found four oratorios: "Isacco figura del Redentore", "La Betulia liberata", "Joas", "Juda proditor"; some numbers in a collection of solo motets called Modulamina Sacra; one Missa breve in F major with its Credo in D major, probably a second mass in G major,47 one Te Deum, and five psalms.
Jommelli finds a place among the composers commemorated on the Opéra Garnier, ParisThough some his earliest biographers, Mattei and Villarosa, give 1748 as the year when Jommelli gave up his employment in Venice, his last compositions for the Incurabili are from 1746. He must have left Venice at the very end of 1746 or at the beginning of the following year, because on 28 January 1747 Jommelli was staging at the Argentina theatre in Rome his first version of the "Didone abbandonata", and in May at San Carlo theatre in Naples a second version of "Eumene".
It was the need of an active chapel master for the basilica of Saint Peter’s in reaching for the Jubilee festival year that brought both Jommelli and Davide Perez to Rome in 1749. The Jubilee is a year-long commemoration which the Roman Catholic Church holds every fifty years. Therefore this was an important occasion for Roman aristocratic society to show off. Jommelli was summoned by the Cardinal Duke of York, Henry Benedict, for whom he wrote a setting of Metastasio's oratorio La passione di Gesù Cristo that continued to be played yearly in Rome, and who presented him to Cardinal Alessandro Albani, an intimate of Pope Benedict XIV.
He subsequently visited Vienna before taking a post as Kapellmeister to Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg in Stuttgart in 1753. This period saw some of his greatest successes and the composition of what are regarded as some of his best works. Many were staged at the Duke's private theatres in the Palace of Ludwigsburg, outside Stuttgart. Mozart and his father passed through Ludwigsburg in 1763 on their "grand tour" and met the composer. Jommelli returned to Naples in 1768, by which time opera buffa was more popular than Jommelli's opera seria, and his last works were not so well received. He suffered a stroke in 1771 which partially paralysed him, but continued to work until his death three years later. He died in Naples.
Jommelli wrote cantatas, oratorios and other sacred works, but by far the most important part of his output were his operas, particularly his opere serie of which he composed around sixty examples, several with libretti by Metastasio. In his work, he tended to concentrate more on the story and drama of the opera than on flashy technical displays by the singers, as was the norm in Italian opera at that time. He wrote more ensemble numbers and choruses, and, influenced by French opera composers such as Jean-Philippe Rameau, he introduced ballets into his work. He used the orchestra (particularly the wind instruments) in a much more prominent way to illustrate the goings-on of the story, and wrote passages for the orchestra alone rather than having it purely as support for the singers. From Johann Adolph Hasse, he learnt to write recitatives accompanied by the orchestra, rather than just by a harpsichord. His reforms are sometimes regarded as equal in importance to Christoph Willibald Gluck's.
Operas
L'errore amoroso (Naples, 1737) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
Odoardo (Naples, 1738)
Ricimero re de' Goti (Rome, 1740)
Astianatte (Rome, 1741) – libretto by Antonio Salvi
Ezio (Bologna, 1741) – libretto by Metastasio
Semiramide riconosciuta (Turin, 1741) – libretto by Metastasio
Merope (Venice, 1741) – libretto by Apostolo Zeno
Don Chichibio (Rome, 1742)
Eumene (Bologna, 1742) – libretto by Apostolo Zeno
Semiramide (Venice, 1742) – libretto by Francesco Silvani
Tito Manlio (Turin, 1743) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
Demofoonte (Padua, 1743) – libretto by Metastasio
Alessandro nell'Indie (Ferrara, 1744) – libretto by Metastasio
Ciro riconosciuto (Bologna, 1744) – libretto by Metastasio
Sofonisba (Venice, 1746) – libretto by Antonio Zanetti e Girolamo Zanetti
Cajo Mario (Rome, 1746) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
Antigono (Lucca, 1746) – libretto by Metastasio
Tito Manlio (Venice, 1746) – libretto by Jacopo Antonio Sanvitale
******************
Didone abbandonata (Rome, 1847) – libretto by Metastasio
******************
L'amore in maschera (Naples, 1748) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
Achille in Sciro (Vienna, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Artaserse (Rome, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Ciro riconosciuto (Venice, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Demetrio (Parma, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
La cantata e disfida di Don Trastullo (Rome, 1749)
Cesare in Egitto (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani
Ifigenia in Aulide (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
La villana nobile (Palermo, 1751) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
L'uccellatrice (Venice, 1751) – libretto by Carlo Goldoni
Ipermestra (Spoleto, 1751) – libretto by Metastasio
Talestri (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
I rivali delusi (Rome, 1752)
Attilio Regolo (Rome, 1753)
Bajazette (Turin, 1753) – libretto by Agostino Piovene
Fetonte (Stuttgart, 1753) – libretto by Leopoldo de Villati
La clemenza di Tito (Stuttgart, 1753) – libretto by Metastasio
Il paratajo (Paris, 1753) – revision of L'uccellatrice
Don Falcone (Bologna, 1754)
Catone in Utica (Stuttgart, 1754) – libretto by Metastasio
Lucio Vero (Milan, 1754)
Il giardino incantato (Stuttgart, 1755)
Enea nel Lazio (Stuttgart, 1755) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Penelope (Stuttgart, 1755) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Il Creso (Rome, 1757) – libretto by Giovacchino Pizzi
Temistocle (Naples, 1757) – libretto by Metastasio
Tito Manlio (Stuttgart, 1758)
Ezio (Stuttgart, 1758)
L'asilo d'amore (Stuttgart, 1758)
Endimione (Stuttgart, 1759)
Nitteti (Stuttgart, 1759) – libretto by Metastasio
Alessandro nell'Indie (Stuttgart, 1760)
Cajo Fabrizio (Mannheim, 1760) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
L'Olimpiade (Stuttgart, 1761) – libretto by Metastasio
L'isola disabitata (Ludwigsburg, 1761) – libretto by Metastasio
Semiramide riconosciuta (Stuttgart, 1762)
Didone abbandonata (Stuttgart, 1763)
Il trionfo d'amore (Ludwigsburg, 1763) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
Demofoonte (Stuttgart, 1764)
Il re pastore (Ludwigsburg, 1764) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
La pastorella illustre (Stuttgart, 1764) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
Temistocle (Ludwigsburg, 1765)
Imeneo in Atene (Ludwigsburg, 1765)
Il matrimonio per concorso (Ludwigsburg, 1766) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
La critica (Ludwigsburg, 1766)
Vologeso (Ludwigsburg, 1766) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Il matrimonio per concorso (Ludwigsburg, 1766)
Il cacciatore deluso (Tübingen, 1767) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Fetonte (Ludwigsburg, 1768)
L'unione coronata (Solitude, 1768)
La schiava liberata (Ludwigsburg, 1768) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Armida abbandonata (Naples, 1770) – libretto by Francesco Saverio de' Rogati
Demofoonte (Naples, 1770)
Ifigenia in Tauride (Naples, 1771) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
L'amante cacciatore (Rome, 1771)
Achille in Sciro (Rome, 1771)
Le avventure di Cleomede (1771) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Cerere placata (Naples, 1772)
Il trionfo di Clelia (Naples, 1774) – libretto by Metastasio
Arcadia conservata
La Griselda
La pellegrina
[edit] Recording1 concerto in Neapolitan Flute Concertos, Auser Musici, Carlo Ipata, director, Hyperion CDA67784 (2010)
[edit] References^ Charles de Brosses, L'Italie il y a cent ans, ou lettres écrites d'Italie à quelques amis en 1739 et 1740
Maurício Dottori. The Church Music of Davide Perez and Niccolò Jommelli. Curitiba: DeArtes-UFPR, 2008.
[edit] External linksFree scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the International Music Score Library Project
Istituto Internazionale per lo studio del '700 musicale napoletano
Free scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
Free scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
"Didone abbandonata" is an opera by Jommelli, first presented in 1747.
Niccolò Jommelli (10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer.
He was born in Aversa and died in Naples.
Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he made important changes to opera and reduced the importance of star singers.
Jommelli was born to Francesco Antonio Jommelli and Margarita Cristiano in Aversa, a town some 20 kilometres north of Naples.
He had one brother Ignazio, who became a Dominican monk and helped the composer in his old age, and three sisters. His father was a prosperous linen merchant, who entrusted Jommelli to the choir director of the cathedral, Canon Muzzillo.
As he had shown talent for music Jommelli was enrolled after in 1725 at the Conservatorio di Santo Onofrio a Capuana in Naples, where he studied under Ignazio Prota and Francesco Feo. Three years later he was transferred to the Conservatorio di Santa Maria della Pietà dei Turchini, where he was trained under Niccolò Fago, having Don Giacomo Sarcuni and Andrea Basso, as second maestri, that is, singing teachers (maestri di canto).
Jommelli studied music under Canon Muzzillo, the director of the Aversa cathedral choir. In 1725 he was sent to the Conservatorio Sant'Onofrio at Naples, and studied alongside Francesco Feo and Tommaso Prota. In 1728 he moved to the Conservatorio dei Turchini, and was taught by Nicola Fago (among others). He was greatly influenced by Johann Adolph Hasse, who was in Naples during this period. After completing his studies he began work, and wrote two opere buffe, L’errore amorosa in early 1737 and Odoardo in late 1738. His first opera seria, Ricimero re di Goti, was such a success in Rome in 1740 that work was immediately commissioned from him by Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal-Duke of York.
When still studying at the conservatory, Jommelli was impressed with Hasse’s use of obbligato recitative to increase the tension at certain dramatic moments in his operas. Speaking of obbligato recitative for Ricimero, Charles de Brosses says that Jommelli’s use of obbligato recitative was better than anything he had heard in France.[1]
His first opera, the comedy L’errore amoroso, was presented, with great success, under the protection of the Marquis del Vasto, Giovanni Battista d’Avalos, the winter of 1737 in the Teatro Nuovo of Naples. It was followed in the next year by a second comic opera, Odoardo, in the Teatro dei Fiorentini. His first serious opera Ricimero rè de’ Goti, presented in the Roman Teatro Argentina in January 1740, brought him to the attention and then the protection of the Duke of York, Henry Benedict. The duke would later be raised to the rank of cardinal and procure Jommelli an appointment at the Vatican. During the 1740s Jommelli wrote operas for many Italian cities: Bologna, Venice, Turin, Padua, Ferrara, Lucca, Parma, along with Naples and Rome.
When in Bologna in 1741, for the production of his "Ezio", Jommelli (in a situation blurred with anecdotes) met Padre Martini. Saverio Mattei said that Jommelli studied with Martini, and acknowledged to have learned with him ‘the art of escaping any anguish or aridity’. Nevertheless, Jommelli’s constant travelling in order to produce his many operas seems to have prevented him from ever having any lessons on a regular basis. Moreover, Jommelli’s relationship with Martini was not without mutual criticism. The main result of his stay in Bologna and his acquaintance with Martini was to present to the Accademia Filarmonica of that city for the procedures of admission, his first known church music, a five-voice fugue a cappella, on the final words of the small doxology, the ‘Sicut Erat’. The musicologist Gustav Fellerer, who examined several such works testifies that Jommelli’s piece, though being just ‘a rigid school work’, could well rank among the best admission pieces now stored in the Bolognese Accademia Filarmonica. During the early 1740s Jommelli wrote an increasing amount of religious music, mainly oratorios, and his first liturgical piece still extant, a very simple "Lætatus sum" in F major dated 1743, is held in the Santini collection in Münster.
In 1741 Jommelli went to Bologna to compose the music for Metastasio's Ezio, studying for a time under the famous Franciscan Friar and musician, Father Giovanni Battista Martini and becoming a lifelong friend of his. He was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica. Shortly afterwards he moved to Venice, and composed his opera Merope, which was the forerunner for the French style of opera later in the century. In the years immediately after this, he wrote operas for Venice, Turin, Bologna, Ferrara, and Padua, and two popular oratorios, Isacco figura del Redentore and Betulia liberata.
Some time around 1745, Hasse recommended Jommelli for a position as the Director of Music at the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice, one of that city's colleges for female musicians. This full-time employment required him to compose sacred music (mostly settings of the Mass and the Divine Office), but the financial security it gave him also allowed him to compose several other dramatic works.
The appointment of Jommelli, recommended by Hasse, as maestro di cappella to the Ospedale degl’ Incurabili in Venice is not definitively documented. However, in 1745 he did start writing religious works for women’s choir to be performed in the church of the Incurabili, San Salvatore, a duty that was—together with the tuition of the more advanced students of the institution—part of the chapel master’s obligations. There are no autographs of Jommelli’s music composed for the Incurabili, but there are many copies of different versions of several of his works that may, with some certainty, be attributed to his period as maestro there. Among the music Helmut Hochstein lists as being composed for Venice, are to be found four oratorios: "Isacco figura del Redentore", "La Betulia liberata", "Joas", "Juda proditor"; some numbers in a collection of solo motets called Modulamina Sacra; one Missa breve in F major with its Credo in D major, probably a second mass in G major,47 one Te Deum, and five psalms.
Jommelli finds a place among the composers commemorated on the Opéra Garnier, ParisThough some his earliest biographers, Mattei and Villarosa, give 1748 as the year when Jommelli gave up his employment in Venice, his last compositions for the Incurabili are from 1746. He must have left Venice at the very end of 1746 or at the beginning of the following year, because on 28 January 1747 Jommelli was staging at the Argentina theatre in Rome his first version of the "Didone abbandonata", and in May at San Carlo theatre in Naples a second version of "Eumene".
It was the need of an active chapel master for the basilica of Saint Peter’s in reaching for the Jubilee festival year that brought both Jommelli and Davide Perez to Rome in 1749. The Jubilee is a year-long commemoration which the Roman Catholic Church holds every fifty years. Therefore this was an important occasion for Roman aristocratic society to show off. Jommelli was summoned by the Cardinal Duke of York, Henry Benedict, for whom he wrote a setting of Metastasio's oratorio La passione di Gesù Cristo that continued to be played yearly in Rome, and who presented him to Cardinal Alessandro Albani, an intimate of Pope Benedict XIV.
He subsequently visited Vienna before taking a post as Kapellmeister to Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg in Stuttgart in 1753. This period saw some of his greatest successes and the composition of what are regarded as some of his best works. Many were staged at the Duke's private theatres in the Palace of Ludwigsburg, outside Stuttgart. Mozart and his father passed through Ludwigsburg in 1763 on their "grand tour" and met the composer. Jommelli returned to Naples in 1768, by which time opera buffa was more popular than Jommelli's opera seria, and his last works were not so well received. He suffered a stroke in 1771 which partially paralysed him, but continued to work until his death three years later. He died in Naples.
Jommelli wrote cantatas, oratorios and other sacred works, but by far the most important part of his output were his operas, particularly his opere serie of which he composed around sixty examples, several with libretti by Metastasio. In his work, he tended to concentrate more on the story and drama of the opera than on flashy technical displays by the singers, as was the norm in Italian opera at that time. He wrote more ensemble numbers and choruses, and, influenced by French opera composers such as Jean-Philippe Rameau, he introduced ballets into his work. He used the orchestra (particularly the wind instruments) in a much more prominent way to illustrate the goings-on of the story, and wrote passages for the orchestra alone rather than having it purely as support for the singers. From Johann Adolph Hasse, he learnt to write recitatives accompanied by the orchestra, rather than just by a harpsichord. His reforms are sometimes regarded as equal in importance to Christoph Willibald Gluck's.
Operas
L'errore amoroso (Naples, 1737) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
Odoardo (Naples, 1738)
Ricimero re de' Goti (Rome, 1740)
Astianatte (Rome, 1741) – libretto by Antonio Salvi
Ezio (Bologna, 1741) – libretto by Metastasio
Semiramide riconosciuta (Turin, 1741) – libretto by Metastasio
Merope (Venice, 1741) – libretto by Apostolo Zeno
Don Chichibio (Rome, 1742)
Eumene (Bologna, 1742) – libretto by Apostolo Zeno
Semiramide (Venice, 1742) – libretto by Francesco Silvani
Tito Manlio (Turin, 1743) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
Demofoonte (Padua, 1743) – libretto by Metastasio
Alessandro nell'Indie (Ferrara, 1744) – libretto by Metastasio
Ciro riconosciuto (Bologna, 1744) – libretto by Metastasio
Sofonisba (Venice, 1746) – libretto by Antonio Zanetti e Girolamo Zanetti
Cajo Mario (Rome, 1746) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
Antigono (Lucca, 1746) – libretto by Metastasio
Tito Manlio (Venice, 1746) – libretto by Jacopo Antonio Sanvitale
******************
Didone abbandonata (Rome, 1847) – libretto by Metastasio
******************
L'amore in maschera (Naples, 1748) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
Achille in Sciro (Vienna, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Artaserse (Rome, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Ciro riconosciuto (Venice, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
Demetrio (Parma, 1749) – libretto by Metastasio
La cantata e disfida di Don Trastullo (Rome, 1749)
Cesare in Egitto (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani
Ifigenia in Aulide (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
La villana nobile (Palermo, 1751) – libretto by Antonio Palomba
L'uccellatrice (Venice, 1751) – libretto by Carlo Goldoni
Ipermestra (Spoleto, 1751) – libretto by Metastasio
Talestri (Rome, 1751) – libretto by Gaetano Roccaforte
I rivali delusi (Rome, 1752)
Attilio Regolo (Rome, 1753)
Bajazette (Turin, 1753) – libretto by Agostino Piovene
Fetonte (Stuttgart, 1753) – libretto by Leopoldo de Villati
La clemenza di Tito (Stuttgart, 1753) – libretto by Metastasio
Il paratajo (Paris, 1753) – revision of L'uccellatrice
Don Falcone (Bologna, 1754)
Catone in Utica (Stuttgart, 1754) – libretto by Metastasio
Lucio Vero (Milan, 1754)
Il giardino incantato (Stuttgart, 1755)
Enea nel Lazio (Stuttgart, 1755) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Penelope (Stuttgart, 1755) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Il Creso (Rome, 1757) – libretto by Giovacchino Pizzi
Temistocle (Naples, 1757) – libretto by Metastasio
Tito Manlio (Stuttgart, 1758)
Ezio (Stuttgart, 1758)
L'asilo d'amore (Stuttgart, 1758)
Endimione (Stuttgart, 1759)
Nitteti (Stuttgart, 1759) – libretto by Metastasio
Alessandro nell'Indie (Stuttgart, 1760)
Cajo Fabrizio (Mannheim, 1760) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
L'Olimpiade (Stuttgart, 1761) – libretto by Metastasio
L'isola disabitata (Ludwigsburg, 1761) – libretto by Metastasio
Semiramide riconosciuta (Stuttgart, 1762)
Didone abbandonata (Stuttgart, 1763)
Il trionfo d'amore (Ludwigsburg, 1763) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
Demofoonte (Stuttgart, 1764)
Il re pastore (Ludwigsburg, 1764) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
La pastorella illustre (Stuttgart, 1764) – libretto by Giampiero Tagliazucchi
Temistocle (Ludwigsburg, 1765)
Imeneo in Atene (Ludwigsburg, 1765)
Il matrimonio per concorso (Ludwigsburg, 1766) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
La critica (Ludwigsburg, 1766)
Vologeso (Ludwigsburg, 1766) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
Il matrimonio per concorso (Ludwigsburg, 1766)
Il cacciatore deluso (Tübingen, 1767) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Fetonte (Ludwigsburg, 1768)
L'unione coronata (Solitude, 1768)
La schiava liberata (Ludwigsburg, 1768) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Armida abbandonata (Naples, 1770) – libretto by Francesco Saverio de' Rogati
Demofoonte (Naples, 1770)
Ifigenia in Tauride (Naples, 1771) – libretto by Mattia Verazi
L'amante cacciatore (Rome, 1771)
Achille in Sciro (Rome, 1771)
Le avventure di Cleomede (1771) – libretto by Gaetano Martinelli
Cerere placata (Naples, 1772)
Il trionfo di Clelia (Naples, 1774) – libretto by Metastasio
Arcadia conservata
La Griselda
La pellegrina
[edit] Recording1 concerto in Neapolitan Flute Concertos, Auser Musici, Carlo Ipata, director, Hyperion CDA67784 (2010)
[edit] References^ Charles de Brosses, L'Italie il y a cent ans, ou lettres écrites d'Italie à quelques amis en 1739 et 1740
Maurício Dottori. The Church Music of Davide Perez and Niccolò Jommelli. Curitiba: DeArtes-UFPR, 2008.
[edit] External linksFree scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the International Music Score Library Project
Istituto Internazionale per lo studio del '700 musicale napoletano
Free scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
Free scores by Niccolò Jommelli in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Lyrics and midi: "Didone" (Jommelli) -- 'A trionfar mi chiama'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1776 "Didone" (Jommelli) 'Son quel fiume che gonfio'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Arsa da rai cocenti'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Bel piacer saria d'un core'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Se amarti non poss'io'
by Luigi Speranzafor "Gli Operai"jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Se ostinata a me resisti'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Vorrei dai lacci sciogliere'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Lieta o Tempe'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Rete, lacci e strali adopra'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Rete, lacci e strali adopra
Rete, lacci e strali adopra
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Al mio amore il suo risponda'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Saprò ben con petto forte'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Saprò ben con petto forte
Saprò ben con petto forte
Lyrics and midi: "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Gemiti e lacrime'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Dall'orrido soggiorno mi vien di mostri in torno"
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'La speranza ch'in me sento'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
La speranza ch'in me sento
La speranza ch'in me sento
Lyrics and midi: 1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Mi lusinga il dolce affetto'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Mi lusinga il dolce affetto
con l'aspetto del mio bene.
pur chi sà temer conviene
che m'inganni amando ancor
ma se quella fosse mai
che adorai, e l'abbandono
infedel ingrato io sono
son crudele e traditor.
Mi lusinga il dolce affetto
con l'aspetto del mio bene.
pur chi sà temer conviene
che m'inganni amando ancor
ma se quella fosse mai
che adorai, e l'abbandono
infedel ingrato io sono
son crudele e traditor.
1726 "Dorilla" (Vivaldi) -- 'Dell'aura al sussurar, dell'onda al mormorar'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Dell'aura al sussurrar
dell'onda al mormorar,
cantiamo con piacer
fra il dolce, e el goder
della nuova stagion
l'onore, e il vanto
e sia di primavera
d'ogni gioir foriera
il nostro canto
senti quell'usignolo
su la nascente fronda
come il piacer l'innonda
e qual d'amor favella
spiegando lieto il volo
ei cerca fido il nido
al bel piacer ch'attende.
Dell'aura al sussurrar
dell'onda al mormorar,
cantiamo con piacer
fra il dolce, e el goder
della nuova stagion
l'onore, e il vanto
e sia di primavera
d'ogni gioir foriera
il nostro canto
senti quell'usignolo
su la nascente fronda
come il piacer l'innonda
e qual d'amor favella
spiegando lieto il volo
ei cerca fido il nido
al bel piacer ch'attende.
Midi and lyrics: 1726"Dorila"(Vivaldi)'Dell'aura al sussurar'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
"Dorilla in Tempe" is a melodramma eroico pastorale in three acts by composer Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini.
The opera premiered at the Teatro San Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726.
Vivaldi later revised the opera numerous times for several difference performances throughout the second half of his career.
"Dorilla in Tempe" was well received at its premiere and became one of Vivaldi's personal favorites.
The opera was the first work by Vivaldi to include in its cast the mezzo-soprano Anna Girò, who went on to form a lifelong friendship and professional partnership with the composer.
The opera was also noted for its visual aspects, boasting some of the most elaborate sets (by Antonio Mauro) in the history of opera up to that point and for its beautiful choreography by Giovanni Galletto.
In 1728 the opera was revived at the small Teatro San Margherita in Venice with an almost identical text, and again in Prague at the Sporck Theatre in the spring of 1732, this time with substantial alterations to the libretto.
During Carnival 1734 the opera was revived at the Teatro San Angelo, this time as a pastiche using recent music by other composers, including Hasse, Giacomelli and Leo.
The only surviving score of Dorilla in Tempe, located in Turin, is from this 1734 pastiche production.
Fortunately, the score includes not only the many insertions into the opera but also a number of the deletions from earlier productions.
Unusually for Vivaldi’s operatic scores, the sinfonia is clearly linked with the main opera.
It follows the title-page instead of preceding it, and the music of its final movement – a C major version of the opening of the Spring concerto– reappears in the opera’s opening chorus, appropriately in praise of spring.
"Dell'aura al sussurrar"
The opera displays a pastoral nature, particularly in its choral and ballet music, that is at times mixed with heroic elements, as in the elaborate celebrations at the end of Act 2, where a hunt is enacted to the inevitable horn accompaniment.
9 November 1726
Dorilla, daughter of Admeto, in love with Elmiro ---- soprano Angela Capuano, "la Capuanina"
Admeto, King of Thessaly ---------------------------- bass Lorenzo Moretti
Nomio/Apollo, the god Apollo disguised as a shepherd, in love with Dorilla contralto castrato Filippo Finazzi
Elmiro, a shepherd, in love with Dorilla ---- soprano (breeches role) Maria Maddalena Pieri
Eudamia, a nymph, in love with Elmiro ------ mezzo-soprano Anna Giró (?)
Filindo, in love with Eudamia -------------- contralto castrato Domenico Giuseppe Galletti
The story takes place in Tempe.
Like the music, the plot intertwines pastoral and heroic elements and centers on the shepherd Nomio, who is in fact Apollo in disguise.
Nomio falls in love with Dorilla, the daughter of Admeto, King of Thessaly, who is herself in love with the shepherd Elmiro.
Admeto is forced by the gods to save his kingdom by offering his daughter as a sacrifice to the sea-serpent Pitone, but she is rescued just in time by Nomius. Nomius claims the hand of Dorilla as his reward, but she remains reluctant and escapes with Elmiro.
The pair are captured, and Elmiro is sentenced to death. Finally, however, the intervention of Nomius, revealing his divine identity, saves the situation and Dorilla and Elmiro are reunited.
Recordings
1994 Dorilla: María Cristina Kiehr, Elmiro: John Elwes, Admeto: Philippe Cantor, Nomio/Apollo: Jean Nirouët. Ensemble Baroque de Nice, Gilbert Bezzina Opéra de Nice 1994,2008[2]
"Dorilla in Tempe" is a melodramma eroico pastorale in three acts by composer Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini.
The opera premiered at the Teatro San Angelo in Venice on 9 November 1726.
Vivaldi later revised the opera numerous times for several difference performances throughout the second half of his career.
"Dorilla in Tempe" was well received at its premiere and became one of Vivaldi's personal favorites.
The opera was the first work by Vivaldi to include in its cast the mezzo-soprano Anna Girò, who went on to form a lifelong friendship and professional partnership with the composer.
The opera was also noted for its visual aspects, boasting some of the most elaborate sets (by Antonio Mauro) in the history of opera up to that point and for its beautiful choreography by Giovanni Galletto.
In 1728 the opera was revived at the small Teatro San Margherita in Venice with an almost identical text, and again in Prague at the Sporck Theatre in the spring of 1732, this time with substantial alterations to the libretto.
During Carnival 1734 the opera was revived at the Teatro San Angelo, this time as a pastiche using recent music by other composers, including Hasse, Giacomelli and Leo.
The only surviving score of Dorilla in Tempe, located in Turin, is from this 1734 pastiche production.
Fortunately, the score includes not only the many insertions into the opera but also a number of the deletions from earlier productions.
Unusually for Vivaldi’s operatic scores, the sinfonia is clearly linked with the main opera.
It follows the title-page instead of preceding it, and the music of its final movement – a C major version of the opening of the Spring concerto– reappears in the opera’s opening chorus, appropriately in praise of spring.
"Dell'aura al sussurrar"
The opera displays a pastoral nature, particularly in its choral and ballet music, that is at times mixed with heroic elements, as in the elaborate celebrations at the end of Act 2, where a hunt is enacted to the inevitable horn accompaniment.
9 November 1726
Dorilla, daughter of Admeto, in love with Elmiro ---- soprano Angela Capuano, "la Capuanina"
Admeto, King of Thessaly ---------------------------- bass Lorenzo Moretti
Nomio/Apollo, the god Apollo disguised as a shepherd, in love with Dorilla contralto castrato Filippo Finazzi
Elmiro, a shepherd, in love with Dorilla ---- soprano (breeches role) Maria Maddalena Pieri
Eudamia, a nymph, in love with Elmiro ------ mezzo-soprano Anna Giró (?)
Filindo, in love with Eudamia -------------- contralto castrato Domenico Giuseppe Galletti
The story takes place in Tempe.
Like the music, the plot intertwines pastoral and heroic elements and centers on the shepherd Nomio, who is in fact Apollo in disguise.
Nomio falls in love with Dorilla, the daughter of Admeto, King of Thessaly, who is herself in love with the shepherd Elmiro.
Admeto is forced by the gods to save his kingdom by offering his daughter as a sacrifice to the sea-serpent Pitone, but she is rescued just in time by Nomius. Nomius claims the hand of Dorilla as his reward, but she remains reluctant and escapes with Elmiro.
The pair are captured, and Elmiro is sentenced to death. Finally, however, the intervention of Nomius, revealing his divine identity, saves the situation and Dorilla and Elmiro are reunited.
Recordings
1994 Dorilla: María Cristina Kiehr, Elmiro: John Elwes, Admeto: Philippe Cantor, Nomio/Apollo: Jean Nirouët. Ensemble Baroque de Nice, Gilbert Bezzina Opéra de Nice 1994,2008[2]
Vivaldi midi
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Dorilla in Tempe:
Atto I
Aria di Dorilla (MIDI 30k)
CORO (MIDI 45k)
Dell'aura al sussurrar ... Allegro, 124 battute.
Aria di ELMIRO (MIDI 35k)
Mi lusinga il dolce affetto ... Allegro, 167 battute.
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 46k)
La speranza che in me sento ... Vivace, 65 battute.
Aria di ADMETO (MIDI 56k)
Dall'orrido soggiorno ... Un poco Andante, 44 battute.
CORO (MIDI 40k)
Gemiti e lacrime ... Allegro, 27 battute
Aria di ELMIRO (56k)
Saprò ben con petto forte ... Allegro, 75 battute.
Aria di EUDAMIA (MIDI 43k)
Al mio amore il suo risponda ... Allegro non molto, 107 battute.
Aria di FILINDO (35k)
Rete, lacci e strali ... Allegro, 140 battute.
CORO (MIDI 44k)
Lieta o Tempe ... Allegro, 107 battute.
Atto II
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 31k)
Saprò ben con petto forte ... Moderato, 73 battute.
Aria di ELMIRO (MIDI 38k)
Vorrei dai lacci sciogliere ... Allegro, 142 battute.
Aria di ADMETO (MIDI 45k)
Se ostinata a me resisti ... Allegro, 163 battute.
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 49k)
Se amarti non poss'io ... Allegro moderato, 95 battute.
Aria di NOMIO (MIDI 43k)
Bel piacer saria d'un core ... Largo, 48 battute.
Aria di EUDAMIA (MIDI 54k)
Arsa dai rai cocenti ... Allegro non troppo, 118 battute.
arrangiamento di - arrangement copyright by - Luca Bianchini
MP3
Dorilla in Tempe:
Aria di FILINDO (MIDI 32k)
arrangiamento di - arrangement copyright by - Luca Bianchini
Dorilla in Tempe:
Atto I
Aria di Dorilla (MIDI 30k)
CORO (MIDI 45k)
Dell'aura al sussurrar ... Allegro, 124 battute.
Aria di ELMIRO (MIDI 35k)
Mi lusinga il dolce affetto ... Allegro, 167 battute.
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 46k)
La speranza che in me sento ... Vivace, 65 battute.
Aria di ADMETO (MIDI 56k)
Dall'orrido soggiorno ... Un poco Andante, 44 battute.
CORO (MIDI 40k)
Gemiti e lacrime ... Allegro, 27 battute
Aria di ELMIRO (56k)
Saprò ben con petto forte ... Allegro, 75 battute.
Aria di EUDAMIA (MIDI 43k)
Al mio amore il suo risponda ... Allegro non molto, 107 battute.
Aria di FILINDO (35k)
Rete, lacci e strali ... Allegro, 140 battute.
CORO (MIDI 44k)
Lieta o Tempe ... Allegro, 107 battute.
Atto II
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 31k)
Saprò ben con petto forte ... Moderato, 73 battute.
Aria di ELMIRO (MIDI 38k)
Vorrei dai lacci sciogliere ... Allegro, 142 battute.
Aria di ADMETO (MIDI 45k)
Se ostinata a me resisti ... Allegro, 163 battute.
Aria di DORILLA (MIDI 49k)
Se amarti non poss'io ... Allegro moderato, 95 battute.
Aria di NOMIO (MIDI 43k)
Bel piacer saria d'un core ... Largo, 48 battute.
Aria di EUDAMIA (MIDI 54k)
Arsa dai rai cocenti ... Allegro non troppo, 118 battute.
arrangiamento di - arrangement copyright by - Luca Bianchini
MP3
Dorilla in Tempe:
Aria di FILINDO (MIDI 32k)
arrangiamento di - arrangement copyright by - Luca Bianchini
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Vieni, Mallika, le liane sono fiorite (1883)"Lakme"(Delibes)
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
LAKME
Vieni, Mallika, le liane sono fiorite
Gettano già la loro ombra
Sul sacro ruscello che scorre
Calmo e sereno
Risvegliate dagli uccelli canterini.
MALLIKA
Oh mia padrona!
È l’ora nella quale vedo il tuo volto sorridente
L’ora benedetta nella quale posso leggere
Nel cuore sempre chiuso di Lakmé!
LAKME
Duomo di gelsomino, avviluppato alla rosa
Entrambi fioriti, un fresco mattino,
ci chiamano insieme.
Ah! Scivoliamo seguendo la corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
guadagniamo la riva,
dove l’uccello canta,
duomo di gelsomino, bianco gelsomino,
ci chiamano assieme.
MALLIKA
Sotto la cupola fitta di bianco gelsomino
Che alla rosa si stringe
Sulla riva fiorita che ride al mattino
Vieni, discendiamo assieme.
Scivoliamo dolcemente
Lungo i deliziosi flutti
Seguiamo la corrente fuggitiva:
Sull’onda fremente
Con mano noncurante
Vieni, guadagniamo la riva
Dove la sorgente dorme
E l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Sotto la cupola fitta
Sotto il bianco gelsomino,
Ah! Discendiamo insieme!
LAKME
Ma, non so qual timore subito,
proviene da me,
quando mio padre da solo
volge verso la città maledetta;
Io tremo, io tremo di spavento!
MALLIKA
Perché è il dio Ganessa che lo protegge,
fino allo stagno dove sguazzano lieti
i cigni ali di neve.
Rechiamoci a cogliere il loto color del blu.
LAKME
Sì, dietro ai cigni con le ali di neve
rechiamoci a cogliere il loto color del blu.
LAKME
Cupola spessa di gelsomino,
s’avvinghia alla rosa,
riva in fiore, fresco mattino,
ci chiamano assieme.
Ah! Scivoliamo seguendo
La corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
guadagniamo la riva,
dove l’uccello canta,
l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Cupola spessa, bianco gelsomino,
ci chiamano assieme.
MALLIKA
Sotto la cupola spessa, dove il bianco gelsomino
S’avvinghia alla rosa,
sulla riva in fiore ridente al mattino,
vieni, discendiamo assieme.
Scivoliamo dolcemente
Sui suoi deliziosi flutti
Seguiamo la corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
vieni, guadagniamo la riva,
donde la sorgente riposa
e l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Sotto la cupola spessa,
sotto il bianco gelsomino,
Ah! Discendiamo insieme!
LAKME & MALLIKA
[vanno assieme lentamente verso la barca ormeggiata accanto al roseto,
salgono sulla barca e si allontanano]
Ah! Ah! Ah!
Ah! Ah! Ah!
LAKME
Vieni, Mallika, le liane sono fiorite
Gettano già la loro ombra
Sul sacro ruscello che scorre
Calmo e sereno
Risvegliate dagli uccelli canterini.
MALLIKA
Oh mia padrona!
È l’ora nella quale vedo il tuo volto sorridente
L’ora benedetta nella quale posso leggere
Nel cuore sempre chiuso di Lakmé!
LAKME
Duomo di gelsomino, avviluppato alla rosa
Entrambi fioriti, un fresco mattino,
ci chiamano insieme.
Ah! Scivoliamo seguendo la corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
guadagniamo la riva,
dove l’uccello canta,
duomo di gelsomino, bianco gelsomino,
ci chiamano assieme.
MALLIKA
Sotto la cupola fitta di bianco gelsomino
Che alla rosa si stringe
Sulla riva fiorita che ride al mattino
Vieni, discendiamo assieme.
Scivoliamo dolcemente
Lungo i deliziosi flutti
Seguiamo la corrente fuggitiva:
Sull’onda fremente
Con mano noncurante
Vieni, guadagniamo la riva
Dove la sorgente dorme
E l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Sotto la cupola fitta
Sotto il bianco gelsomino,
Ah! Discendiamo insieme!
LAKME
Ma, non so qual timore subito,
proviene da me,
quando mio padre da solo
volge verso la città maledetta;
Io tremo, io tremo di spavento!
MALLIKA
Perché è il dio Ganessa che lo protegge,
fino allo stagno dove sguazzano lieti
i cigni ali di neve.
Rechiamoci a cogliere il loto color del blu.
LAKME
Sì, dietro ai cigni con le ali di neve
rechiamoci a cogliere il loto color del blu.
LAKME
Cupola spessa di gelsomino,
s’avvinghia alla rosa,
riva in fiore, fresco mattino,
ci chiamano assieme.
Ah! Scivoliamo seguendo
La corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
guadagniamo la riva,
dove l’uccello canta,
l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Cupola spessa, bianco gelsomino,
ci chiamano assieme.
MALLIKA
Sotto la cupola spessa, dove il bianco gelsomino
S’avvinghia alla rosa,
sulla riva in fiore ridente al mattino,
vieni, discendiamo assieme.
Scivoliamo dolcemente
Sui suoi deliziosi flutti
Seguiamo la corrente fuggitiva:
sull’onde frementi,
con mano noncurante,
vieni, guadagniamo la riva,
donde la sorgente riposa
e l’uccello, l’uccello canta.
Sotto la cupola spessa,
sotto il bianco gelsomino,
Ah! Discendiamo insieme!
LAKME & MALLIKA
[vanno assieme lentamente verso la barca ormeggiata accanto al roseto,
salgono sulla barca e si allontanano]
Ah! Ah! Ah!
Ah! Ah! Ah!
Duetto dei fiori (Midi) -- Delibes, Lakme (1883)(Lakme-Mallika)
by Luigi Speranzafor "Gli Operai"jlsperanza@aol.com
"Lakmé" è un'opera in tre atti del compositore francese Delibes su libretto di Edmond Gondinet e Philippe Gille, basato sulla novella del 1880 Rarahu ou Le Mariage de Loti di Pierre Loti.
Delibes scrisse la musica fra il 1881 ed il 1883.
Come molte altre opere francesi di quel periodo, anche Lakmé coglie l'atmosfera orientale in voga all'epoca.
L'opera, infatti, è ambientata in India durante il periodo della dominazione inglese.
La prima rappresentazione ebbe luogo al teatro dell'Opéra-Comique di Parigi il 14 aprile 1883.
Il duetto Lakmé-Mallika, noto come "Duetto dei fiori", è la pagina più famosa dell'opera, anche grazie al suo ripetuto impiego in pubblicità e film.
Tuttavia, l'aria "Où va la jeune Hindoue?", nota come "aria delle campanelle", del secondo atto, è da sempre considerata un eccellente pezzo per soprano leggero di coloratura (vista l'incredibile difficoltà del brano dovuta non solo ai sopracuti ma anche e soprattutto all'agilità).
Esistono diverse registrazioni di questo brano cantate in lingua italiana col titolo
"Dov'è l'indiana bruna?".
L'opera è ambientata in India sotto la dominazione inglese, durante la quale molti induisti vennero obbligati a professare la loro religione in segreto e clandestinità.
Gli indù stanno andando a svolgere i loro riti in un tempio dal sommo sacerdote Nilakantha. Lakmé, la giovane figlia di Nilakantha, e la sua serva Mallika si sono attardate per scendere al fiume a raccogliere fiori. Prima di entrare in acqua, Lakmé si toglie i gioielli e li appoggia sulla riva del fiume. Due ufficiali britannici, Frédéric e Gérald, arrivano nelle vicinanze per un pic-nic insieme a due ragazze inglesi ed alla loro governante. Le ragazze vedono i gioielli indiani e Gérald ne fa alcuni disegni a matita. Poco dopo Gérald vede Lakmé e Mallika tornare e si nasconde.
Mallika lascia Lakmé da sola per un po' e Lakmé vede Gérald. Per la paura dello straniero grida aiuto. Tuttavia è incuriosita da quell'uomo in divisa e così Lakmé rimanda via Mallika quando accorre per le urla. Lakmé e Gérald si innamorano. Gérald entra a casa di Lakmé quando il padre è via. Quando il sommo sacerdote Nilakantha rientra, Lakmé, per nasconderlo, fa fuggire Gérald, ma ormai è troppo tardi: il padre lo ha visto ed è deciso ad ucciderlo.
In un bazar (Atto II), Nilakantha costringe Lakmé a cantare l'Aria delle campanelle al fine di attirare l'attenzione di colui che è entrato nella loro casa. Gérald, poco distante, riconosce la voce dell'amata e si avvicina. Riconosciutolo, Nilakantha accoltella Gérald. Lakmé prende Gérald e lo porta in un nascondiglio segreto nella foresta per curargli la ferita.
Lakmé, mentre recupera l'acqua sacra (Atto III) per confermare i loro voti come innamorati, incontra Frédéric, un altro ufficiale inglese, il quale le ricorda che Gérald deve tornare al reggimento. Disperata per averlo perso, Lakmé si suicida avvelenandosi, mentre l'amato, indebolito dalla ferita, le spira in braccio.
La raccolta di poesie Altre stagioni di Roberto Cherubini (Phasar, 2007) è dedicata anche a questa opera.
Il duetto Lakmé-Mallika, popolarmente noto col nome di "Duetto dei fiori", è stato usato spesso come colonna sonora di pubblicità televisive.
Una riduzione per pianoforte del Duetto dei fiori è parte della colonna sonora del film Miriam si sveglia a mezzanotte di Tom Scott (1983).
Preludio
Primo atto
No. 1 Introduzione: "À l'heure accoutumée" (Nilakantha).
Preghiera: "Blanche Dourga" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 1 Bis - Scena: "Lakmé, c'est toi qui nous protégeons!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 2 - Duetto ("Duetto dei fiori"):
"Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs... Dôme épais, le jasmin"
(Lakmé, Mallika).
Scena: "Miss Rose, Miss Ellen" (Gérald).
No. 3 - Quintetto: "Quand une femme est si jolie" (Gérald).
Recitativo: "Nous commettons un sacrilège" (Gérald).
No. 4 - Aria: "Prendre le dessin d'un bijou" (Gérald).
No. 4 Bis - Scena: "Non! Je ne veux pas toucher" (Gérald, Lakmé).
No. 5 - Recitativo e strofe: "Les fleurs me paraissent plus belles" (Lakmé).
No. 5 Bis - Recitativo: "Ah! Mallika! Mallika!" (Lakmé).
No. 6 - Duo: "D'où viens-tu? Que veux-tu?" (Lakme, Gérald).
No. 6 Bis - Scena: "Viens! La! La!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
Entr'acte
Secondo atto[modifica]No. 7 - Coro e scena di marcia: "Allons, avant que midi sonne".
No. 7 Bis - Recitativo: "Enfin! Nous aurons du silence!".
No. 8 - Aria di danza: Introduzione.
- Terana.
- Rektah.
- Persian.
- Coda avec Choeurs.
- Sortie.
Recitativo: "Voyez donc ce vieillard".
No. 9 - Scena: "Ah! Ce vieillard encore!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 9 Bis - Recitativo: "Ah! C'est de ta douleur" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 10 - Scena: "Ah!... Par les dieux inspires... Où va la jeune Hindoue" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 11 - Scena: "La rage me dévore" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 12 - Scena e coro: "Au milieu des chants d'allegresse" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 12 Bis - Recitativo: "Le maître ne pense qu'à sa vengeance".
No. 13 - Duo: "Lakmé! Lakmé! C'est toi!" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 14 - Finale: "O Dourga, toi qui renais" (Gérald).
Entr'acte.
Terzo atto[modifica]No. 15 - Barcarola: "Sous le ciel tout étoile" (Lakmé).
No. 15 Bis - Recitativo: "Quel vague souvenir alourdit ma pensée?" (Gérald, Lakmé).
No. 16 - Cantilena: "Lakmé! Lakmé! Ah! Viens dans la forêt profonde" (Gérald).
No. 17 - Scena e coro: "La, je pourrai t'entendre" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 18 - Scena: "Vivant!" (Gérald).
No. 19 - Duo: "Ils allaient deux à deux" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 20 - Finale: "C'est lui! C'est lui!" (Nilankantha, Lakmé, Gérald).
Brani famosi[modifica]Dôme épais le jasmin, detto "Duetto del Fiore" (atto I).
Où va la jeune Hindoue?, detta "Aria delle Campanelle" (atto II).
Collegamenti esterni[modifica]Il Duetto del Fiore
Estratto da "http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakm%C3%A9"
Categoria: Opere di Delibes | [altre]
Categoria nascosta: Riorganizzare curiosità
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"Lakmé" è un'opera in tre atti del compositore francese Delibes su libretto di Edmond Gondinet e Philippe Gille, basato sulla novella del 1880 Rarahu ou Le Mariage de Loti di Pierre Loti.
Delibes scrisse la musica fra il 1881 ed il 1883.
Come molte altre opere francesi di quel periodo, anche Lakmé coglie l'atmosfera orientale in voga all'epoca.
L'opera, infatti, è ambientata in India durante il periodo della dominazione inglese.
La prima rappresentazione ebbe luogo al teatro dell'Opéra-Comique di Parigi il 14 aprile 1883.
Il duetto Lakmé-Mallika, noto come "Duetto dei fiori", è la pagina più famosa dell'opera, anche grazie al suo ripetuto impiego in pubblicità e film.
Tuttavia, l'aria "Où va la jeune Hindoue?", nota come "aria delle campanelle", del secondo atto, è da sempre considerata un eccellente pezzo per soprano leggero di coloratura (vista l'incredibile difficoltà del brano dovuta non solo ai sopracuti ma anche e soprattutto all'agilità).
Esistono diverse registrazioni di questo brano cantate in lingua italiana col titolo
"Dov'è l'indiana bruna?".
L'opera è ambientata in India sotto la dominazione inglese, durante la quale molti induisti vennero obbligati a professare la loro religione in segreto e clandestinità.
Gli indù stanno andando a svolgere i loro riti in un tempio dal sommo sacerdote Nilakantha. Lakmé, la giovane figlia di Nilakantha, e la sua serva Mallika si sono attardate per scendere al fiume a raccogliere fiori. Prima di entrare in acqua, Lakmé si toglie i gioielli e li appoggia sulla riva del fiume. Due ufficiali britannici, Frédéric e Gérald, arrivano nelle vicinanze per un pic-nic insieme a due ragazze inglesi ed alla loro governante. Le ragazze vedono i gioielli indiani e Gérald ne fa alcuni disegni a matita. Poco dopo Gérald vede Lakmé e Mallika tornare e si nasconde.
Mallika lascia Lakmé da sola per un po' e Lakmé vede Gérald. Per la paura dello straniero grida aiuto. Tuttavia è incuriosita da quell'uomo in divisa e così Lakmé rimanda via Mallika quando accorre per le urla. Lakmé e Gérald si innamorano. Gérald entra a casa di Lakmé quando il padre è via. Quando il sommo sacerdote Nilakantha rientra, Lakmé, per nasconderlo, fa fuggire Gérald, ma ormai è troppo tardi: il padre lo ha visto ed è deciso ad ucciderlo.
In un bazar (Atto II), Nilakantha costringe Lakmé a cantare l'Aria delle campanelle al fine di attirare l'attenzione di colui che è entrato nella loro casa. Gérald, poco distante, riconosce la voce dell'amata e si avvicina. Riconosciutolo, Nilakantha accoltella Gérald. Lakmé prende Gérald e lo porta in un nascondiglio segreto nella foresta per curargli la ferita.
Lakmé, mentre recupera l'acqua sacra (Atto III) per confermare i loro voti come innamorati, incontra Frédéric, un altro ufficiale inglese, il quale le ricorda che Gérald deve tornare al reggimento. Disperata per averlo perso, Lakmé si suicida avvelenandosi, mentre l'amato, indebolito dalla ferita, le spira in braccio.
La raccolta di poesie Altre stagioni di Roberto Cherubini (Phasar, 2007) è dedicata anche a questa opera.
Il duetto Lakmé-Mallika, popolarmente noto col nome di "Duetto dei fiori", è stato usato spesso come colonna sonora di pubblicità televisive.
Una riduzione per pianoforte del Duetto dei fiori è parte della colonna sonora del film Miriam si sveglia a mezzanotte di Tom Scott (1983).
Preludio
Primo atto
No. 1 Introduzione: "À l'heure accoutumée" (Nilakantha).
Preghiera: "Blanche Dourga" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 1 Bis - Scena: "Lakmé, c'est toi qui nous protégeons!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 2 - Duetto ("Duetto dei fiori"):
"Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs... Dôme épais, le jasmin"
(Lakmé, Mallika).
Scena: "Miss Rose, Miss Ellen" (Gérald).
No. 3 - Quintetto: "Quand une femme est si jolie" (Gérald).
Recitativo: "Nous commettons un sacrilège" (Gérald).
No. 4 - Aria: "Prendre le dessin d'un bijou" (Gérald).
No. 4 Bis - Scena: "Non! Je ne veux pas toucher" (Gérald, Lakmé).
No. 5 - Recitativo e strofe: "Les fleurs me paraissent plus belles" (Lakmé).
No. 5 Bis - Recitativo: "Ah! Mallika! Mallika!" (Lakmé).
No. 6 - Duo: "D'où viens-tu? Que veux-tu?" (Lakme, Gérald).
No. 6 Bis - Scena: "Viens! La! La!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
Entr'acte
Secondo atto[modifica]No. 7 - Coro e scena di marcia: "Allons, avant que midi sonne".
No. 7 Bis - Recitativo: "Enfin! Nous aurons du silence!".
No. 8 - Aria di danza: Introduzione.
- Terana.
- Rektah.
- Persian.
- Coda avec Choeurs.
- Sortie.
Recitativo: "Voyez donc ce vieillard".
No. 9 - Scena: "Ah! Ce vieillard encore!" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 9 Bis - Recitativo: "Ah! C'est de ta douleur" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 10 - Scena: "Ah!... Par les dieux inspires... Où va la jeune Hindoue" (Lakmé, Nilakantha).
No. 11 - Scena: "La rage me dévore" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 12 - Scena e coro: "Au milieu des chants d'allegresse" (Nilakantha, Lakmé).
No. 12 Bis - Recitativo: "Le maître ne pense qu'à sa vengeance".
No. 13 - Duo: "Lakmé! Lakmé! C'est toi!" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 14 - Finale: "O Dourga, toi qui renais" (Gérald).
Entr'acte.
Terzo atto[modifica]No. 15 - Barcarola: "Sous le ciel tout étoile" (Lakmé).
No. 15 Bis - Recitativo: "Quel vague souvenir alourdit ma pensée?" (Gérald, Lakmé).
No. 16 - Cantilena: "Lakmé! Lakmé! Ah! Viens dans la forêt profonde" (Gérald).
No. 17 - Scena e coro: "La, je pourrai t'entendre" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 18 - Scena: "Vivant!" (Gérald).
No. 19 - Duo: "Ils allaient deux à deux" (Lakmé, Gérald).
No. 20 - Finale: "C'est lui! C'est lui!" (Nilankantha, Lakmé, Gérald).
Brani famosi[modifica]Dôme épais le jasmin, detto "Duetto del Fiore" (atto I).
Où va la jeune Hindoue?, detta "Aria delle Campanelle" (atto II).
Collegamenti esterni[modifica]Il Duetto del Fiore
Estratto da "http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakm%C3%A9"
Categoria: Opere di Delibes | [altre]
Categoria nascosta: Riorganizzare curiosità
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Midi Duet "Fior" 1883"Lakme"(Delibes)
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
http://www.gpollenmusic.co.uk/midi.html
http://www.gpollenmusic.co.uk/midi.html
Lyrics and midi for 1850"Lohengrin"(Wagner)Bridal wedding march
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
"Lohengrin" is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850.
The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself inspired by the epic of Garin le Loherain. It is part of the Knight of the Swan tradition.
The opera has proved inspirational towards other works of art. Among those deeply moved by the fairy-tale opera was the young King Ludwig II of Bavaria. 'Der Märchenkönig' ('The Fairy-tale King') as he was dubbed later built his ideal fairy-tale castle and dubbed it "New Swan Stone," or "Neuschwanstein", after the Swan Knight. It was King Ludwig's patronage that later gave Wagner the means and opportunity to compose, build a theatre for, and stage his epic cycle, the Ring of the Nibelung.
The most popular and recognizable part of the opera is the Bridal Chorus, better known as "Here Comes the Bride", once often played as a processional at weddings in the West.
Contents [hide]
1 Performance history
2 Instrumentation
3 Roles
4 Synopsis
4.1 Act 1
4.2 Act 2
4.3 Act 3
5 Notable arias and excerpts
6 Parody
7 Recordings
8 References
9 External links
[edit] Performance historyThe first production of Lohengrin was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 at the Staatskapelle Weimar under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner. Liszt chose the date in honour of Weimar's most famous citizen, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born on 28 August 1749.[1] It was an immediate popular success.
The opera's first performance abroad was in Riga on 5 February 1855. The Austrian premiere took place at the Burgtheater on 19 August 1859 with Róza Csillag as Ortrud. The work was produced in Munich for the first time at the National Theatre on 16 June 1867 with Heinrich Vogl in the title role and Mathilde Mallinger as Elsa. Mallinger sang Elsa again for the work's premiere at the Berlin State Opera's on 6 April 1869. The Belgian premiere of the opera was given at La Monnaie on 22 March 1870 with Étienne Troy as Friedrich of Telramund and Feliciano Pons as Heinrich der Vogler.[2]
The United States premiere of Lohengrin took place at the Stadt Theater at the Bowery in New York City on 3 April 1871.[3] Conducted by Adolf Neuendorff, the cast included Theodor Habelmann as Lohengrin, Luise Garay-Lichtmay as Elsa, Marie Frederici as Ortrud, Adolf Franosch as Heinrich and Edward Vierling as Telramund.[4] The first performance in Italy took place seven months later at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna on 1 November 1871 in an Italian translation by operatic baritone Salvatore Marchesi. It was notably the first performance of any Wagner opera in Italy. Angelo Mariani conducted the performance, which starred Italo Campanini as Lohengrin, Bianca Blume as Elsa, Maria Löwe Destin as Ortrud, Pietro Silenzi as Telramund, and Giuseppe Galvani as Heinrich der Vogler.[2] The performance on 9 November was attended by Giuseppe Verdi, who annotated a copy of the vocal score with his impressions and opinions of Wagner (this was almost certainly his first exposure to Wagner's music).[5]
Lohengrin's Russian premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theatre on 5 February 1873 in a double billing with the premiere of three scenes from Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (the Inn Scene, Scene in Marina's Boudoir, and Scene in the Garden of Mniszech's Castle). Eduard Nápravník conducted the performance which featured Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky as Lohengrin, Yuliya Platonova as Elsa, Daria Leonova as Ortrud, and Osip Petrov as Heinrich der Vogler. La Scala produced the opera for the first time the following month on 30 March with Campanini as Lohengrin, Gabrielle Krauss as Elsa, Philippine von Edelsberg as Ortrud, Victor Maurel as Friedrich, and Gian Pietro Milesi as Heinrich.[2]
The United Kingdom premiere of Lohengrin took place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 8 May 1875 using the Italian translation by Marchesi. Auguste Vianesi conducted the performance, which featured Ernesto Nicolini as Lohengrin, Emma Albani as Elsa, Anna D'Angeri as Ortruda, Maurel as Friedrich, and Wladyslaw Seideman as Heinrich. The opera's first performance in Australia took place at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Melbourne on 18 August 1877. The Metropolitan Opera mounted the opera for the first time on 7 November 1883 during the company's inaugural season. Sung in Italian, Campanini portrayed the title role with Christina Nilsson as Elsa, Emmy Fursch-Madi as Ortrud, Giuseppe Kaschmann as Telramund, Franco Novara as Heinrich, and Auguste Vianesi conducting.[2]
Ludwig II of Bavaria portrayed as Lohengrin below a moon with Wagners face. Brochure in Der Floh - 1885.Lohengrin was first publicly performed in France at the Eden-Théâtre in Paris on 30 April 1887 in a French translation by Charles-Louis-Etienne Nuitter. Conducted by Charles Lamoureux, the performance starred Ernest van Dyck as the title hero, Fidès Devriès as Elsa, Marthe Duvivier as Ortrud, Emil Blauwaert as Telramund, and Félix-Adolphe Couturier as Heinrich. There was however an 1881 French performance given as a Benefit, in the Cercle de la Méditerranée Salon at Nice, organized by Sophie Cruvelli, in which she took the role of Elsa.[6] The opera received its Canadian premiere at the opera house in Vancouver on 9 February 1891 with Emma Juch as Elsa. The Palais Garnier staged the work for the first time the following 16 September with van Dyck as Lohengrin, Rose Caron as Elsa, Caroline Fiérens-Peters as Ortrude, Maurice Renaud as Telramund, and Charles Douaillier as Heinrich.[2]
The first Chicago performance of the opera took place at the Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University on 9 November 1891. Performed in Italian, the production starred Jean de Reszke as the title hero, Emma Eames as Elsa, and Edouard de Reszke as Heinrich.[2]
[edit] InstrumentationThe instrumentation is quite extensive for an orchestra of 1850. The work calls for:
3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling on English horn), 3 clarinets in A, Bes and C (3rd doubling on bass clarinet in A, Bes), 3 bassoons
4 horns in E, D, Es, C and G, 3 trumpets in E, D, Es and C, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), 1 tuba
Violins (1 and 2), Violas, Cellos, Double basses, Harp
2 pairs of timpani, cymbals, triangle, tambourine
There are also parts for offstage and onstage instruments. They are as follows: Act 1 – 4 trumpets in C Act 2 – Scene 1 – piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 3 horns in E, F, 3 trumpets in D, 3 trombones, timpani, and cymbals 3rd scene – 4 trumpets in D 4th scene – 4 trumpets in D 5th scene – 10 trumpets in C, organ Act 3 – Scene 1 – 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 2 clarinets in B, 3 bassoons, 4 horns in B, 2 trumpets in B, triangle, harp 2nd scene – 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 3rd scene – 12 trumpets, tenor drums
[edit] RolesRole Voice type Premiere Cast, 28 August 1850
(Conductor: Franz Liszt)
Lohengrin tenor Carl Beck
Elsa of Brabant soprano Rosa von Milde-Agthe
Ortrud, Telramund's wife mezzo-soprano Josephine Fastlinger
Friedrich of Telramund, a Count of Brabant baritone Hans von Milde
Heinrich der Vogler (Henry the Fowler) bass Höfer
The King's Herald baritone August Pätsch
Four Noblemen of Brabant tenors, basses
Four Pages sopranos, altos
Duke Gottfried, Elsa's brother silent Hellstedt
Saxon, Thuringian, and Brabantian counts and nobles, ladies of honor, pages, vassals, serfs
[edit] SynopsisPlace: Antwerp, on the Scheldt.
Time: 10th century
[edit] Act 1
Illustration from the London premièreKing Henry the Fowler has arrived in Brabant where he has assembled the German tribes in order to expel the Hungarians from his dominions. He also needs to settle a dispute involving the disappearance of the child-Duke Gottfried of Brabant. The Duke's guardian, Count Friedrich von Telramund, has accused the Duke's sister, Elsa, of murdering her brother. He calls upon the King to punish Elsa and to make him, Telramund, the new Duke of Brabant.
The King calls for Elsa to answer Telramund's accusation. She enters, surrounded by her attendants. Knowing herself to be innocent, she declares that she will submit to God's judgement through ordeal by combat. Telramund, a strong and seasoned warrior, agrees enthusiastically. When the King asks who shall be her champion, Elsa describes a knight she has beheld in her dreams (Narrative: "Alone in dark days") and sinks to her knees, praying for God to send her relief.
Twice the Herald sounds the horn in summons, without response. Then Elsa herself makes the call. A boat drawn by a swan appears on the river and in it stands a knight in shining armour. He disembarks, dismisses the swan, respectfully greets the king, and asks Elsa if she will have him as her champion. Elsa kneels in front of him and places her honour in his keeping. He asks but one thing in return for his service: she is never to ask him his name or where he has come from. Elsa agrees to this.
Telramund's people advise him to withdraw because he cannot prevail against magic, but he proudly refuses and the combat area is prepared. The company prays to the one "Herr und Gott" for victory for the one whose cause is just. Telramund's wife, Ortrud, a pagan woman, does not join the prayer of the monotheists, but privately expresses confidence that Telramund will win. The combat commences. The unknown knight defeats Telramund but spares his life. Taking Elsa by the hand, he declares her innocent and asks for her hand in marriage. The crowd exits, cheering and celebrating, and Ortrud and Telramund are left to lament their defeat.
[edit] Act 2
Johanna Jachmann-Wagner as Ortrud, ca. 1860Night in the courtyard outside the cathedral
Telramund and Ortrud, banished, listen unhappily to the distant party-music. Ortrud, a pagan witch (daughter of Radbod Duke of Frisia), tries to revive Telramund's courage, assuring him that her people (and he) are destined to rule the kingdom again. She plots to induce Elsa to violate the mysterious knight's only condition.
When Elsa appears on the balcony in the twilight before dawn she hears Ortrud lamenting and pities her. While Elsa descends to open the castle door, Ortrud prays to her pagan gods, Wodan and Freia, for malice, guile, and cunning, in order to deceive Elsa and restore pagan rule to the region. When Elsa appears, Ortrud warns her that since she knows nothing about her rescuer, he could leave her any time, as suddenly as he came.
The sun rises and the people assemble. The Herald announces that Telramund is now outlawed due to the false trial, and anyone who follows Telramund is an outlaw by the law of the land. In addition, he announces that the king has offered to make the unnamed knight the Duke of Brabant; however, the Knight has declined the title, and prefers to be known only as "Leader of Brabant".[7] The Herald further announces that the Knight will lead the people to glorious new conquests, and will celebrate the marriage of him and Elsa. Behind the crowd, four knights quietly express misgivings to each other. Telramund appears, and, concealing himself from the crowd, draws these four knights aside and assures them that he will regain his position and stop the Knight, by accusing him of witchcraft.
As Elsa and her attendants are about to enter the church, Ortrud appears, clad in magnificent attire, and challenges Elsa to tell who her husband is, and to explain why anyone should follow him. After that, King Henry enters with the Knight. Elsa tells both of them that Ortrud was interrupting the ceremony. The Knight tells Ortrud to fall back to the crowd, then takes Elsa's hand to the wedding. The King leads at the front of the couple. When they are about to go inside the church (once more), Telramund also enters. He pleads to the king that his defeat in combat was invalid because the Knight did not give his name; trial by combat is traditionally open only to established citizens. The Knight refuses to reveal his identity and claims that only one person in the world has the right to know his origin – Elsa and Elsa alone. Elsa, though visibly shaken and uncertain, assures him of her confidence. The King supports him too. Ortrud and Telramund take Elsa and tries to intimidate her, and after a short while, the Knight forces both to leave the ceremony. The King, the Knight, and Elsa, together with the men and women around, go forward. Elsa takes one last look at the banished Ortrud, then they enter the church.
[edit] Act 3
Joseph O'Mara in the title role, 1894–1895Scene 1: The bridal chamber
Elsa and her new husband are ushered in with the well-known bridal chorus, and the couple express their love for each other. Ortrud's words, however, are impressed upon Elsa, and, despite his warning, she asks her husband the fatal question. Before the Knight can answer, Telramund and his four recruits rush into the room in order to attack him. The knight defeats and kills Telramund. Then, he sorrowfully turns to Elsa and asks her to follow him to the king, to whom he will now reveal the mystery.
Scene 2: On the banks of the Scheldt (as in Act 1)
The troops arrive equipped for war. Telramund's corpse is brought in, Elsa comes forward, then the Knight. He discloses his identity to the king and Elsa. He tells the story of the Holy Grail, on the Monsalvat, and reveals himself as Lohengrin, Knight of the Holy Grail and son of King Parsifal. The time for his return has arrived and he has only tarried to prove Elsa innocent.
As he sadly bids farewell to his beloved bride, the swan reappears. Lohengrin prays that Elsa may recover her lost brother, and gives her his sword, horn and ring; which allows Elsa to remember him fully. Then, when Lohengrin tries to get in the boat, Ortrud appears. She tells Elsa that the swan who drove Lohengrin to the bank was actually Gottfried, Elsa's brother; and she put a curse on him by turning him into a swan. The people considered Ortrud guilty of witchcraft. Lohengrin prays to the swan, and the swan turns into another form, a young Gottfried. He elects him as the Duke of Brabant. Ortrud sinks as she sees him (Gottfried).
A dove descends from heaven, and, taking the place of the swan at the head of the boat, leads Lohengrin to the castle of the Holy Grail. Elsa is stricken with grief, however, and falls to the ground dead, longing for her beloved.[8]
[edit] Notable arias and excerptsThe opera is full of 'hits' performed as concert set-pieces, namely:
Act I, Prelude.
Act I, 'Einsam in trüben Tage' (Elsa's Narrative)
Act I, Scene 'Wenn ich im Kampfe für dich siege'
Act II, 'Euch lüften, die mein Klagen' (Elsa)
Act II, Scene 4 opening, arranged as "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral"
Act III, Prelude
Act III, Bridal Chorus "Treulich geführt" arranged as "Here Comes the Bride"
Act III, 'Das süsse Lied verhallt' (Love duet)
Act III, 'Höchstes Vertrau'n' (Lohengrin's Declaration to Elsa)
Act III, Entry of King Henry
Act III, 'In fernem Land' (Lohengrin's Narration)
Act III, 'Mein lieber Schwan... O Elsa! Nur ein Jahr an deiner Seite' (Lohengrin's Farewell)
[edit] ParodyIn 1907, Victor Herbert produced a one-act parody of Lohengrin called The Magic Knight (q.v.)
[edit] RecordingsMain article: Lohengrin discography
[edit] References^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954
^ a b c d e f Performance History of Lohengrin at amadeusonline.net
^ Gustav Kobbé, The Complete Opera Book (Putnam, London 1929 printing), p. 117. The first Academy performance was 23 March 1874 with Christine Nilsson, Cary, Italo Campanini and Del Puente (ibid.). See 'Wagner in the Bowery', Scribner's Monthly Magazine 1871, 214-16; New York Times, Opera at the Stadt Theater, 3 May 1871
^ New York Times, Wagner's "Lohengrin", 8 April 1871. See also Opera Gems.com, Lohengrin
^ Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani
^ Elizabeth Forbes, 'Sophie Cruvelli' (short biography), Arts.jrank.org
^ The title Führer von Brabant is often altered to Schützer in performances since 1945, because the former title had acquired meanings unforeseen by either Lohengrin or Wagner. Führer formerly meant 'Leader' or 'Guide'.
^ Plot taken from The Opera Goer's Complete Guide by Leo Melitz, 1921 version.
[edit] External linksLibretto and Leitmoifs in German, Italian and English
Richard Wagner - Lohengrin. A gallery of historic postcards with motifs from Richard Wagner's operas.
Wagner's libretto (in German)
Further Lohengrin discography
Recording of "Euch Lüften" by Lotte Lehmann
Lohengrin: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Lohengrin
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"Lohengrin" is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850.
The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself inspired by the epic of Garin le Loherain. It is part of the Knight of the Swan tradition.
The opera has proved inspirational towards other works of art. Among those deeply moved by the fairy-tale opera was the young King Ludwig II of Bavaria. 'Der Märchenkönig' ('The Fairy-tale King') as he was dubbed later built his ideal fairy-tale castle and dubbed it "New Swan Stone," or "Neuschwanstein", after the Swan Knight. It was King Ludwig's patronage that later gave Wagner the means and opportunity to compose, build a theatre for, and stage his epic cycle, the Ring of the Nibelung.
The most popular and recognizable part of the opera is the Bridal Chorus, better known as "Here Comes the Bride", once often played as a processional at weddings in the West.
Contents [hide]
1 Performance history
2 Instrumentation
3 Roles
4 Synopsis
4.1 Act 1
4.2 Act 2
4.3 Act 3
5 Notable arias and excerpts
6 Parody
7 Recordings
8 References
9 External links
[edit] Performance historyThe first production of Lohengrin was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 at the Staatskapelle Weimar under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner. Liszt chose the date in honour of Weimar's most famous citizen, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born on 28 August 1749.[1] It was an immediate popular success.
The opera's first performance abroad was in Riga on 5 February 1855. The Austrian premiere took place at the Burgtheater on 19 August 1859 with Róza Csillag as Ortrud. The work was produced in Munich for the first time at the National Theatre on 16 June 1867 with Heinrich Vogl in the title role and Mathilde Mallinger as Elsa. Mallinger sang Elsa again for the work's premiere at the Berlin State Opera's on 6 April 1869. The Belgian premiere of the opera was given at La Monnaie on 22 March 1870 with Étienne Troy as Friedrich of Telramund and Feliciano Pons as Heinrich der Vogler.[2]
The United States premiere of Lohengrin took place at the Stadt Theater at the Bowery in New York City on 3 April 1871.[3] Conducted by Adolf Neuendorff, the cast included Theodor Habelmann as Lohengrin, Luise Garay-Lichtmay as Elsa, Marie Frederici as Ortrud, Adolf Franosch as Heinrich and Edward Vierling as Telramund.[4] The first performance in Italy took place seven months later at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna on 1 November 1871 in an Italian translation by operatic baritone Salvatore Marchesi. It was notably the first performance of any Wagner opera in Italy. Angelo Mariani conducted the performance, which starred Italo Campanini as Lohengrin, Bianca Blume as Elsa, Maria Löwe Destin as Ortrud, Pietro Silenzi as Telramund, and Giuseppe Galvani as Heinrich der Vogler.[2] The performance on 9 November was attended by Giuseppe Verdi, who annotated a copy of the vocal score with his impressions and opinions of Wagner (this was almost certainly his first exposure to Wagner's music).[5]
Lohengrin's Russian premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theatre on 5 February 1873 in a double billing with the premiere of three scenes from Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (the Inn Scene, Scene in Marina's Boudoir, and Scene in the Garden of Mniszech's Castle). Eduard Nápravník conducted the performance which featured Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky as Lohengrin, Yuliya Platonova as Elsa, Daria Leonova as Ortrud, and Osip Petrov as Heinrich der Vogler. La Scala produced the opera for the first time the following month on 30 March with Campanini as Lohengrin, Gabrielle Krauss as Elsa, Philippine von Edelsberg as Ortrud, Victor Maurel as Friedrich, and Gian Pietro Milesi as Heinrich.[2]
The United Kingdom premiere of Lohengrin took place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 8 May 1875 using the Italian translation by Marchesi. Auguste Vianesi conducted the performance, which featured Ernesto Nicolini as Lohengrin, Emma Albani as Elsa, Anna D'Angeri as Ortruda, Maurel as Friedrich, and Wladyslaw Seideman as Heinrich. The opera's first performance in Australia took place at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Melbourne on 18 August 1877. The Metropolitan Opera mounted the opera for the first time on 7 November 1883 during the company's inaugural season. Sung in Italian, Campanini portrayed the title role with Christina Nilsson as Elsa, Emmy Fursch-Madi as Ortrud, Giuseppe Kaschmann as Telramund, Franco Novara as Heinrich, and Auguste Vianesi conducting.[2]
Ludwig II of Bavaria portrayed as Lohengrin below a moon with Wagners face. Brochure in Der Floh - 1885.Lohengrin was first publicly performed in France at the Eden-Théâtre in Paris on 30 April 1887 in a French translation by Charles-Louis-Etienne Nuitter. Conducted by Charles Lamoureux, the performance starred Ernest van Dyck as the title hero, Fidès Devriès as Elsa, Marthe Duvivier as Ortrud, Emil Blauwaert as Telramund, and Félix-Adolphe Couturier as Heinrich. There was however an 1881 French performance given as a Benefit, in the Cercle de la Méditerranée Salon at Nice, organized by Sophie Cruvelli, in which she took the role of Elsa.[6] The opera received its Canadian premiere at the opera house in Vancouver on 9 February 1891 with Emma Juch as Elsa. The Palais Garnier staged the work for the first time the following 16 September with van Dyck as Lohengrin, Rose Caron as Elsa, Caroline Fiérens-Peters as Ortrude, Maurice Renaud as Telramund, and Charles Douaillier as Heinrich.[2]
The first Chicago performance of the opera took place at the Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University on 9 November 1891. Performed in Italian, the production starred Jean de Reszke as the title hero, Emma Eames as Elsa, and Edouard de Reszke as Heinrich.[2]
[edit] InstrumentationThe instrumentation is quite extensive for an orchestra of 1850. The work calls for:
3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling on English horn), 3 clarinets in A, Bes and C (3rd doubling on bass clarinet in A, Bes), 3 bassoons
4 horns in E, D, Es, C and G, 3 trumpets in E, D, Es and C, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), 1 tuba
Violins (1 and 2), Violas, Cellos, Double basses, Harp
2 pairs of timpani, cymbals, triangle, tambourine
There are also parts for offstage and onstage instruments. They are as follows: Act 1 – 4 trumpets in C Act 2 – Scene 1 – piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 3 horns in E, F, 3 trumpets in D, 3 trombones, timpani, and cymbals 3rd scene – 4 trumpets in D 4th scene – 4 trumpets in D 5th scene – 10 trumpets in C, organ Act 3 – Scene 1 – 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 2 clarinets in B, 3 bassoons, 4 horns in B, 2 trumpets in B, triangle, harp 2nd scene – 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 3rd scene – 12 trumpets, tenor drums
[edit] RolesRole Voice type Premiere Cast, 28 August 1850
(Conductor: Franz Liszt)
Lohengrin tenor Carl Beck
Elsa of Brabant soprano Rosa von Milde-Agthe
Ortrud, Telramund's wife mezzo-soprano Josephine Fastlinger
Friedrich of Telramund, a Count of Brabant baritone Hans von Milde
Heinrich der Vogler (Henry the Fowler) bass Höfer
The King's Herald baritone August Pätsch
Four Noblemen of Brabant tenors, basses
Four Pages sopranos, altos
Duke Gottfried, Elsa's brother silent Hellstedt
Saxon, Thuringian, and Brabantian counts and nobles, ladies of honor, pages, vassals, serfs
[edit] SynopsisPlace: Antwerp, on the Scheldt.
Time: 10th century
[edit] Act 1
Illustration from the London premièreKing Henry the Fowler has arrived in Brabant where he has assembled the German tribes in order to expel the Hungarians from his dominions. He also needs to settle a dispute involving the disappearance of the child-Duke Gottfried of Brabant. The Duke's guardian, Count Friedrich von Telramund, has accused the Duke's sister, Elsa, of murdering her brother. He calls upon the King to punish Elsa and to make him, Telramund, the new Duke of Brabant.
The King calls for Elsa to answer Telramund's accusation. She enters, surrounded by her attendants. Knowing herself to be innocent, she declares that she will submit to God's judgement through ordeal by combat. Telramund, a strong and seasoned warrior, agrees enthusiastically. When the King asks who shall be her champion, Elsa describes a knight she has beheld in her dreams (Narrative: "Alone in dark days") and sinks to her knees, praying for God to send her relief.
Twice the Herald sounds the horn in summons, without response. Then Elsa herself makes the call. A boat drawn by a swan appears on the river and in it stands a knight in shining armour. He disembarks, dismisses the swan, respectfully greets the king, and asks Elsa if she will have him as her champion. Elsa kneels in front of him and places her honour in his keeping. He asks but one thing in return for his service: she is never to ask him his name or where he has come from. Elsa agrees to this.
Telramund's people advise him to withdraw because he cannot prevail against magic, but he proudly refuses and the combat area is prepared. The company prays to the one "Herr und Gott" for victory for the one whose cause is just. Telramund's wife, Ortrud, a pagan woman, does not join the prayer of the monotheists, but privately expresses confidence that Telramund will win. The combat commences. The unknown knight defeats Telramund but spares his life. Taking Elsa by the hand, he declares her innocent and asks for her hand in marriage. The crowd exits, cheering and celebrating, and Ortrud and Telramund are left to lament their defeat.
[edit] Act 2
Johanna Jachmann-Wagner as Ortrud, ca. 1860Night in the courtyard outside the cathedral
Telramund and Ortrud, banished, listen unhappily to the distant party-music. Ortrud, a pagan witch (daughter of Radbod Duke of Frisia), tries to revive Telramund's courage, assuring him that her people (and he) are destined to rule the kingdom again. She plots to induce Elsa to violate the mysterious knight's only condition.
When Elsa appears on the balcony in the twilight before dawn she hears Ortrud lamenting and pities her. While Elsa descends to open the castle door, Ortrud prays to her pagan gods, Wodan and Freia, for malice, guile, and cunning, in order to deceive Elsa and restore pagan rule to the region. When Elsa appears, Ortrud warns her that since she knows nothing about her rescuer, he could leave her any time, as suddenly as he came.
The sun rises and the people assemble. The Herald announces that Telramund is now outlawed due to the false trial, and anyone who follows Telramund is an outlaw by the law of the land. In addition, he announces that the king has offered to make the unnamed knight the Duke of Brabant; however, the Knight has declined the title, and prefers to be known only as "Leader of Brabant".[7] The Herald further announces that the Knight will lead the people to glorious new conquests, and will celebrate the marriage of him and Elsa. Behind the crowd, four knights quietly express misgivings to each other. Telramund appears, and, concealing himself from the crowd, draws these four knights aside and assures them that he will regain his position and stop the Knight, by accusing him of witchcraft.
As Elsa and her attendants are about to enter the church, Ortrud appears, clad in magnificent attire, and challenges Elsa to tell who her husband is, and to explain why anyone should follow him. After that, King Henry enters with the Knight. Elsa tells both of them that Ortrud was interrupting the ceremony. The Knight tells Ortrud to fall back to the crowd, then takes Elsa's hand to the wedding. The King leads at the front of the couple. When they are about to go inside the church (once more), Telramund also enters. He pleads to the king that his defeat in combat was invalid because the Knight did not give his name; trial by combat is traditionally open only to established citizens. The Knight refuses to reveal his identity and claims that only one person in the world has the right to know his origin – Elsa and Elsa alone. Elsa, though visibly shaken and uncertain, assures him of her confidence. The King supports him too. Ortrud and Telramund take Elsa and tries to intimidate her, and after a short while, the Knight forces both to leave the ceremony. The King, the Knight, and Elsa, together with the men and women around, go forward. Elsa takes one last look at the banished Ortrud, then they enter the church.
[edit] Act 3
Joseph O'Mara in the title role, 1894–1895Scene 1: The bridal chamber
Elsa and her new husband are ushered in with the well-known bridal chorus, and the couple express their love for each other. Ortrud's words, however, are impressed upon Elsa, and, despite his warning, she asks her husband the fatal question. Before the Knight can answer, Telramund and his four recruits rush into the room in order to attack him. The knight defeats and kills Telramund. Then, he sorrowfully turns to Elsa and asks her to follow him to the king, to whom he will now reveal the mystery.
Scene 2: On the banks of the Scheldt (as in Act 1)
The troops arrive equipped for war. Telramund's corpse is brought in, Elsa comes forward, then the Knight. He discloses his identity to the king and Elsa. He tells the story of the Holy Grail, on the Monsalvat, and reveals himself as Lohengrin, Knight of the Holy Grail and son of King Parsifal. The time for his return has arrived and he has only tarried to prove Elsa innocent.
As he sadly bids farewell to his beloved bride, the swan reappears. Lohengrin prays that Elsa may recover her lost brother, and gives her his sword, horn and ring; which allows Elsa to remember him fully. Then, when Lohengrin tries to get in the boat, Ortrud appears. She tells Elsa that the swan who drove Lohengrin to the bank was actually Gottfried, Elsa's brother; and she put a curse on him by turning him into a swan. The people considered Ortrud guilty of witchcraft. Lohengrin prays to the swan, and the swan turns into another form, a young Gottfried. He elects him as the Duke of Brabant. Ortrud sinks as she sees him (Gottfried).
A dove descends from heaven, and, taking the place of the swan at the head of the boat, leads Lohengrin to the castle of the Holy Grail. Elsa is stricken with grief, however, and falls to the ground dead, longing for her beloved.[8]
[edit] Notable arias and excerptsThe opera is full of 'hits' performed as concert set-pieces, namely:
Act I, Prelude.
Act I, 'Einsam in trüben Tage' (Elsa's Narrative)
Act I, Scene 'Wenn ich im Kampfe für dich siege'
Act II, 'Euch lüften, die mein Klagen' (Elsa)
Act II, Scene 4 opening, arranged as "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral"
Act III, Prelude
Act III, Bridal Chorus "Treulich geführt" arranged as "Here Comes the Bride"
Act III, 'Das süsse Lied verhallt' (Love duet)
Act III, 'Höchstes Vertrau'n' (Lohengrin's Declaration to Elsa)
Act III, Entry of King Henry
Act III, 'In fernem Land' (Lohengrin's Narration)
Act III, 'Mein lieber Schwan... O Elsa! Nur ein Jahr an deiner Seite' (Lohengrin's Farewell)
[edit] ParodyIn 1907, Victor Herbert produced a one-act parody of Lohengrin called The Magic Knight (q.v.)
[edit] RecordingsMain article: Lohengrin discography
[edit] References^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954
^ a b c d e f Performance History of Lohengrin at amadeusonline.net
^ Gustav Kobbé, The Complete Opera Book (Putnam, London 1929 printing), p. 117. The first Academy performance was 23 March 1874 with Christine Nilsson, Cary, Italo Campanini and Del Puente (ibid.). See 'Wagner in the Bowery', Scribner's Monthly Magazine 1871, 214-16; New York Times, Opera at the Stadt Theater, 3 May 1871
^ New York Times, Wagner's "Lohengrin", 8 April 1871. See also Opera Gems.com, Lohengrin
^ Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani
^ Elizabeth Forbes, 'Sophie Cruvelli' (short biography), Arts.jrank.org
^ The title Führer von Brabant is often altered to Schützer in performances since 1945, because the former title had acquired meanings unforeseen by either Lohengrin or Wagner. Führer formerly meant 'Leader' or 'Guide'.
^ Plot taken from The Opera Goer's Complete Guide by Leo Melitz, 1921 version.
[edit] External linksLibretto and Leitmoifs in German, Italian and English
Richard Wagner - Lohengrin. A gallery of historic postcards with motifs from Richard Wagner's operas.
Wagner's libretto (in German)
Further Lohengrin discography
Recording of "Euch Lüften" by Lotte Lehmann
Lohengrin: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Lohengrin
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Personal toolsLog in / create account NamespacesArticle Discussion VariantsViewsRead Edit View history ActionsSearch NavigationMain page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia InteractionHelp About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact Wikipedia ToolboxWhat links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Cite this page Print/exportCreate a bookDownload as PDFPrintable versionLanguagesCatalà Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Esperanto Español Français 한국어 Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本語 Norsk (bokmål) Norsk (nynorsk) Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Српски / Srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Українська 中文 This page was last modified on 13 June 2011 at 11:03.
Midi for "Lohengrin"(Wagner)Wedding march
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
http://www.8notes.com/scores/425.asp?ftype=midi
http://www.8notes.com/scores/425.asp?ftype=midi
Midi and lyrics for Orfeo's aria -- Atto II -- 1607"Orfeo"(Monteverdi)'Ecco pur ch'a voi ritorno'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Ecco pur ch'à voi ritorno
care selve e piaggie amate
da quel Sol fatte beate
per cui sol
mie notti han giorno.
Ecco pur ch'à voi ritorno
care selve e piaggie amate
da quel Sol fatte beate
per cui sol
mie notti han giorno.
Midi: 1607"Orfeo"(Monteverdi)'Ecco pur ch'a voi ritorno'
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/midiplay/playmidi.shtml?midi/n2/cmeccopu
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/midiplay/playmidi.shtml?midi/n2/cmeccopu
Lyrics and midi for 1607"Orfeo"(Monteverdi)'Lasciate i monti' (chorus of 'ninfe, pastori')
by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
--- "NINFE, PASTORI"
Lasciate i monti
lasciate i fonti,
ninfe vezzose e liete
e in questi prati
a i balli usati
leggiadro il piè rendete.
Qui miri il sole
vostre carole
più vaghe assai di quelle
ond' a la Luna
a l' aria bruna
danzan in ciel le stelle.
Poi di bei fiori
per voi s' onori
di questi amanti il crine
ch' or dei martiri
de i lor desiri
godon beati al fine.
--- "NINFE, PASTORI"
Lasciate i monti
lasciate i fonti,
ninfe vezzose e liete
e in questi prati
a i balli usati
leggiadro il piè rendete.
Qui miri il sole
vostre carole
più vaghe assai di quelle
ond' a la Luna
a l' aria bruna
danzan in ciel le stelle.
Poi di bei fiori
per voi s' onori
di questi amanti il crine
ch' or dei martiri
de i lor desiri
godon beati al fine.
Midi for 1607"Orfeo"(Monteverdi)'Lasciate i monti'
by Luigi Speranzafor "Gli Operai"jlsperanza@aol.com
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/midiplay/playmidi.shtml?midi/n2/cmlascia
L'Orfeo (SV 318), sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. Written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua, L'Orfeo is one of the earliest music dramas still regularly performed.
Within the musical theatre at the beginning of the 17th century the traditional intermedio—a musical sequence between the acts of a straight play—was evolving into the form of a complete musical drama or "opera". Monteverdi's L'Orfeo moved this process out of its experimental era, and provided the first fully developed example within the new genre. After its initial performance the work was staged again in Mantua, and possibly in other Italian centres in the next few years. Its score was published by Monteverdi in 1609 and again in 1615. After the composer's death in 1643 the opera remained unperformed, and was largely forgotten until a revival of interest in the late 19th century led to a spate of modern editions and performances. At first these tended to be unstaged versions within institutes and music societies, but following the first modern dramatised performance in Paris, in 1911, the work was seen increasingly in theatres. After the Second World War most new editions sought authenticity through the use of period instruments. Many recordings were issued, and the opera was increasingly staged in opera houses. In 2007 the quatercentenary of the premiere was celebrated by performances throughout the world.
In his published score Monteverdi lists around 40 instruments to be deployed, with distinct groups of instruments used to depict particular scenes and characters. Thus strings, harpsichords and recorders represent the pastoral fields of Thrace with their nymphs and shepherds; heavy brass illustrates the underworld and its denizens. Composed at the point of transition from the Renaissance era to the Baroque, L'Orfeo employs all the resources then known within the art of music, with particularly daring use of polyphony. The work is not orchestrated as such; in the Renaissance tradition instrumentalists followed the composer's general instructions but were given considerable freedom to improvise. This separates Monteverdi's work from the later opera canon, and makes each performance of L'Orfeo a uniquely individual occasion.
Contents [hide]
1 Historical background
2 Creation
2.1 Libretto
2.2 Composition
2.3 Instrumentation
3 Roles
4 Synopsis
4.1 Original libretto ending
5 Reception and performance history
5.1 Premiere and early performances
5.2 20th-century revivals
6 Music
7 Recording history
8 Editions
9 Notes and references
10 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
[edit] Historical background
Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, Monteverdi's employer at MantuaClaudio Monteverdi, born in Cremona in 1567, was a musical prodigy who studied under Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella (head of music) at Cremona Cathedral. After training in singing, strings playing and composition, Monteverdi worked as a musician in Verona and Milan until, in 1590 or 1591, he secured a post as suonatore di vivuola (viola player) at Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga's court at Mantua.[1] Through ability and hard work Monteverdi rose to become Gonzaga's maestro della musica in 1601.[2][3]
Vincenzo Gonzaga's particular passion for musical theatre and spectacle grew from his family connections with the court of Florence. Towards the end of the 16th century innovative Florentine musicians were developing the intermedio—a long-established form of musical interlude inserted between the acts of spoken dramas—into increasingly elaborate forms.[2] Led by Jacopo Corsi, these successors to the renowned Camerata[n 1] were responsible for the first work generally recognised as belonging to the genre of opera: Dafne, composed by Corsi and Jacopo Peri and performed in Florence in 1598. This work combined elements of madrigal singing and monody with dancing and instrumental passages to form a dramatic whole. Only fragments of its music still exist, but several other Florentine works of the same period—Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo by Emilio de' Cavalieri, Peri's Euridice and Giulio Caccini's identically titled Euridice—survive complete. These last two works were the first of many musical representations of the Orpheus myth as recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and as such were direct precursors of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.[5][6]
The Gonzaga court had a long history of promoting dramatic entertainment. A century before Duke Vincenzo's time the court had staged Angelo Poliziano's lyrical drama La favola di Orfeo, at least half of which was sung rather than spoken. More recently, in 1598 Monteverdi had helped the court's musical establishment to produce Giovanni Battista Guarini's play Il pastor fido, described by theatre historian Mark Ringer as a "watershed theatrical work" which inspired the Italian craze for pastoral drama.[7] On 6 October 1600, while visiting Florence for the wedding of Maria de' Medici to King Henry IV of France, Duke Vincenzo attended a production of Peri's Euridice.[6] It is likely that his principal musicians, including Monteverdi, were also present at this performance. The Duke quickly recognised the novelty of this new form of dramatic entertainment, and its potential for bringing prestige to those prepared to sponsor it.[8]
[edit] Creation[edit] Libretto
Orpheus with his viol, by Cesare GennariAmong those present at the Euridice performance in October 1600 was a young lawyer and career diplomat from Gonzaga's court, Alessandro Striggio,[9] son of a well-known composer of the same name. The younger Striggio was himself a talented musician who in 1589, as a 16-year-old, had played the viol at the wedding festivities of Duke Ferdinando of Tuscany. Together with Duke Vincent's two young sons, Francesco and Fernandino, he was a member of Mantua's exclusive intellectual society, the Accademia degli Invaghiti, which provided the chief outlet for the city's theatrical works.[10][11] It is not clear at what point Striggio began his libretto for L'Orfeo, but work was evidently under way in January 1607. In a letter written on 5 January, Francesco Gonzago asks his brother, then attached to the Florentine court, to obtain the services of a high quality castrato from the Grand Duke's establishment, for a "play in music" being prepared for the Mantuan Carnival.[12]
Striggio's main sources for his libretto were Books 10 and 11 of Ovid's Metamorphoses and Book Four of Virgil's Georgics. These provided him with the basic material, but not the structure for a staged drama; the events of Acts 1 and 2 of the libretto are covered by a mere 13 lines in the Metamorphoses.[13] For help in creating a dramatic form, Striggio drew on other sources—Poliziano's 1480 play, Guarini's Il pastor fido, and Ottavio Rinuccini's libretto for Peri's Euridice.[14] Musicologist Gary Tomlinson remarks on the many similarities between Striggio's and Rinuccini's texts, noting that some of the speeches in L'Orfeo "correspond closely in content and even in locution to their counterparts in L'Euridice".[15] Critic Barbara Russano Hanning writes that Striggio's verses are less subtle than those of Rinuccini, although the structure of Striggio's libretto is more interesting.[10] Rinuccini, whose work had been written for the festivities accompanying a Medici wedding, was obliged to alter the myth to provide a "happy ending", suitable for this occasion. By contrast, because Striggio was not writing for a formal court celebration he could be more faithful to the spirit of the myth's conclusion, in which Orfeo is killed and dismembered by deranged maenads or "Bacchantes".[14] He chose, in fact, to write a somewhat muted version of this bloody finale, in which the Bacchantes threaten Orfeo's destruction but his actual fate is left in doubt.[16]
The libretto published in Mantua in 1607 to coincide with the premiere incorporates Striggio's ambiguous ending. However, Monteverdi's score published in Venice in 1609 by Ricciardo Amadino shows an entirely different resolution, with Orpheus transported to the heavens through the intervention of Apollo.[10] According to Ringer, Striggio's original ending was almost certainly used at the opera's premiere, but there is no doubt that Monteverdi believed the revised ending was aesthetically correct.[16] The musicologist Nino Pirrotta argues that the Apollo ending was part of the original plan for the work, but was not staged at the premiere because the small room which hosted the event could not contain the theatrical machinery that this ending required. The Bacchantes scene was a substitution; Monteverdi's intentions were restored when this constraint was removed.[17]
[edit] Composition
Front cover of the 1609 published score of L'OrfeoWhen Monteverdi wrote the music for L'Orfeo he had a thorough grounding in theatrical music. He had been employed at the Gonzaga court for 16 years, much of it as a performer or arranger of stage music, and in 1604 he had written the ballo Gli amori di Diane ed Endimone for the 1604–05 Mantua Carnival.[18] The elements from which Monteverdi constructed his first opera score—the aria, the strophic song, recitative, choruses, dances, dramatic musical interludes—were, as conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt has pointed out, not created by him, but "he blended the entire stock of newest and older possibilities into a unity that was indeed new".[19] Musicologist Robert Donington writes similarly: "[The score] contains no element which was not based on precedent, but it reaches complete maturity in that recently-developed form ... Here are words as directly expressed in music as [the pioneers of opera] wanted them expressed; here is music expressing them ... with the full inspiration of genius."[20]
Monteverdi states the orchestral requirements at the beginning of his published score, but in accordance with the practice of the day he does not specify their exact usage.[19] At that time it was usual to allow each interpreter of the work freedom to make local decisions, based on the orchestral forces at their disposal. These could differ sharply from place to place. Furthermore, as Harnoncourt points out, the instrumentalists would all have been composers and would have expected to collaborate creatively at each performance, rather than playing a set text.[19] Another practice of the time was to allow singers to embellish their arias. Monteverdi wrote plain and embellished versions of some arias, such as Orfeo's "Possente spirito",[21] but according to Harnoncourt "it is obvious that where he did not write any embellishments he did not want any sung".[22]
Each act of the opera deals with a single element of the story, and each ends with a chorus. Despite the five-act structure, with two sets of scene changes, it is likely that L'Orfeo conformed to the standard practice for court entertainments of that time and was played as a continuous entity, without intervals or curtain descents between acts. It was the contemporary custom for scene shifts to take place in sight of the audience, these changes being reflected musically by changes in instrumentation, key and style.[23]
[edit] Instrumentation
1609 score: Monteverdi's listing of instruments is shown on the right.For the purpose of analysis, music scholar Jane Glover divides Monteverdi's list of instruments into three main groups: strings, brass and continuo, with a few further items not easily classifiable.[24] The strings grouping is formed from ten members of the violin family (viole da brazzo), two double basses (contrabassi de viola), and two small violins (violini piccoli alla francese). The viole da brazzo are in two five-part ensembles, each comprising two violins, two violas and a cello.[24] The brass group contains four or five trombones (sackbuts), three trumpets and two cornetts. The continuo forces include two harpsichords (duoi gravicembani), a double harp (arpa doppia), two or three chitarroni, two pipe organs (organi di legno), three bass viola da gamba, and a regal or small reed organ. Outside of these groupings are two recorders (flautini alla vigesima secunda), and possibly one or more citterns—unlisted by Monteverdi, but included in instructions relating to the end of Act 4.[24]
Instrumentally, the two worlds represented within the opera are distinctively portrayed. The pastoral world of the fields of Thrace is represented by the strings, harpsichords, harp, organs, recorders and chitarroni. The remaining instruments, mainly brass, are associated with the Underworld, though there is not an absolute distinction; strings appear on several occasions in the Hades scenes.[22][25] Within this general ordering, specific instruments or combinations are used to accompany some of the main characters—Orpheus by harp and organ, shepherds by harpsichord and chitarrone, the Underworld gods by trombones and regal.[22] All of these musical distinctions and characterisations were in accordance with the longstanding traditions of the Renaissance orchestra, of which the large L'Orfeo ensemble is typical.[26]
Monteverdi instructs his players generally to "[play] the work as simply and correctly as possible, and not with many florid passages or runs". Those playing ornamentation instruments such as strings and flutes are advised to "play nobly, with much invention and variety", but are warned against overdoing it, whereby "nothing is heard but chaos and confusion, offensive to the listener."[27] Since at no time are all the instruments played together, the number of players needed is less than the number of instruments. Harnoncourt indicates that in Monteverdi's day the numbers of players and singers together, and the small rooms in which performances were held, often meant that the audience barely numbered more than the performers.[28]
[edit] RolesIn his personaggi listed in the 1609 score, Monteverdi unaccountably omits La messaggera (the Messenger), and indicates that the final chorus of shepherds who perform the moresca (Moorish dance) at the opera's end, are a separate group (che fecero la moresca nel fine).[29] Little information is available about who sang the various roles in the first performance. A letter published at Mantua in 1612 records that the distinguished tenor and composer Francesco Rasi took part, and it is generally assumed that he sang the title role.[5] Rasi could sing in both the tenor and bass ranges "with exquisite style ... and extraordinary feeling".[2] The involvement in the premiere of a Florentine castrato, Giovanni Gualberto Magli, is confirmed by correspondence between the Gonzaga princes. Magli sang the prologue, Proserpina and possibly one other role, either La messaggera or Speranza.[30] The musicologist and historian Hans Redlich mistakenly allocates Magli to the role of Orfeo.[31]
A clue about who played Euridice is contained in a 1608 letter to Duke Vincenzo. It refers to "that little priest who performed the role of Euridice in the Most Serene Prince's Orfeo". Possibly this priest was Padre Girolamo Bacchini, a castrato known to have had connections to the Mantuan court in the early 17th century.[5] Monteverdi scholar Tim Carter speculates that two prominent Mantuan tenors, Pandolfo Grande and Francesco Campagnola may have sung minor roles in the premiere.[32]
There are solo parts for four shepherds and three spirits. Carter calculates that through the doubling of roles that the text allows, a total of ten singers—three sopranos, two altos, three tenors and two basses—is required for a performance, with the soloists (except Orfeo) also forming the chorus. Carter's suggested role-doublings include La musica with Euridice, Ninfa with Proserpina and La messaggera with Speranza.[32]
Role Voice type[n 2] Appearances Notes
La musica (Music) soprano, originally castrato Prologue
Orfeo (Orpheus) tenor Act 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Euridice (Eurydice) soprano, originally castrato Act 1, 4
La messaggera (The Messenger) soprano Act 2 Named in the libretto as "Silvia"
Speranza (Hope) soprano Act 3
Caronte (Charon) bass Act 3
Proserpina (Proserpine) soprano Act 4
Plutone (Pluto) bass Act 4
Apollo tenor Act 5
Ninfa (Nymph) soprano Act 1
Eco (Echo) tenor Act 5
Ninfe e pastori (Nymphs and shepherds) soprano, alto, tenor, bass Act 1, 2, 5 Soloists: alto, two tenors
Spiriti infernali (Infernal spirits) tenor, bass Act 3, 4 Soloists: two tenors, one bass
[edit] SynopsisThe actions take place in two contrasting locations: the fields of Thrace (Acts 1, 2 and 5) and the Underworld (Acts 3 and 4). An instrumental toccata (English: "tucket", meaning a flourish on trumpets)[34] precedes the entrance of La musica, representing the "spirit of music", who sings a prologue of five stanzas of verse. After a gracious welcome to the audience she announces that she can, through sweet sounds, "calm every troubled heart." She sings a further paean to the power of music, before introducing the drama's main protagonist, Orfeo, who "held the wild beasts spellbound with his song".[n 3]
Act 1
After La musica's final request for silence, the curtain rises on Act 1 to reveal a pastoral scene. Orfeo and Euridice enter together with a chorus of nymphs and shepherds, who act in the manner of a Greek chorus, commenting on the action both as a group and as individuals. A shepherd announces that this is the couple's wedding day; the chorus responds, first in a stately invocation ("Come, Hymen, O come") and then in a joyful dance ("Leave the mountains, leave the fountains"). Orfeo and Euridice sing of their love for each other, before leaving with most of the group for the wedding ceremony in the temple. Those left on stage sing a brief chorus, commenting on how Orfeo has been changed by love from one "for whom sighs were food and weeping was drink" to a state of sublime happiness.
Act 2
Orfeo returns with the main chorus, and sings with them of the beauties of nature. Orfeo then muses on his former unhappiness, but proclaims: "After grief one is more content, after pain one is happier". The mood of contentment is abruptly ended when La messaggera enters, bringing the news that, while gathering flowers, Euridice has received a fatal snakebite. The chorus expresses its anguish: "Ah, bitter happening, ah, impious and cruel fate!", while the Messaggera castigates herself as the bearing of bad tidings ("For ever I will flee, and in a lonely cavern lead a life in keeping with my sorrow"). Orfeo, after venting his grief and incredulity ("Thou art dead, my life, and I am breathing?"), declares his intention of descending to the Underworld and persuading its ruler to allow Euridice to return to life. Otherwise "I shall remain with thee in the company of death". He departs, and the chorus resumes its lament.
Act 3
Orfeo is guided by Speranza to the gates of Hades. Having pointed out the words inscribed on the gate ("Abandon hope, all ye who enter here"),[n 4] Speranza leaves. Orfeo is now confronted with the ferryman Caronte, who addresses Orfeo harshly and refuses to take him across the River Styx. Orfeo attempts to persuade Caronte by singing a flattering song to him ("Mighty spirit and powerful divinity"), but the ferryman is unmoved. However, when Orfeo takes up his lyre and plays, Caronte is soothed into sleep. Seizing his chance, Orfeo steals the ferryman's boat and crosses the river, to enter the Underworld while a chorus of spirits reflects that nature cannot defend herself against man: "He has tamed the sea with fragile wood, and disdained the rage of the winds."
Act 4
In the Underworld Proserpina, Queen of Hades, who has been deeply affected by Orfeo's singing, petitions King Plutone, her husband, for Euridice's release. Moved by her pleas, Plutone agrees subject to the condition that, as he leads Euridice towards the world, Orfeo must not look back. If he does, "a single glance will condemn him to eternal loss". Orfeo enters, leading Euridice and singing confidently that on that day he will rest on his wife's white bosom. But as he sings a note of doubt creeps in: "Who will assure me that she is following?". Perhaps Plutone, driven by envy, has imposed the condition through spite? Suddenly distracted by an off-stage commotion, Orfeo looks round; immediately, the image of Euridice begins to fade. She sings, despairingly: "Losest thou me through too much love?" and disappears. Orfeo attempts to follow her but is drawn away by an unseen force. The chorus of spirits sings that Orfeo, having overcome Hades, was in turn overcome by his passions.
Act 5
Back in the fields of Thrace Orfeo, in a long soliloquy, laments his loss, praises Euridice's beauty and resolves that his heart will never again be pierced by Cupid's arrow. An off-stage echo repeats his final phrases. Suddenly, in a cloud, Apollo descends from the heavens and chastises him: "Why dost thou give thyself up as prey to rage and grief?" He invites Orfeo to leave the world and join him in the heavens, where he will recognise Euridice's likeness in the stars. Orfeo replies that it would be unworthy not to follow the counsel of such a wise father, and together they ascend. A shepherds' chorus concludes that "he who sows in suffering shall reap the fruit of every grace", before the opera ends with a vigorous moresca.
[edit] Original libretto endingIn Striggio's 1607 libretto, Orfeo's Act 5 soliloquy is interrupted, not by Apollo's appearance but by a chorus of maenads or Bacchantes—wild, drunken women—who sing of the "divine fury" of their master, the god Bacchus. The cause of their wrath is Orfeo and his renunciation of women; he will not escape their heavenly anger, and the longer he evades them the more severe his fate will be. Orfeo leaves the scene and his destiny is left uncertain, for the Bacchantes devote themselves for the rest of the opera to wild singing and dancing in praise of Bacchus.[37] Early music authority Claude Palisca believes that the two endings are not incompatible; Orfeo evades from the fury of the Bacchantes and is then rescued by Apollo.[38]
[edit] Reception and performance history[edit] Premiere and early performances
The Ducal Palace at Mantua, where L'Orfeo was premiered in 1607The date for the first performance of L'Orfeo, 24 February 1607, is evidenced by two letters, both dated 23 February. In the first, Francesco Gonzaga informs his brother that the "musical play" will be performed tomorrow; it is clear from earlier correspondence that this refers to L'Orfeo. The second letter is from a Gonzaga court official, Carlo Magno, and gives more details: "Tomorrow evening the Most Serene Lord the Prince is to sponsor a [play] in a room in the apartments which the Most Serene Lady had the use of ...it should be most unusual, as all the actors are to sing their parts."[12] The "Serene Lady" is Duke Vincenzo's widowed sister Margherita Gonzaga d'Este, who lived within the ducal palace. The room of the premiere cannot be identified with certainty; according to Ringer, it may have been the Galleria dei Fiumi, which has the dimensions to accommodate a stage and orchestra with space for a small audience.[39]
There is no detailed account of the premiere, although Francesco wrote on 1 March that the work had "been to the great satisfaction of all who heard it", and had particularly pleased the Duke.[12] The Mantuan court theologian and poet, Cherubino Ferrari wrote that: "Both poet and musician have depicted the inclinations of the heart so skilfully that it could not have been done better ... The music, observing due propriety, serves the poetry so well that nothing more beautiful is to be heard anywhere".[12] After the premiere Duke Vincenzo ordered a second performance for 1 March; a third performance was planned to coincide with a proposed state visit to Mantua by the Duke of Savoy. Francesco wrote to the Duke of Tuscany on 8 March, asking if he could retain the services of the castrato Magli for a little longer.[12] However, the visit was cancelled, as was the celebratory performance.[40]
There are suggestions that in the years following the premiere, L'Orfeo may have been staged in Florence, Cremona, Milan and Turin,[34] though firmer evidence suggests that the work attracted limited interest beyond the Mantuan court.[40] Francesco may have mounted a production in Casale Monferrato, where he was governor, for the 1609–10 Carnival, and there are indications that the work was performed on several occasions in Salzburg between 1614 and 1619, under the direction of Francesco Rasi.[41] Years later, during the first flourish of Venetian opera in 1637–43, Monteverdi chose to revive his second opera, L'Arianna there, but not L'Orfeo.[40] There is some evidence of performances shortly after Monteverdi's death: in Geneva in 1643,[34] and in Paris, at the Louvre, in 1647.[42][n 5] Although according to Carter the work was still admired across Italy in the 1650s,[34][41] it was subsequently forgotten, as largely was Monteverdi, until the revival of interest in his works in the late 19th century.[34][43]
[edit] 20th-century revivals
Vincent d'Indy, who oversaw the first 20th-century revival of L'Orfeo in 1904After years of neglect, Monteverdi's music began to attract the interest of pioneer music historians in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and from the second quarter of the 19th century onwards he is discussed increasingly in scholarly works.[41] In 1881 a truncated version of the L'Orfeo score, intended for study rather than performance, was published in Berlin by Robert Eitner.[44] In 1904 the composer Vincent d'Indy produced an edition in French, which comprised only Act 2, a shortened Act 3 and Act 4. This edition was the basis of the first public performance of the work in two-and-a-half centuries, a concert performance at d'Indy's Schola Cantorum on 25 February 1904.[45][46] The distinguished writer Romain Rolland, who was present, commended d'Indy for bringing the opera to life and returning it "to the beauty it once had, freeing it from the clumsy restorations which have disfigured it"—presumably a reference to Eitner's edition.[47][48] The d'Indy edition was also the basis of the first modern staged performance of the work, at the Théâtre Réjane, Paris, on 2 May 1911.[43]
An edition of the score by the minor Italian composer Giovanni Orefice received several concert performances in Italy and elsewhere before and after the First World War. This edition was the basis of the opera's United States debut, another concert performance at the New York Met in April 1912. The opera was introduced to London, in d'Indy's edition, when it was sung to piano accompaniment at the Institut Français on 8 March 1924.[49] The first British staged performance, with only small cuts, was given by the Oxford University Operatic Society on 7 December 1925, using an edition prepared for the event by Jack Westrup. In the London Saturday Review, music critic Dyneley Hussey called the occasion "one of the most important events of recent years"; the production had "indicated at once Monteverdi's claim to rank among the great geniuses who have written dramatic music".[50] Westrup's edition was revived in London at the Scala Theatre in December 1929, the same year in which the opera received its first US staged performance, at Smith College, Northampton, MA.[43] The three Scala performances resulted in a financial disaster, and the opera was not seen again in Britain for 35 years.[51]
Among a flurry of revivals after 1945 was Paul Hindemith's edition, a full period reconstruction of the work prepared in 1943, which was staged and recorded at the Vienna Festival in 1954. This performance had a great impact on the young Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and was hailed as a masterpiece of scholarship and integrity.[52] The first staged New York performance, by the New York City Opera under Leopold Stokowski on 29 September 1960, saw the American operatic debut of Gérard Souzay, one of several baritones who have sung the role of Orfeo. The theatre was criticised by New York Times critic Harold C. Schonberg because, to accommodate a performance of Luigi Dallapiccola's contemporary opera Il prigioniero, about a third of L'Orfeo was cut. Schonberg wrote: "Even the biggest aria in the opera, "Possente spirito", has a good-sized slash in the middle ... [L'Orfeo] is long enough, and important enough, not to mention beautiful enough, to have been the entire evening's opera."[53]
By the latter part of the 20th century the opera was being shown all over the world. In 1965, Sadler's Wells, forerunner of English National Opera (ENO), staged the first of many ENO presentations which would continue into the 21st century.[43] Among various celebrations marking the opera's 400th anniversary in 2007 were a semi-staged performance at the Teatro Bibiena in Mantua,[54] a full-scale production by the English Bach Festival (EBF) at the Whitehall Banqueting House in London on 7 February,[55] and an unconventional production by Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York, conducted by Antony Walker and directed by Christopher Alden.[56] On 6 May 2010 the BBC broadcast a performance of the opera from La Scala, Milan.[57] Despite the reluctance of some major opera houses to stage L'Orfeo,[n 6] it is a popular work with the leading Baroque ensembles. During the period 2008–10 the French-based Les Arts Florissants, under its director William Christie, has presented the Monteverdi trilogy of operas (L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse and L'incoronazione di Poppea) in a series of performances at the Teatro Real in Madrid.[60]
[edit] MusicFurther information: List of musical items in Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo
A page from the 1609 score of L'OrfeoL'Orfeo is, in Redlich's analysis, the product of two musical epochs. It combines elements of the traditional madrigal style of the 16th century with those of the emerging Florentine mode, in particular the use of recitative and monodic singing as developed by the Camerata and their successors.[61] In this new style, the text dominates the music; while sinfonias and instrumental ritornelli illustrate the action, the audience's attention is always drawn primarily to the words. The singers are required to do more than produce pleasant vocal sounds; they must represent their characters in depth and convey appropriate emotions.[62]
Monterverdi's recitative style was influenced by Peri's, in Euridice, although in L'Orfeo recitative is less preponderant than was usual in dramatic music at this time. It accounts for less than a quarter of the first act's music, around a third of the second and third acts, and a little under half in the final two acts.[63]
The importance of L'Orfeo is not that it was the first work of its kind, but that it was the first attempt to apply the full resources of the art of music, as then evolved, to the nascent genre of opera.[64] In particular, Monteverdi made daring innovations in the use of polyphony, of which Palestrina had been the principal exponent. In L'Orfeo, Monteverdi extends the rules, beyond the conventions which polyphonic composers, faithful to Palestrina, had previously considered as sacrosanct.[65] Monteverdi was not in the generally understood sense an orchestrator;[66] Ringer finds that it is the element of instrumental improvisation that makes each performance of a Monteverdi opera a "unique experience, and separates his work from the later operatic canon."[62]
"Toccata" from L'Orfeo
Live recording
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The opera begins with a martial-sounding toccata for trumpets which is repeated twice. When played on period wind instruments the sound can be startling to modern audiences; Redlich calls it "shattering".[67] Such flourishes were the standard signal for the commencement of performances at the Mantuan court; the opening chorus of Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers, also composed for Gonzaga's court, employs the same fanfare.[62] The toccata acted as a salute to the Duke; according to Donington, if it had not been written, precedent would have required it to be improvised.[20] As the brass sound of the toccata fades, it is replaced by the gentler tone of the strings ritornello which introduces La musica's prologue. The ritornello is repeated in shortened form between each of the prologue's five verses, and in full after the final verse. Its function within the opera as a whole is to represents the "power of music";[34] as such it is heard at the end of Act 2, and again the beginning of Act 5, one of the earliest examples of an operatic leitmotiv.[68]
After the Prologue, Act 1 follows in the form of a pastoral idyll. Two choruses, one solemn and one jovial are repeated in reverse order around the central love-song "Rosa del ciel" ("Rose of the heavens"), followed by the shepherds' songs of praise. The buoyant mood continues into Act 2, with song and dance music influenced, according to Harnoncourt, by Monteverdi's experience of French music.[69] The sudden entrance of La messaggera with the doleful news of Euridice's death, and the confusion and grief which follow, are musically reflected by harsh dissonances and the juxtaposition of keys.[34][69] The music remains in this vein until the act ends with La musica's ritornello, a hint that the "power of music" may yet bring about a triumph over death.[70] Monteverdi's instructions as the act concludes are that the violins, the organ and harpsichord become silent and that the music is taken up by the trombones, the cornetts and the regal, as the scene changes to the Underworld.[69]
The centrepiece of Act 3, perhaps of the entire opera, is Orfeo's extended aria "Possente spirto e formidabil nume" ("Mighty spirit and powerful divinity"), by which he attempts to persuade Caronte to allow him to enter Hades. Monteverdi's vocal embellishments and virtuoso accompaniment provide what Carter describes as "one of the most compelling visual and aural representations" in early opera.[71] Instrumental colour is provided by a chitarrone, a pipe-organ, two violins, two cornetts and a double-harp. This array, according to music historian and analyst John Whenham, is intended to suggest that Orfeo is harnessing all the available forces of music to support his plea.[72] In Act 4 the impersonal coldness of the Underworld is broken by the warmth of Proserpina's singing on behalf of Orfeo, a warmth that is retained until the dramatic moment at which Orfeo "looks back". The cold sounds of the sinfonia from the beginning of Act 3 then remind us that the Underworld is, after all, entirely devoid of human feeling.[69] The brief final act, which sees Orfeo's rescue and metamorphosis, is framed by the final appearance of La musica's ritornello and the lively moresca that ends the opera. This dance, says Ringer, recalls the jigs danced at the end of Shakespeare's tragedies, and provides a means of bringing the audience back to their everyday world, "just as the toccata had led them into another realm some two hours before. The toccata and the moresca unite courtly reality with operatic illusion."[73]
[edit] Recording historyFor the complete discography, see L'Orfeo discography
The first recording of L'Orfeo was issued in 1939, a freely adapted version of Monteverdi's music by Giacomo Benvenuti,[74] given by the orchestra of La Scala Milan conducted by Ferrucio Calusio.[75][76] In 1949, for the recording of the complete opera by the Berlin Radio Orchestra under Helmut Koch, the new medium of long-playing records (LPs) was used. The advent of LP recordings was, as Harold Schonberg later wrote, an important factor in the postwar revival of interest in Renaissance and Baroque music,[77] and from the mid-1950s recordings of L'Orfeo have been issued on many labels. The 1969 recording by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Vienna Concentus Musicus, using Harnoncourt's edition based on period instruments, was praised for "making Monteverdi's music sound something like the way he imagined".[78] In 1981 Siegfried Heinrich, with the Early Music Studio of the Hesse Chamber Orchestra, recorded a version which re-created the original Striggio libretto ending, adding music from Monteverdi's 1616 ballet Tirsi e Clori for the Bacchante scenes.[79][80] Among more recent recordings, that of Emmanuelle Haim in 2004 has been praised for its dramatic effect.[81]
[edit] EditionsAfter the publication of the L'Orfeo score in 1609, the same publisher (Ricciardo Amadino of Venice) brought it out again in 1615. Facsimiles of these editions were printed in 1927 and 1972 respectively.[43] Since Eitner's first "modern" edition of L'Orfeo in 1884, and d'Indy's performing edition 20 years later—both of which were abridged and adapted versions of the 1609 score—there have been many attempts to edit and present the work, not all of them published. Most of the editions that followed d'Indy up to the time of the Second World War were arrangements, usually heavily truncated, that provided a basis for performances in the modern opera idiom. Many of these were the work of composers, including Carl Orff (1923 and1939) and Ottorino Respighi in 1935.[34] Orff's 1923 score, using a German text, included some period instrumentation, an experiment he abandoned when producing his later version.[82]
In the post-war period, editions have moved increasingly to reflect the performance conventions of Monteverdi's day. This tendency was initiated by two earlier editions, that of Jack Westrup used in the 1925 Oxford performances,[83] and Gian Francesco Malipiero's 1930 complete edition which sticks closely to Monteverdi's 1609 original.[83] After the war, Hindemith's attempted period reconstruction of the work[52] was followed in 1955 by an edition from August Wenzinger that remained in use for many years.[84] The next 30 years saw numerous editions, mostly prepared by scholar-performers rather than by composers, generally aiming towards authenticity if not always the complete re-creation of the original instrumentation. These included versions by Raymond Leppard (1965), Denis Stevens (1967), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1969), Jane Glover (1975), Roger Norrington (1976) and John Eliot Gardiner.[34][85] Only the composers Valentino Bucchi (1967), Bruno Maderna (1967) and Luciano Berio (1984) produced editions based on the convention of a large modern orchestra.[83] In the 21st century editions continue to be produced, often for use in conjunction with a particular performance or recording.[34][43]
[edit] Notes and referencesNotes
^ The Florentine Camerata, led by Giovanni de' Bardi, was a group of scholars and musicians dedicated to the revival of Ancient Greek-style theatre, mainly active in the 1570s and 1580s. Later groups with similar aims are also loosely referred to as "Camerata".[4]
^ Monteverdi's 1609 score does not specify voice parts, but indicates the required ranges by clef.[33] In the early productions the principal "high voice" parts were sung by castrati. Modern productions have generally allocated the parts to soprano, alto, tenor and bass singers. See Carter (2002), pp. 91–97, Glover, pp. 146–48.
^ English translations quoted in the synopsis are from the version accompanying Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 1969 recording.[35]
^ The pun (Speranza means "hope") in this quotation from Inferno by Dante Alighieri can be considered, according to John Whenham, as a "learned witticism" on Striggio's part.[36]
^ There may also have been a revival in Paris in 1832.[42]
^ For example, as of 2010 the opera remains unstaged at New York Met, the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne.[58][59]
References
^ Carter, Tim (2007). "Monteverdi, Claudio: Cremona". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 4 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ a b c Fenlon, Iain, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 5–7
^ Carter, Tim (2007). "Monteverdi, Claudio: Mantua". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 4 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ Ringer, pp. 12–13
^ a b c Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 1–4
^ a b Sternfeld, p. 26
^ Ringer, pp. 30–31
^ Ringer, p. 16
^ Carter (2002), p. 38
^ a b c Hanning, Barbara (2007). "Striggio, Alessandro (Alessandrino)". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 5 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ Carter (2002), p. 48
^ a b c d e Fenlon, "Correspondence" pp. 167–72
^ Sternfeld, pp. 20–25
^ a b Sternfeld, pp. 27–30
^ Tomlinson, Gary (1981). "Madrigal, Monody, and Monteverdi's "via actuale alla imitatione"". Journal of the American Musicological Society 34 (1). http://www.jstor.org/pss/831035. Retrieved 11 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ a b Ringer, pp. 39–40
^ Pirrotta, pp. 258–59
^ Carter (2002), pp. 143–44
^ a b c Harnoncourt, p. 19
^ a b Donington, p. 257
^ Robinson, p. 61
^ a b c Harnoncourt, p. 20
^ Whenham (1986), pp. 42–47
^ a b c Glover, pp. 139–41
^ Glover, p. 142
^ Beat, pp. 277–78
^ Beat, pp. 280–81
^ Harnoncourt, p. 21
^ Glover, pp. 146–48
^ Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 11–15
^ Redlich, p. 15
^ a b Carter (2002), pp. 97–98
^ Zanette, Damian H. (February 2007). "Notes to the transcription of the 1609 Venetian score of L'Orfeo". Icking Musical Archive. http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/download.php?file=monteverdi/orfeo/notas.pdf. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Whenham, John (2007). "Orfeo (i)". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 12 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (2) below
^ Harnoncourt, pp. 73–96
^ Whenham (1986), p. 66
^ Whenham (1986), pp. 35–40
^ Palisca, p. 39
^ Ringer, p. 36
^ a b c Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 17–19
^ a b c Carter (2002), pp. 3–5
^ a b "Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia". Amadeusonline. http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=&Mese=&Anno=&Giornata=&Testo=L%27Orfeo&Parola=Stringa. Retrieved 26 October 2009. (Italian)
^ a b c d e f Fortune and Whenham, "Modern editions and performances" pp. 173–181
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 80–81
^ Carter (2002), p. 6
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 84
^ Rolland, pp. 124–25
^ Whenham (1986), p. 196
^ Howes, Frank (1 June 1924). "Notes on Monteverdi's Orfeo". The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org/pss/913262. Retrieved 16 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Hussey, Dyneley (19 December 1925). "Monteverdi at Oxford". The Saturday Review (London): p. 735. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/scribe/Oxford-1925.pdf. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 104
^ a b Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 105
^ Schonberg, Harold C. (30 September 1960). "2 Works Sung as City Opera Starts Year". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30811FE3C551A7A93C2AA1782D85F448685F9&scp=13&sq=Monteverdi+Orfeo&st=p. Retrieved 14 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Riding, Alan (2007). "400 years on, Opera Looks to the Next Act". Michigan Radio. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/.artsmain/article/12/1083/1045382/400.Years.on..Opera.Looks.to.the.Next.Act./. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Pettit, Stephen (22 March 2007). "The Power of Orfeo". Prospect (132). http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2007/03/thepoweroforfeo/. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Tomassini, Anthony (7 August 2007). "Four Trips to Hell and Back at the Opera". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/arts/music/07glim.htm. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
^ "Monteverdi's Orfeo". British Broadcasting Corporation, Radio 3. 6 May 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s7dkc. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Operas performed 1934–2010". Glyndebourne Festival Opera. http://www.glyndebourne.com/archive/productions/glyndebourne_festival_operas_performed/. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Royal Opera House Collections". The Royal Opera House. http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/SearchResults.aspx?searchtype=workprodperf&title=L%27Orfeo. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Les Arts Florissants". Barbican.org. http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?id=8520&pg=1729. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
^ Redlich, p. 99
^ a b c Ringer, pp. 27–28
^ Palisca, pp. 40–42
^ Grout, pp. 53–55
^ Hull, Robert H. (15 September 1929). "The Development of Harmony". The School Music Review: pp. 111. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/scribe/Monteverdi-Development-of-harmony.pdf. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ Westrup, Jack (1940). "Monteverdi and the Orchestra". The Musical Times 21 (3). http://ml.oxfordjournals.org/content/XXI/3/230.extract. Retrieved 17 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Redlich, p. 97
^ Grout, p. 56
^ a b c d Harnoncourt, pp. 24–25
^ Ringer, pp. 63–64
^ Carter, Tim (1993). "Possento spirto: on taming the power of music". Early Music 21 (4). http://em.oxfordjournals.org/content/XXI/4/517.extract. Retrieved 17 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Whenham (1986), p. 68
^ Ringer, p. 89
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 93
^ "Continental Record Issues". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). June 1944. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/June%201944/17/857239/HIS+MASTERS+VOICE. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ "Monteverdi – L'Orfeo – Milan 1939 – Calusio". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monteverdi-LOrfeo-Milan-1939-Calusio/dp/B0003021NG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1284584924&sr=1-1. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 109
^ Arnold, Denis (March 1970). "Monteverdi: L'Orfeo complete". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%201970/80/780424/MONTEVERDI.+LOrfeo%E2%80%94complete.. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ Arnold, Denis (March 1982). "Monteverdi: L'Orfeo". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%201982/89/763364/MONTEVERDI.+LORFEO.+Joachim+Seipp+%28ten%29+Orfeo+Melinda+Liebermann+%28sop%29+Euridice+Rosemarie+Biihler+%28sop%29+Music%2C+Hope+Rochelle+Travis+%28sop%29+Nymph%2C+Proserpina+Heide+BlankeRoeser+%28sop%29+Messenger+Uwe+Bliesch+%28bass%29+Charon+Cornelius+Hauptmann+%28bass%29+Pluto+Erwin+Speen+%28ten%29+Apollo%2C+Echo%2C+Shepherd%2C+Spirit+Axel+Reichardt%2C+David+Adams+%28tens%29+Shepherds%2C+Spirits+Frankfurt+Madrigal+Ensemble+Bad+Hersfeld+Festival+1980+Choir+and+Orchestra+Early+Music+Studio+of+the+Hesse+Chamber+Orchestra++Siegfried+Heinrich.+Jubilate+JU858102+%28three+records%2C+nas%2C+%C2%A314.50%29.+German+notes%2C+text+and+translation+included.. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ Whenham (1986), p. 204
^ Ringer, p. 311
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 90–91
^ a b c Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 96–102
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 107
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 110–18
(1) A printed version of this source is available in Sadie, Stanley, and Tyrrell, John (eds) (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Second edition). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 1-56159-239-0.
(2) A printed version of this source is available in Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (2004). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2.
[edit] SourcesBeat, Janet E. (1968). "Monteverdi and the Opera Orchestra of his Time" in Arnold, Denis and Fortune, Nigel (eds): The Monteverdi Companion. London: Faber and Faber.
Carter, Tim (2002). Monteverdi's Musical Theatre. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09676-3.
Donington, Robert (1968). "Monteverdi's First Opera" in Arnold, Denis and Fortune, Nigel (eds): The Monteverdi Companion. London: Faber and Faber.
Fenlon, Ian (1986). "The Mantuan Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fenlon, Ian (1986). "Correspondence relating to the early Mantuan performances" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fortune, Nigel (1986). "The rediscovery of Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fortune, Nigel; Whenham, John (1986). "Modern editions and performances" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Glover, Jane (1986). "Solving the musical problem" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Grout, Donald Jay (1971). A Short History of Opera. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-08978-3.
Harnoncourt, Nikolaus (1969). "Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo: An Introduction" (in notes accompanying TELDEC recording 8.35020 ZA). Hamburg: Teldec Schallplatten GmbH.
Palisca, Claude V. (1981). Baroque Music. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-055947-4.
Pirrotta, Nino (1984). Music and Culture in Italy from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-59108-9.
Redlich, Hans (1952). Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Works. London: Oxford University Press.
Ringer, Mark (2006). Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi. Newark, N.J.: Amadeus Press. ISBN 1-57467-110-3.
Robinson, Michael F. (1972). Opera before Mozart. London: Hutchinson & Co. ISBN 0-09-080421-X.
Rolland, Romain; Perkins, Wendy (tr.) (1986). "A review of Vincent d'Indy's performance (Paris 1904)" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Sternfeld, F.W. (1986). "The Orpheus myth and the libretto of Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Whenham, John (1986). "Five acts, one action" in Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
[edit] Further readingFabbri, Paolo (1994). Monteverdi. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35133-2.
Newby, Elizabeth (1987). A Portrait of the Artist: The Legends of Orpheus and Their Use in Medieval and Renaissance Aesthetics. New York: Garland. ISBN 978-0-8240-8431-8.
Neef, Sigrid (ed.) (2000). Opera: Composers, Works, Performers (English edition). Cologne: Könemann. ISBN 3-8290-3571-3.
Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (2004). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera. London: Flame Tree Publishing. ISBN 1-84451-026-3.
[edit] External linksL'Orfeo libretto in English translation
"Ars Polemica: Monteverdi’s Orfeo as artistic creed" by Uri Golomb, Goldberg: Early Music Magazine 45 (April 2007): 44–57
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Orfeo"
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L'Orfeo (SV 318), sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. Written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua, L'Orfeo is one of the earliest music dramas still regularly performed.
Within the musical theatre at the beginning of the 17th century the traditional intermedio—a musical sequence between the acts of a straight play—was evolving into the form of a complete musical drama or "opera". Monteverdi's L'Orfeo moved this process out of its experimental era, and provided the first fully developed example within the new genre. After its initial performance the work was staged again in Mantua, and possibly in other Italian centres in the next few years. Its score was published by Monteverdi in 1609 and again in 1615. After the composer's death in 1643 the opera remained unperformed, and was largely forgotten until a revival of interest in the late 19th century led to a spate of modern editions and performances. At first these tended to be unstaged versions within institutes and music societies, but following the first modern dramatised performance in Paris, in 1911, the work was seen increasingly in theatres. After the Second World War most new editions sought authenticity through the use of period instruments. Many recordings were issued, and the opera was increasingly staged in opera houses. In 2007 the quatercentenary of the premiere was celebrated by performances throughout the world.
In his published score Monteverdi lists around 40 instruments to be deployed, with distinct groups of instruments used to depict particular scenes and characters. Thus strings, harpsichords and recorders represent the pastoral fields of Thrace with their nymphs and shepherds; heavy brass illustrates the underworld and its denizens. Composed at the point of transition from the Renaissance era to the Baroque, L'Orfeo employs all the resources then known within the art of music, with particularly daring use of polyphony. The work is not orchestrated as such; in the Renaissance tradition instrumentalists followed the composer's general instructions but were given considerable freedom to improvise. This separates Monteverdi's work from the later opera canon, and makes each performance of L'Orfeo a uniquely individual occasion.
Contents [hide]
1 Historical background
2 Creation
2.1 Libretto
2.2 Composition
2.3 Instrumentation
3 Roles
4 Synopsis
4.1 Original libretto ending
5 Reception and performance history
5.1 Premiere and early performances
5.2 20th-century revivals
6 Music
7 Recording history
8 Editions
9 Notes and references
10 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
[edit] Historical background
Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, Monteverdi's employer at MantuaClaudio Monteverdi, born in Cremona in 1567, was a musical prodigy who studied under Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella (head of music) at Cremona Cathedral. After training in singing, strings playing and composition, Monteverdi worked as a musician in Verona and Milan until, in 1590 or 1591, he secured a post as suonatore di vivuola (viola player) at Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga's court at Mantua.[1] Through ability and hard work Monteverdi rose to become Gonzaga's maestro della musica in 1601.[2][3]
Vincenzo Gonzaga's particular passion for musical theatre and spectacle grew from his family connections with the court of Florence. Towards the end of the 16th century innovative Florentine musicians were developing the intermedio—a long-established form of musical interlude inserted between the acts of spoken dramas—into increasingly elaborate forms.[2] Led by Jacopo Corsi, these successors to the renowned Camerata[n 1] were responsible for the first work generally recognised as belonging to the genre of opera: Dafne, composed by Corsi and Jacopo Peri and performed in Florence in 1598. This work combined elements of madrigal singing and monody with dancing and instrumental passages to form a dramatic whole. Only fragments of its music still exist, but several other Florentine works of the same period—Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo by Emilio de' Cavalieri, Peri's Euridice and Giulio Caccini's identically titled Euridice—survive complete. These last two works were the first of many musical representations of the Orpheus myth as recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and as such were direct precursors of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.[5][6]
The Gonzaga court had a long history of promoting dramatic entertainment. A century before Duke Vincenzo's time the court had staged Angelo Poliziano's lyrical drama La favola di Orfeo, at least half of which was sung rather than spoken. More recently, in 1598 Monteverdi had helped the court's musical establishment to produce Giovanni Battista Guarini's play Il pastor fido, described by theatre historian Mark Ringer as a "watershed theatrical work" which inspired the Italian craze for pastoral drama.[7] On 6 October 1600, while visiting Florence for the wedding of Maria de' Medici to King Henry IV of France, Duke Vincenzo attended a production of Peri's Euridice.[6] It is likely that his principal musicians, including Monteverdi, were also present at this performance. The Duke quickly recognised the novelty of this new form of dramatic entertainment, and its potential for bringing prestige to those prepared to sponsor it.[8]
[edit] Creation[edit] Libretto
Orpheus with his viol, by Cesare GennariAmong those present at the Euridice performance in October 1600 was a young lawyer and career diplomat from Gonzaga's court, Alessandro Striggio,[9] son of a well-known composer of the same name. The younger Striggio was himself a talented musician who in 1589, as a 16-year-old, had played the viol at the wedding festivities of Duke Ferdinando of Tuscany. Together with Duke Vincent's two young sons, Francesco and Fernandino, he was a member of Mantua's exclusive intellectual society, the Accademia degli Invaghiti, which provided the chief outlet for the city's theatrical works.[10][11] It is not clear at what point Striggio began his libretto for L'Orfeo, but work was evidently under way in January 1607. In a letter written on 5 January, Francesco Gonzago asks his brother, then attached to the Florentine court, to obtain the services of a high quality castrato from the Grand Duke's establishment, for a "play in music" being prepared for the Mantuan Carnival.[12]
Striggio's main sources for his libretto were Books 10 and 11 of Ovid's Metamorphoses and Book Four of Virgil's Georgics. These provided him with the basic material, but not the structure for a staged drama; the events of Acts 1 and 2 of the libretto are covered by a mere 13 lines in the Metamorphoses.[13] For help in creating a dramatic form, Striggio drew on other sources—Poliziano's 1480 play, Guarini's Il pastor fido, and Ottavio Rinuccini's libretto for Peri's Euridice.[14] Musicologist Gary Tomlinson remarks on the many similarities between Striggio's and Rinuccini's texts, noting that some of the speeches in L'Orfeo "correspond closely in content and even in locution to their counterparts in L'Euridice".[15] Critic Barbara Russano Hanning writes that Striggio's verses are less subtle than those of Rinuccini, although the structure of Striggio's libretto is more interesting.[10] Rinuccini, whose work had been written for the festivities accompanying a Medici wedding, was obliged to alter the myth to provide a "happy ending", suitable for this occasion. By contrast, because Striggio was not writing for a formal court celebration he could be more faithful to the spirit of the myth's conclusion, in which Orfeo is killed and dismembered by deranged maenads or "Bacchantes".[14] He chose, in fact, to write a somewhat muted version of this bloody finale, in which the Bacchantes threaten Orfeo's destruction but his actual fate is left in doubt.[16]
The libretto published in Mantua in 1607 to coincide with the premiere incorporates Striggio's ambiguous ending. However, Monteverdi's score published in Venice in 1609 by Ricciardo Amadino shows an entirely different resolution, with Orpheus transported to the heavens through the intervention of Apollo.[10] According to Ringer, Striggio's original ending was almost certainly used at the opera's premiere, but there is no doubt that Monteverdi believed the revised ending was aesthetically correct.[16] The musicologist Nino Pirrotta argues that the Apollo ending was part of the original plan for the work, but was not staged at the premiere because the small room which hosted the event could not contain the theatrical machinery that this ending required. The Bacchantes scene was a substitution; Monteverdi's intentions were restored when this constraint was removed.[17]
[edit] Composition
Front cover of the 1609 published score of L'OrfeoWhen Monteverdi wrote the music for L'Orfeo he had a thorough grounding in theatrical music. He had been employed at the Gonzaga court for 16 years, much of it as a performer or arranger of stage music, and in 1604 he had written the ballo Gli amori di Diane ed Endimone for the 1604–05 Mantua Carnival.[18] The elements from which Monteverdi constructed his first opera score—the aria, the strophic song, recitative, choruses, dances, dramatic musical interludes—were, as conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt has pointed out, not created by him, but "he blended the entire stock of newest and older possibilities into a unity that was indeed new".[19] Musicologist Robert Donington writes similarly: "[The score] contains no element which was not based on precedent, but it reaches complete maturity in that recently-developed form ... Here are words as directly expressed in music as [the pioneers of opera] wanted them expressed; here is music expressing them ... with the full inspiration of genius."[20]
Monteverdi states the orchestral requirements at the beginning of his published score, but in accordance with the practice of the day he does not specify their exact usage.[19] At that time it was usual to allow each interpreter of the work freedom to make local decisions, based on the orchestral forces at their disposal. These could differ sharply from place to place. Furthermore, as Harnoncourt points out, the instrumentalists would all have been composers and would have expected to collaborate creatively at each performance, rather than playing a set text.[19] Another practice of the time was to allow singers to embellish their arias. Monteverdi wrote plain and embellished versions of some arias, such as Orfeo's "Possente spirito",[21] but according to Harnoncourt "it is obvious that where he did not write any embellishments he did not want any sung".[22]
Each act of the opera deals with a single element of the story, and each ends with a chorus. Despite the five-act structure, with two sets of scene changes, it is likely that L'Orfeo conformed to the standard practice for court entertainments of that time and was played as a continuous entity, without intervals or curtain descents between acts. It was the contemporary custom for scene shifts to take place in sight of the audience, these changes being reflected musically by changes in instrumentation, key and style.[23]
[edit] Instrumentation
1609 score: Monteverdi's listing of instruments is shown on the right.For the purpose of analysis, music scholar Jane Glover divides Monteverdi's list of instruments into three main groups: strings, brass and continuo, with a few further items not easily classifiable.[24] The strings grouping is formed from ten members of the violin family (viole da brazzo), two double basses (contrabassi de viola), and two small violins (violini piccoli alla francese). The viole da brazzo are in two five-part ensembles, each comprising two violins, two violas and a cello.[24] The brass group contains four or five trombones (sackbuts), three trumpets and two cornetts. The continuo forces include two harpsichords (duoi gravicembani), a double harp (arpa doppia), two or three chitarroni, two pipe organs (organi di legno), three bass viola da gamba, and a regal or small reed organ. Outside of these groupings are two recorders (flautini alla vigesima secunda), and possibly one or more citterns—unlisted by Monteverdi, but included in instructions relating to the end of Act 4.[24]
Instrumentally, the two worlds represented within the opera are distinctively portrayed. The pastoral world of the fields of Thrace is represented by the strings, harpsichords, harp, organs, recorders and chitarroni. The remaining instruments, mainly brass, are associated with the Underworld, though there is not an absolute distinction; strings appear on several occasions in the Hades scenes.[22][25] Within this general ordering, specific instruments or combinations are used to accompany some of the main characters—Orpheus by harp and organ, shepherds by harpsichord and chitarrone, the Underworld gods by trombones and regal.[22] All of these musical distinctions and characterisations were in accordance with the longstanding traditions of the Renaissance orchestra, of which the large L'Orfeo ensemble is typical.[26]
Monteverdi instructs his players generally to "[play] the work as simply and correctly as possible, and not with many florid passages or runs". Those playing ornamentation instruments such as strings and flutes are advised to "play nobly, with much invention and variety", but are warned against overdoing it, whereby "nothing is heard but chaos and confusion, offensive to the listener."[27] Since at no time are all the instruments played together, the number of players needed is less than the number of instruments. Harnoncourt indicates that in Monteverdi's day the numbers of players and singers together, and the small rooms in which performances were held, often meant that the audience barely numbered more than the performers.[28]
[edit] RolesIn his personaggi listed in the 1609 score, Monteverdi unaccountably omits La messaggera (the Messenger), and indicates that the final chorus of shepherds who perform the moresca (Moorish dance) at the opera's end, are a separate group (che fecero la moresca nel fine).[29] Little information is available about who sang the various roles in the first performance. A letter published at Mantua in 1612 records that the distinguished tenor and composer Francesco Rasi took part, and it is generally assumed that he sang the title role.[5] Rasi could sing in both the tenor and bass ranges "with exquisite style ... and extraordinary feeling".[2] The involvement in the premiere of a Florentine castrato, Giovanni Gualberto Magli, is confirmed by correspondence between the Gonzaga princes. Magli sang the prologue, Proserpina and possibly one other role, either La messaggera or Speranza.[30] The musicologist and historian Hans Redlich mistakenly allocates Magli to the role of Orfeo.[31]
A clue about who played Euridice is contained in a 1608 letter to Duke Vincenzo. It refers to "that little priest who performed the role of Euridice in the Most Serene Prince's Orfeo". Possibly this priest was Padre Girolamo Bacchini, a castrato known to have had connections to the Mantuan court in the early 17th century.[5] Monteverdi scholar Tim Carter speculates that two prominent Mantuan tenors, Pandolfo Grande and Francesco Campagnola may have sung minor roles in the premiere.[32]
There are solo parts for four shepherds and three spirits. Carter calculates that through the doubling of roles that the text allows, a total of ten singers—three sopranos, two altos, three tenors and two basses—is required for a performance, with the soloists (except Orfeo) also forming the chorus. Carter's suggested role-doublings include La musica with Euridice, Ninfa with Proserpina and La messaggera with Speranza.[32]
Role Voice type[n 2] Appearances Notes
La musica (Music) soprano, originally castrato Prologue
Orfeo (Orpheus) tenor Act 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Euridice (Eurydice) soprano, originally castrato Act 1, 4
La messaggera (The Messenger) soprano Act 2 Named in the libretto as "Silvia"
Speranza (Hope) soprano Act 3
Caronte (Charon) bass Act 3
Proserpina (Proserpine) soprano Act 4
Plutone (Pluto) bass Act 4
Apollo tenor Act 5
Ninfa (Nymph) soprano Act 1
Eco (Echo) tenor Act 5
Ninfe e pastori (Nymphs and shepherds) soprano, alto, tenor, bass Act 1, 2, 5 Soloists: alto, two tenors
Spiriti infernali (Infernal spirits) tenor, bass Act 3, 4 Soloists: two tenors, one bass
[edit] SynopsisThe actions take place in two contrasting locations: the fields of Thrace (Acts 1, 2 and 5) and the Underworld (Acts 3 and 4). An instrumental toccata (English: "tucket", meaning a flourish on trumpets)[34] precedes the entrance of La musica, representing the "spirit of music", who sings a prologue of five stanzas of verse. After a gracious welcome to the audience she announces that she can, through sweet sounds, "calm every troubled heart." She sings a further paean to the power of music, before introducing the drama's main protagonist, Orfeo, who "held the wild beasts spellbound with his song".[n 3]
Act 1
After La musica's final request for silence, the curtain rises on Act 1 to reveal a pastoral scene. Orfeo and Euridice enter together with a chorus of nymphs and shepherds, who act in the manner of a Greek chorus, commenting on the action both as a group and as individuals. A shepherd announces that this is the couple's wedding day; the chorus responds, first in a stately invocation ("Come, Hymen, O come") and then in a joyful dance ("Leave the mountains, leave the fountains"). Orfeo and Euridice sing of their love for each other, before leaving with most of the group for the wedding ceremony in the temple. Those left on stage sing a brief chorus, commenting on how Orfeo has been changed by love from one "for whom sighs were food and weeping was drink" to a state of sublime happiness.
Act 2
Orfeo returns with the main chorus, and sings with them of the beauties of nature. Orfeo then muses on his former unhappiness, but proclaims: "After grief one is more content, after pain one is happier". The mood of contentment is abruptly ended when La messaggera enters, bringing the news that, while gathering flowers, Euridice has received a fatal snakebite. The chorus expresses its anguish: "Ah, bitter happening, ah, impious and cruel fate!", while the Messaggera castigates herself as the bearing of bad tidings ("For ever I will flee, and in a lonely cavern lead a life in keeping with my sorrow"). Orfeo, after venting his grief and incredulity ("Thou art dead, my life, and I am breathing?"), declares his intention of descending to the Underworld and persuading its ruler to allow Euridice to return to life. Otherwise "I shall remain with thee in the company of death". He departs, and the chorus resumes its lament.
Act 3
Orfeo is guided by Speranza to the gates of Hades. Having pointed out the words inscribed on the gate ("Abandon hope, all ye who enter here"),[n 4] Speranza leaves. Orfeo is now confronted with the ferryman Caronte, who addresses Orfeo harshly and refuses to take him across the River Styx. Orfeo attempts to persuade Caronte by singing a flattering song to him ("Mighty spirit and powerful divinity"), but the ferryman is unmoved. However, when Orfeo takes up his lyre and plays, Caronte is soothed into sleep. Seizing his chance, Orfeo steals the ferryman's boat and crosses the river, to enter the Underworld while a chorus of spirits reflects that nature cannot defend herself against man: "He has tamed the sea with fragile wood, and disdained the rage of the winds."
Act 4
In the Underworld Proserpina, Queen of Hades, who has been deeply affected by Orfeo's singing, petitions King Plutone, her husband, for Euridice's release. Moved by her pleas, Plutone agrees subject to the condition that, as he leads Euridice towards the world, Orfeo must not look back. If he does, "a single glance will condemn him to eternal loss". Orfeo enters, leading Euridice and singing confidently that on that day he will rest on his wife's white bosom. But as he sings a note of doubt creeps in: "Who will assure me that she is following?". Perhaps Plutone, driven by envy, has imposed the condition through spite? Suddenly distracted by an off-stage commotion, Orfeo looks round; immediately, the image of Euridice begins to fade. She sings, despairingly: "Losest thou me through too much love?" and disappears. Orfeo attempts to follow her but is drawn away by an unseen force. The chorus of spirits sings that Orfeo, having overcome Hades, was in turn overcome by his passions.
Act 5
Back in the fields of Thrace Orfeo, in a long soliloquy, laments his loss, praises Euridice's beauty and resolves that his heart will never again be pierced by Cupid's arrow. An off-stage echo repeats his final phrases. Suddenly, in a cloud, Apollo descends from the heavens and chastises him: "Why dost thou give thyself up as prey to rage and grief?" He invites Orfeo to leave the world and join him in the heavens, where he will recognise Euridice's likeness in the stars. Orfeo replies that it would be unworthy not to follow the counsel of such a wise father, and together they ascend. A shepherds' chorus concludes that "he who sows in suffering shall reap the fruit of every grace", before the opera ends with a vigorous moresca.
[edit] Original libretto endingIn Striggio's 1607 libretto, Orfeo's Act 5 soliloquy is interrupted, not by Apollo's appearance but by a chorus of maenads or Bacchantes—wild, drunken women—who sing of the "divine fury" of their master, the god Bacchus. The cause of their wrath is Orfeo and his renunciation of women; he will not escape their heavenly anger, and the longer he evades them the more severe his fate will be. Orfeo leaves the scene and his destiny is left uncertain, for the Bacchantes devote themselves for the rest of the opera to wild singing and dancing in praise of Bacchus.[37] Early music authority Claude Palisca believes that the two endings are not incompatible; Orfeo evades from the fury of the Bacchantes and is then rescued by Apollo.[38]
[edit] Reception and performance history[edit] Premiere and early performances
The Ducal Palace at Mantua, where L'Orfeo was premiered in 1607The date for the first performance of L'Orfeo, 24 February 1607, is evidenced by two letters, both dated 23 February. In the first, Francesco Gonzaga informs his brother that the "musical play" will be performed tomorrow; it is clear from earlier correspondence that this refers to L'Orfeo. The second letter is from a Gonzaga court official, Carlo Magno, and gives more details: "Tomorrow evening the Most Serene Lord the Prince is to sponsor a [play] in a room in the apartments which the Most Serene Lady had the use of ...it should be most unusual, as all the actors are to sing their parts."[12] The "Serene Lady" is Duke Vincenzo's widowed sister Margherita Gonzaga d'Este, who lived within the ducal palace. The room of the premiere cannot be identified with certainty; according to Ringer, it may have been the Galleria dei Fiumi, which has the dimensions to accommodate a stage and orchestra with space for a small audience.[39]
There is no detailed account of the premiere, although Francesco wrote on 1 March that the work had "been to the great satisfaction of all who heard it", and had particularly pleased the Duke.[12] The Mantuan court theologian and poet, Cherubino Ferrari wrote that: "Both poet and musician have depicted the inclinations of the heart so skilfully that it could not have been done better ... The music, observing due propriety, serves the poetry so well that nothing more beautiful is to be heard anywhere".[12] After the premiere Duke Vincenzo ordered a second performance for 1 March; a third performance was planned to coincide with a proposed state visit to Mantua by the Duke of Savoy. Francesco wrote to the Duke of Tuscany on 8 March, asking if he could retain the services of the castrato Magli for a little longer.[12] However, the visit was cancelled, as was the celebratory performance.[40]
There are suggestions that in the years following the premiere, L'Orfeo may have been staged in Florence, Cremona, Milan and Turin,[34] though firmer evidence suggests that the work attracted limited interest beyond the Mantuan court.[40] Francesco may have mounted a production in Casale Monferrato, where he was governor, for the 1609–10 Carnival, and there are indications that the work was performed on several occasions in Salzburg between 1614 and 1619, under the direction of Francesco Rasi.[41] Years later, during the first flourish of Venetian opera in 1637–43, Monteverdi chose to revive his second opera, L'Arianna there, but not L'Orfeo.[40] There is some evidence of performances shortly after Monteverdi's death: in Geneva in 1643,[34] and in Paris, at the Louvre, in 1647.[42][n 5] Although according to Carter the work was still admired across Italy in the 1650s,[34][41] it was subsequently forgotten, as largely was Monteverdi, until the revival of interest in his works in the late 19th century.[34][43]
[edit] 20th-century revivals
Vincent d'Indy, who oversaw the first 20th-century revival of L'Orfeo in 1904After years of neglect, Monteverdi's music began to attract the interest of pioneer music historians in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and from the second quarter of the 19th century onwards he is discussed increasingly in scholarly works.[41] In 1881 a truncated version of the L'Orfeo score, intended for study rather than performance, was published in Berlin by Robert Eitner.[44] In 1904 the composer Vincent d'Indy produced an edition in French, which comprised only Act 2, a shortened Act 3 and Act 4. This edition was the basis of the first public performance of the work in two-and-a-half centuries, a concert performance at d'Indy's Schola Cantorum on 25 February 1904.[45][46] The distinguished writer Romain Rolland, who was present, commended d'Indy for bringing the opera to life and returning it "to the beauty it once had, freeing it from the clumsy restorations which have disfigured it"—presumably a reference to Eitner's edition.[47][48] The d'Indy edition was also the basis of the first modern staged performance of the work, at the Théâtre Réjane, Paris, on 2 May 1911.[43]
An edition of the score by the minor Italian composer Giovanni Orefice received several concert performances in Italy and elsewhere before and after the First World War. This edition was the basis of the opera's United States debut, another concert performance at the New York Met in April 1912. The opera was introduced to London, in d'Indy's edition, when it was sung to piano accompaniment at the Institut Français on 8 March 1924.[49] The first British staged performance, with only small cuts, was given by the Oxford University Operatic Society on 7 December 1925, using an edition prepared for the event by Jack Westrup. In the London Saturday Review, music critic Dyneley Hussey called the occasion "one of the most important events of recent years"; the production had "indicated at once Monteverdi's claim to rank among the great geniuses who have written dramatic music".[50] Westrup's edition was revived in London at the Scala Theatre in December 1929, the same year in which the opera received its first US staged performance, at Smith College, Northampton, MA.[43] The three Scala performances resulted in a financial disaster, and the opera was not seen again in Britain for 35 years.[51]
Among a flurry of revivals after 1945 was Paul Hindemith's edition, a full period reconstruction of the work prepared in 1943, which was staged and recorded at the Vienna Festival in 1954. This performance had a great impact on the young Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and was hailed as a masterpiece of scholarship and integrity.[52] The first staged New York performance, by the New York City Opera under Leopold Stokowski on 29 September 1960, saw the American operatic debut of Gérard Souzay, one of several baritones who have sung the role of Orfeo. The theatre was criticised by New York Times critic Harold C. Schonberg because, to accommodate a performance of Luigi Dallapiccola's contemporary opera Il prigioniero, about a third of L'Orfeo was cut. Schonberg wrote: "Even the biggest aria in the opera, "Possente spirito", has a good-sized slash in the middle ... [L'Orfeo] is long enough, and important enough, not to mention beautiful enough, to have been the entire evening's opera."[53]
By the latter part of the 20th century the opera was being shown all over the world. In 1965, Sadler's Wells, forerunner of English National Opera (ENO), staged the first of many ENO presentations which would continue into the 21st century.[43] Among various celebrations marking the opera's 400th anniversary in 2007 were a semi-staged performance at the Teatro Bibiena in Mantua,[54] a full-scale production by the English Bach Festival (EBF) at the Whitehall Banqueting House in London on 7 February,[55] and an unconventional production by Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York, conducted by Antony Walker and directed by Christopher Alden.[56] On 6 May 2010 the BBC broadcast a performance of the opera from La Scala, Milan.[57] Despite the reluctance of some major opera houses to stage L'Orfeo,[n 6] it is a popular work with the leading Baroque ensembles. During the period 2008–10 the French-based Les Arts Florissants, under its director William Christie, has presented the Monteverdi trilogy of operas (L'Orfeo, Il ritorno d'Ulisse and L'incoronazione di Poppea) in a series of performances at the Teatro Real in Madrid.[60]
[edit] MusicFurther information: List of musical items in Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo
A page from the 1609 score of L'OrfeoL'Orfeo is, in Redlich's analysis, the product of two musical epochs. It combines elements of the traditional madrigal style of the 16th century with those of the emerging Florentine mode, in particular the use of recitative and monodic singing as developed by the Camerata and their successors.[61] In this new style, the text dominates the music; while sinfonias and instrumental ritornelli illustrate the action, the audience's attention is always drawn primarily to the words. The singers are required to do more than produce pleasant vocal sounds; they must represent their characters in depth and convey appropriate emotions.[62]
Monterverdi's recitative style was influenced by Peri's, in Euridice, although in L'Orfeo recitative is less preponderant than was usual in dramatic music at this time. It accounts for less than a quarter of the first act's music, around a third of the second and third acts, and a little under half in the final two acts.[63]
The importance of L'Orfeo is not that it was the first work of its kind, but that it was the first attempt to apply the full resources of the art of music, as then evolved, to the nascent genre of opera.[64] In particular, Monteverdi made daring innovations in the use of polyphony, of which Palestrina had been the principal exponent. In L'Orfeo, Monteverdi extends the rules, beyond the conventions which polyphonic composers, faithful to Palestrina, had previously considered as sacrosanct.[65] Monteverdi was not in the generally understood sense an orchestrator;[66] Ringer finds that it is the element of instrumental improvisation that makes each performance of a Monteverdi opera a "unique experience, and separates his work from the later operatic canon."[62]
"Toccata" from L'Orfeo
Live recording
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The opera begins with a martial-sounding toccata for trumpets which is repeated twice. When played on period wind instruments the sound can be startling to modern audiences; Redlich calls it "shattering".[67] Such flourishes were the standard signal for the commencement of performances at the Mantuan court; the opening chorus of Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers, also composed for Gonzaga's court, employs the same fanfare.[62] The toccata acted as a salute to the Duke; according to Donington, if it had not been written, precedent would have required it to be improvised.[20] As the brass sound of the toccata fades, it is replaced by the gentler tone of the strings ritornello which introduces La musica's prologue. The ritornello is repeated in shortened form between each of the prologue's five verses, and in full after the final verse. Its function within the opera as a whole is to represents the "power of music";[34] as such it is heard at the end of Act 2, and again the beginning of Act 5, one of the earliest examples of an operatic leitmotiv.[68]
After the Prologue, Act 1 follows in the form of a pastoral idyll. Two choruses, one solemn and one jovial are repeated in reverse order around the central love-song "Rosa del ciel" ("Rose of the heavens"), followed by the shepherds' songs of praise. The buoyant mood continues into Act 2, with song and dance music influenced, according to Harnoncourt, by Monteverdi's experience of French music.[69] The sudden entrance of La messaggera with the doleful news of Euridice's death, and the confusion and grief which follow, are musically reflected by harsh dissonances and the juxtaposition of keys.[34][69] The music remains in this vein until the act ends with La musica's ritornello, a hint that the "power of music" may yet bring about a triumph over death.[70] Monteverdi's instructions as the act concludes are that the violins, the organ and harpsichord become silent and that the music is taken up by the trombones, the cornetts and the regal, as the scene changes to the Underworld.[69]
The centrepiece of Act 3, perhaps of the entire opera, is Orfeo's extended aria "Possente spirto e formidabil nume" ("Mighty spirit and powerful divinity"), by which he attempts to persuade Caronte to allow him to enter Hades. Monteverdi's vocal embellishments and virtuoso accompaniment provide what Carter describes as "one of the most compelling visual and aural representations" in early opera.[71] Instrumental colour is provided by a chitarrone, a pipe-organ, two violins, two cornetts and a double-harp. This array, according to music historian and analyst John Whenham, is intended to suggest that Orfeo is harnessing all the available forces of music to support his plea.[72] In Act 4 the impersonal coldness of the Underworld is broken by the warmth of Proserpina's singing on behalf of Orfeo, a warmth that is retained until the dramatic moment at which Orfeo "looks back". The cold sounds of the sinfonia from the beginning of Act 3 then remind us that the Underworld is, after all, entirely devoid of human feeling.[69] The brief final act, which sees Orfeo's rescue and metamorphosis, is framed by the final appearance of La musica's ritornello and the lively moresca that ends the opera. This dance, says Ringer, recalls the jigs danced at the end of Shakespeare's tragedies, and provides a means of bringing the audience back to their everyday world, "just as the toccata had led them into another realm some two hours before. The toccata and the moresca unite courtly reality with operatic illusion."[73]
[edit] Recording historyFor the complete discography, see L'Orfeo discography
The first recording of L'Orfeo was issued in 1939, a freely adapted version of Monteverdi's music by Giacomo Benvenuti,[74] given by the orchestra of La Scala Milan conducted by Ferrucio Calusio.[75][76] In 1949, for the recording of the complete opera by the Berlin Radio Orchestra under Helmut Koch, the new medium of long-playing records (LPs) was used. The advent of LP recordings was, as Harold Schonberg later wrote, an important factor in the postwar revival of interest in Renaissance and Baroque music,[77] and from the mid-1950s recordings of L'Orfeo have been issued on many labels. The 1969 recording by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Vienna Concentus Musicus, using Harnoncourt's edition based on period instruments, was praised for "making Monteverdi's music sound something like the way he imagined".[78] In 1981 Siegfried Heinrich, with the Early Music Studio of the Hesse Chamber Orchestra, recorded a version which re-created the original Striggio libretto ending, adding music from Monteverdi's 1616 ballet Tirsi e Clori for the Bacchante scenes.[79][80] Among more recent recordings, that of Emmanuelle Haim in 2004 has been praised for its dramatic effect.[81]
[edit] EditionsAfter the publication of the L'Orfeo score in 1609, the same publisher (Ricciardo Amadino of Venice) brought it out again in 1615. Facsimiles of these editions were printed in 1927 and 1972 respectively.[43] Since Eitner's first "modern" edition of L'Orfeo in 1884, and d'Indy's performing edition 20 years later—both of which were abridged and adapted versions of the 1609 score—there have been many attempts to edit and present the work, not all of them published. Most of the editions that followed d'Indy up to the time of the Second World War were arrangements, usually heavily truncated, that provided a basis for performances in the modern opera idiom. Many of these were the work of composers, including Carl Orff (1923 and1939) and Ottorino Respighi in 1935.[34] Orff's 1923 score, using a German text, included some period instrumentation, an experiment he abandoned when producing his later version.[82]
In the post-war period, editions have moved increasingly to reflect the performance conventions of Monteverdi's day. This tendency was initiated by two earlier editions, that of Jack Westrup used in the 1925 Oxford performances,[83] and Gian Francesco Malipiero's 1930 complete edition which sticks closely to Monteverdi's 1609 original.[83] After the war, Hindemith's attempted period reconstruction of the work[52] was followed in 1955 by an edition from August Wenzinger that remained in use for many years.[84] The next 30 years saw numerous editions, mostly prepared by scholar-performers rather than by composers, generally aiming towards authenticity if not always the complete re-creation of the original instrumentation. These included versions by Raymond Leppard (1965), Denis Stevens (1967), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1969), Jane Glover (1975), Roger Norrington (1976) and John Eliot Gardiner.[34][85] Only the composers Valentino Bucchi (1967), Bruno Maderna (1967) and Luciano Berio (1984) produced editions based on the convention of a large modern orchestra.[83] In the 21st century editions continue to be produced, often for use in conjunction with a particular performance or recording.[34][43]
[edit] Notes and referencesNotes
^ The Florentine Camerata, led by Giovanni de' Bardi, was a group of scholars and musicians dedicated to the revival of Ancient Greek-style theatre, mainly active in the 1570s and 1580s. Later groups with similar aims are also loosely referred to as "Camerata".[4]
^ Monteverdi's 1609 score does not specify voice parts, but indicates the required ranges by clef.[33] In the early productions the principal "high voice" parts were sung by castrati. Modern productions have generally allocated the parts to soprano, alto, tenor and bass singers. See Carter (2002), pp. 91–97, Glover, pp. 146–48.
^ English translations quoted in the synopsis are from the version accompanying Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 1969 recording.[35]
^ The pun (Speranza means "hope") in this quotation from Inferno by Dante Alighieri can be considered, according to John Whenham, as a "learned witticism" on Striggio's part.[36]
^ There may also have been a revival in Paris in 1832.[42]
^ For example, as of 2010 the opera remains unstaged at New York Met, the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne.[58][59]
References
^ Carter, Tim (2007). "Monteverdi, Claudio: Cremona". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 4 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ a b c Fenlon, Iain, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 5–7
^ Carter, Tim (2007). "Monteverdi, Claudio: Mantua". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 4 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ Ringer, pp. 12–13
^ a b c Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 1–4
^ a b Sternfeld, p. 26
^ Ringer, pp. 30–31
^ Ringer, p. 16
^ Carter (2002), p. 38
^ a b c Hanning, Barbara (2007). "Striggio, Alessandro (Alessandrino)". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 5 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (1) below
^ Carter (2002), p. 48
^ a b c d e Fenlon, "Correspondence" pp. 167–72
^ Sternfeld, pp. 20–25
^ a b Sternfeld, pp. 27–30
^ Tomlinson, Gary (1981). "Madrigal, Monody, and Monteverdi's "via actuale alla imitatione"". Journal of the American Musicological Society 34 (1). http://www.jstor.org/pss/831035. Retrieved 11 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ a b Ringer, pp. 39–40
^ Pirrotta, pp. 258–59
^ Carter (2002), pp. 143–44
^ a b c Harnoncourt, p. 19
^ a b Donington, p. 257
^ Robinson, p. 61
^ a b c Harnoncourt, p. 20
^ Whenham (1986), pp. 42–47
^ a b c Glover, pp. 139–41
^ Glover, p. 142
^ Beat, pp. 277–78
^ Beat, pp. 280–81
^ Harnoncourt, p. 21
^ Glover, pp. 146–48
^ Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 11–15
^ Redlich, p. 15
^ a b Carter (2002), pp. 97–98
^ Zanette, Damian H. (February 2007). "Notes to the transcription of the 1609 Venetian score of L'Orfeo". Icking Musical Archive. http://icking-music-archive.org/scores/download.php?file=monteverdi/orfeo/notas.pdf. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Whenham, John (2007). "Orfeo (i)". In Macy, Laura (ed.). Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/. Retrieved 12 September 2010. (subscription required) See note (2) below
^ Harnoncourt, pp. 73–96
^ Whenham (1986), p. 66
^ Whenham (1986), pp. 35–40
^ Palisca, p. 39
^ Ringer, p. 36
^ a b c Fenlon, "The Mantuan Orfeo" pp. 17–19
^ a b c Carter (2002), pp. 3–5
^ a b "Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia". Amadeusonline. http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=&Mese=&Anno=&Giornata=&Testo=L%27Orfeo&Parola=Stringa. Retrieved 26 October 2009. (Italian)
^ a b c d e f Fortune and Whenham, "Modern editions and performances" pp. 173–181
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 80–81
^ Carter (2002), p. 6
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 84
^ Rolland, pp. 124–25
^ Whenham (1986), p. 196
^ Howes, Frank (1 June 1924). "Notes on Monteverdi's Orfeo". The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org/pss/913262. Retrieved 16 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Hussey, Dyneley (19 December 1925). "Monteverdi at Oxford". The Saturday Review (London): p. 735. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/scribe/Oxford-1925.pdf. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 104
^ a b Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 105
^ Schonberg, Harold C. (30 September 1960). "2 Works Sung as City Opera Starts Year". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30811FE3C551A7A93C2AA1782D85F448685F9&scp=13&sq=Monteverdi+Orfeo&st=p. Retrieved 14 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Riding, Alan (2007). "400 years on, Opera Looks to the Next Act". Michigan Radio. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/.artsmain/article/12/1083/1045382/400.Years.on..Opera.Looks.to.the.Next.Act./. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Pettit, Stephen (22 March 2007). "The Power of Orfeo". Prospect (132). http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2007/03/thepoweroforfeo/. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Tomassini, Anthony (7 August 2007). "Four Trips to Hell and Back at the Opera". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/arts/music/07glim.htm. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
^ "Monteverdi's Orfeo". British Broadcasting Corporation, Radio 3. 6 May 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s7dkc. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Operas performed 1934–2010". Glyndebourne Festival Opera. http://www.glyndebourne.com/archive/productions/glyndebourne_festival_operas_performed/. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Royal Opera House Collections". The Royal Opera House. http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/SearchResults.aspx?searchtype=workprodperf&title=L%27Orfeo. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ "Les Arts Florissants". Barbican.org. http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?id=8520&pg=1729. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
^ Redlich, p. 99
^ a b c Ringer, pp. 27–28
^ Palisca, pp. 40–42
^ Grout, pp. 53–55
^ Hull, Robert H. (15 September 1929). "The Development of Harmony". The School Music Review: pp. 111. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/scribe/Monteverdi-Development-of-harmony.pdf. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
^ Westrup, Jack (1940). "Monteverdi and the Orchestra". The Musical Times 21 (3). http://ml.oxfordjournals.org/content/XXI/3/230.extract. Retrieved 17 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Redlich, p. 97
^ Grout, p. 56
^ a b c d Harnoncourt, pp. 24–25
^ Ringer, pp. 63–64
^ Carter, Tim (1993). "Possento spirto: on taming the power of music". Early Music 21 (4). http://em.oxfordjournals.org/content/XXI/4/517.extract. Retrieved 17 September 2010. (subscription required)
^ Whenham (1986), p. 68
^ Ringer, p. 89
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 93
^ "Continental Record Issues". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). June 1944. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/June%201944/17/857239/HIS+MASTERS+VOICE. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ "Monteverdi – L'Orfeo – Milan 1939 – Calusio". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monteverdi-LOrfeo-Milan-1939-Calusio/dp/B0003021NG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1284584924&sr=1-1. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 109
^ Arnold, Denis (March 1970). "Monteverdi: L'Orfeo complete". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%201970/80/780424/MONTEVERDI.+LOrfeo%E2%80%94complete.. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ Arnold, Denis (March 1982). "Monteverdi: L'Orfeo". Gramophone (London: Haymarket). http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%201982/89/763364/MONTEVERDI.+LORFEO.+Joachim+Seipp+%28ten%29+Orfeo+Melinda+Liebermann+%28sop%29+Euridice+Rosemarie+Biihler+%28sop%29+Music%2C+Hope+Rochelle+Travis+%28sop%29+Nymph%2C+Proserpina+Heide+BlankeRoeser+%28sop%29+Messenger+Uwe+Bliesch+%28bass%29+Charon+Cornelius+Hauptmann+%28bass%29+Pluto+Erwin+Speen+%28ten%29+Apollo%2C+Echo%2C+Shepherd%2C+Spirit+Axel+Reichardt%2C+David+Adams+%28tens%29+Shepherds%2C+Spirits+Frankfurt+Madrigal+Ensemble+Bad+Hersfeld+Festival+1980+Choir+and+Orchestra+Early+Music+Studio+of+the+Hesse+Chamber+Orchestra++Siegfried+Heinrich.+Jubilate+JU858102+%28three+records%2C+nas%2C+%C2%A314.50%29.+German+notes%2C+text+and+translation+included.. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ Whenham (1986), p. 204
^ Ringer, p. 311
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 90–91
^ a b c Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 96–102
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" p. 107
^ Fortune, "The rediscovery of Orfeo" pp. 110–18
(1) A printed version of this source is available in Sadie, Stanley, and Tyrrell, John (eds) (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Second edition). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 1-56159-239-0.
(2) A printed version of this source is available in Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (2004). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2.
[edit] SourcesBeat, Janet E. (1968). "Monteverdi and the Opera Orchestra of his Time" in Arnold, Denis and Fortune, Nigel (eds): The Monteverdi Companion. London: Faber and Faber.
Carter, Tim (2002). Monteverdi's Musical Theatre. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09676-3.
Donington, Robert (1968). "Monteverdi's First Opera" in Arnold, Denis and Fortune, Nigel (eds): The Monteverdi Companion. London: Faber and Faber.
Fenlon, Ian (1986). "The Mantuan Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fenlon, Ian (1986). "Correspondence relating to the early Mantuan performances" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fortune, Nigel (1986). "The rediscovery of Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Fortune, Nigel; Whenham, John (1986). "Modern editions and performances" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Glover, Jane (1986). "Solving the musical problem" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Grout, Donald Jay (1971). A Short History of Opera. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-08978-3.
Harnoncourt, Nikolaus (1969). "Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo: An Introduction" (in notes accompanying TELDEC recording 8.35020 ZA). Hamburg: Teldec Schallplatten GmbH.
Palisca, Claude V. (1981). Baroque Music. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-055947-4.
Pirrotta, Nino (1984). Music and Culture in Italy from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-59108-9.
Redlich, Hans (1952). Claudio Monteverdi: Life and Works. London: Oxford University Press.
Ringer, Mark (2006). Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi. Newark, N.J.: Amadeus Press. ISBN 1-57467-110-3.
Robinson, Michael F. (1972). Opera before Mozart. London: Hutchinson & Co. ISBN 0-09-080421-X.
Rolland, Romain; Perkins, Wendy (tr.) (1986). "A review of Vincent d'Indy's performance (Paris 1904)" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Sternfeld, F.W. (1986). "The Orpheus myth and the libretto of Orfeo" in Whenham, John (ed.): Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
Whenham, John (1986). "Five acts, one action" in Claudio Monteverdi: Orfeo. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-24148-0.
[edit] Further readingFabbri, Paolo (1994). Monteverdi. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35133-2.
Newby, Elizabeth (1987). A Portrait of the Artist: The Legends of Orpheus and Their Use in Medieval and Renaissance Aesthetics. New York: Garland. ISBN 978-0-8240-8431-8.
Neef, Sigrid (ed.) (2000). Opera: Composers, Works, Performers (English edition). Cologne: Könemann. ISBN 3-8290-3571-3.
Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (2004). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera. London: Flame Tree Publishing. ISBN 1-84451-026-3.
[edit] External linksL'Orfeo libretto in English translation
"Ars Polemica: Monteverdi’s Orfeo as artistic creed" by Uri Golomb, Goldberg: Early Music Magazine 45 (April 2007): 44–57
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Orfeo"
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