Atalanta (Handel)

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Work data
Original title: Atalanta
Title page of the libretto, London 1736

Title page of the libretto, London 1736

Shape: Opera seria
Original language: Italian
Music: georg Friedrich Handel
Libretto : unknown
Literary source: Belisario Valeriani , La Caccia in Etolia (1715)
Premiere: May 12, 1736
Place of premiere: Theater Royal, Covent Garden , London
Playing time: 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: Aetolia , in mythical times
people
  • Atalanta , Princess of Arcadia under the name "Amarilli", lover of Meleagro ( soprano )
  • Meleagro , King of Aetolia under the pseudonym "Tirsi", lover of Atalanta (soprano)
  • Irene, a shepherd girl, mistress Amintas ( old )
  • Aminta, a shepherd, lover of Irenes ( tenor )
  • Nicandro, Irene's father and Meleager's confidante ( bass )
  • Mercurio (bass)
  • Hunters, shepherds, rural folk

Atalanta ( HWV 35) is an opera ( Dramma per musica ) in three acts by Georg Friedrich Händel and was written in the penultimate season when Handel was the opera director of the Covent Garden Theater .

Emergence

From the previous opera seasons from 1734 to 1736 Handel had lost an estimated £ 9,000. The disputes and hostility in aristocratic circles, which continued into the British royal family, and the bitter competition with the rival “ Opera of the Nobility ” for the composer Nicola Porpora had grueling power. The king himself was already tired of the quarrels. In mid-May 1736 Benjamin Victor wrote to the violinist Matthew Dubourg in Dublin :

“[…] As to the operas, they must tumble, for the King's presence could hardly hold them up, and even that prop is denied them, for his majesty will not admit his royal ears to be tickled this season. As to music, it flourishes in this place more than ever, in subscription concerts and private parties which must prejudice all operas and public entertainments. "

“[…] As for the operas, they must go under, for the presence of the king alone could hardly keep them going; and even this support will be denied her in the next season, for it is not the intention of His Majesty to let his royal ear tickle this year as well. As far as music is concerned, however, it is thriving here better than ever, at subscription concerts and private invitations, which must adversely affect all operas and public events. "

- Benjamin Victor : Letter to Matthew Dubourg , May 1736

Public disinterest in opera continued to grow, but Handel was the last to want pity. He did not worry about the troubled opera until he returned to it for strategic reasons, and the baths in Tunbridge Wells were obviously beneficial to his health, according to a side note he scribbled at the time:

"12 Gallons Port, 12 Bottles French, Duke Street, Meels"

"12 gallons of port, 12 bottles of French [red], Duke Street, Meels"

- Georg Friedrich Handel : Notes, London 1735

After a performance of Francesco Maria Veracini's opera Adriano in Siria , Lord Hervey describes, depressed , how the tragedy over the Italian opera in London continued at the beginning of the new season:

“I am this moment returned with the King from yawning four hours at the longest and dullest Opera that ever the enobled ignorance of our present musical Governors ever inflicted on the ignorance of an English audience; who, generally speaking, are equally skilful in the language of the drama and the music it is set to, a degree of knowledge or ignorance (call it which you please) that on this occasion is no great misfortune to them, the drama being composed by an anonymous fool, and the music by one Veracini, a madman, who to show his consummate skill in this Opera has, among half a dozen very bad parts, given Cuzzoni and Farinelli the two worst. The least bad part is Senesino's, who like Echo reversed, has lost all his voice, and retains nothing of his former self but his flesh. [...] Handel sat in great eminence and great pride in the middle of the pit, and seemed in silent triumph to insult this poor dying Opera in its agonies, without finding out that he was as great a fool for refusing to compose, as Veracini had shown himself by composing, nobody feeling their own folly, though they never overlook other people's, and having the eyes of a mole for the one, with those of a lynx for the other. "

“I have just returned with the king from a four-hour yawn at an opera; the longest and most boring that the ennobled ignorance of our present musical leadership has ever forced upon the ignorance of an English audience; who is generally just as familiar with the language of the drama as with the music with which it is underlaid, a degree of knowledge or ignorance (call it what one will) which in this case is not very unfortunate, for the libretto is written by an unknown fool, the music by a certain Veracini, a madman who tries to prove his perfect ability by giving the worst two of a half dozen very bad roles to Cuzzoni and Farinelli . The least bad role is played by Senesino , who has completely lost his voice in a reversal of the story of the nymph Echo and is only himself still in the flesh. […] Handel sat lofty and very proud in the center of the auditorium and seemed to revile this poor, dying opera in its agony in silent dignity, without realizing that he is just as great a fool for refusing to compose how Veracini is a fool for composing. Neither of them recognizes his own folly, but neither overlooks the folly of the other; they see one with the eyes of a mole, the other with the eyes of a lynx. "

- John Hervey : Letter to Charlotte Digby, St. James's, November 25, 1735

The economic failure and the increasing disregard of his operas caused Handel to consider other avenues and to wait for an opportunity to take one. At the same time he observed the opera company, the aristocratic opera, which was also struggling with difficulties. For now he was planning a break from the opera:

“Mr. Handel goes to spend the Summer in Germany, but comes back against Winter, and is to have Concerts of Musick next Season, but no Opera's. "

“Handel will spend the summer in Germany, but return for winter. And he will offer concerts in the next season, but not operas. "

- The General Evening Post , London, May 20, 1735

(Handel did not go to Germany that summer, but only went to Aachen for a cure in 1737 ).

In the new season, Handel first performed a successful series of oratorios : On February 19, 1736, the world premiere of his oratorio, entitled The Alexander's Feast , took place in Covent Garden. This was followed by resumption of Acis and Galatea and Esther . These performances lasted until April 14th and, as far as the operas were concerned, he waited for now. As his biographer, Friedrich Chrysander , pointed out somewhat grandly but aptly:

“Stripped of external means, he could no more keep a fixed direction in his walk through public life than the boatman in stormy seas: he had to let the waves guide him and try to reach the coast which was first before his eyes showed up, even at the risk of getting stranded on her. "

- Friedrich Chrysander : GF Handel , Leipzig 1860

The expected bank also appeared in the form of a rare and festive event: the marriage of the eldest son of King George II , the heir to the throne Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover, with Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg on April 27, 1736. Handel, the He was a really skilled theater entrepreneur, but rarely proved to be a skilled diplomat, and this time did not miss the opportunity. Although the satisfaction of courtly protocol claims was much more a matter of the “aristocratic opera”, who were closer to the court and active in the King's Theater at Haymarket, Handel wrote not only a wedding anthem ( Sing unto God , HWV 263) for the wedding ceremony, but also an opera: Atalanta .

Frederick, Prince of Wales, playing the cello with his sisters, Philippe Mercier , 1733

In a wedding opera, he saw the opportunity to secure the favor of the only remaining princely patron. That wasn't an unreasonable tactic, given the prince encouraged both parties. He was receptive to the fine arts, played the cello himself and basically he only wanted to oppose his father by taking part in the “aristocratic opera”. The Earl of Egmont noted in his diary how much the princely bride and groom were interested in Handel's music:

“She landed on Sunday at Greenwich. [...] On Monday he went again to her, and they passed the evening on the water with music. […] The chapel was finely adorned with tapestry, velvet, and gold lace […] Over the altar was placed the organ, and a gallery made for the musicians. An anthem composed by Hendel for the occasion was wretchedly sung by Abbot, Gates, Lee, Bird and a boy. "

“She [Augusta von Sachsen-Gotha] reached on Sunday [25. April] Greenwich. […] On Monday he [the prince] went to her again and they spent the evening on the water with music. [...] The chapel was elegantly decorated with tapestries, velvet and gold braid [...] The organ was placed above the altar and a gallery set up for the musicians. An anthem composed by Handel especially for the occasion was miserably sung by [John] Abbot, [Bernard] Gates, [George] Lee, [John] Beard and a boy [probably William Savage ]. "

- John Perceval : Diary, London, April 27, 1736

At the “Evening on the Water” one of Handel's water music suites was very likely to be heard. There was a huge crowd at the wedding ceremony the next day.

The opera Atalanta was finished on April 22nd after three weeks of composing work. As usual, Handel had dated the respective file: “Fine dell Atto 1 | April 9. 1736. " - " Fine dell Atto 2do | April 14th 1736. " - " Fine dell 'Opera. GFH April 22nd 1736. “ The first performance originally planned for May 5th was delayed by a week because the work on the magnificent scenery of the production was not finished in time, so Handel opened the season without further ado with a resumption of Ariodante .

Then - on May 12, 1736 - the time had come: the world premiere of Atalanta in honor of the royal wedding at the Covent Garden Theater .

Cast of the premiere

The opera Atalanta is a pastorale, a piece almost like a masquerade designed to flatter the Prince of Wales. The performance shone with elaborate backdrops and machinery:

“We hear Mr. Handel has compos'd a new Opera […] and as the Wedding was solemnized sooner than was expected, great Numbers of Artificers, as Carpenters, Painters Engineers. & c. are employed to forward the same, in order to bring it on the Stage with the utmost Expedition, and that several Voices being sent for from Italy, for that purpose, are lately arrived, who as we are informed, will make their first Appearance, in the Opera of Ariodante. "

“As we learn, Handel wrote a new opera […] and since the wedding was celebrated earlier than expected, a large number of craftsmen such as carpenters, painters, engineers etc. are busy preparing it so that it will be as soon as possible on stage, and we learned that some singers requested from Italy have recently arrived who, as we have been told, will appear for the first time in the opera Ariodante. "

- The London Daily Post , London, April 29, 1736

Handel's new star was Gizziello , a soprano, and the poet Thomas Gray reported from London to Horace Walpole in Cambridge about the events:

“It was hardly worth while to trouble you with a letter till I had seen somewhat in town; not that I have seen anything now but what you have heard of before, that is, Atalanta. There are only four men and two women in it. The first is a common scene of a wood, and does not change at all till the end of the last act, when there appears the Temple of Hymen with illuminations; there is a row of blue fires burning in order along the ascent to the temple; a fountain of fire spouts up out of the ground to the ceiling, and two more cross each other obliquely from the sides of the stage; on the top is a wheel that whirls always about, and throws out a shower of gold-color, silver, and blue fiery rain. Conti I like excessively in everything but his mouth which is thus, [drawing]; but this is hardly minded when Strada stands by him. "

“There was hardly any reason to bother you with a letter before I had looked around the city a little; not that I saw anything other than what you've heard of, which is Atalanta. There are only four men and two women in it. At first the action takes place in an ordinary forest setting; It remains that way until the end of the third act, but then the festively illuminated Temple of Hymen appears; a straight line of blue fires blazes along the entrance to the temple; a fountain of fire leaps up from the floor to the ceiling, and two more cross at an angle from either side of the stage; at the very top is a wheel that is constantly whirling around and spraying a rain of gold, silver and blue sparks. I like Conti in every way, except for his mouth, which looks like this: [drawing]; but you can hardly worry when the Strada is standing next to it. "

- Thomas Gray : Letter to Horace Walpole , London, June 11, 1736

Charles Burney noticed that Handel was changing his style for Conti. As an example he gave “Non sará poco” (No. 9) in the first act: in this aria, as he says,

"[...] the base and accompaniments are of a modern craft, and, except the closes and two or three of the divisions, the whole seems of the present age."

"[...] the bass and accompaniment have a modern design, and with the exception of the tight voice guidance and two or three ornaments, the whole thing sounds very contemporary."

- Charles Burney : A General History of Music , London 1789

Few of Handel's contemporaries realized how wisely he acted, adapting his style to the tastes and skills of the artist without compromising his dramatic ideals. Benjamin Victor reports from a performance of the Atalanta that

“[…] At the appearance of that great prince of harmony in the orchestra, there was so universal a clap from the audience that many were surprised. [...] As to the opera, the critics say, it is too like his former compositions, and wants variety. "

“[...] when Handel appeared in the orchestra pit, the audience broke out in such general applause that many were surprised. [...] The opera, so the critics say, resembles his earlier works too much, it lacks variety. "

- Benjamin Victor : Letter to Matthew Dubourg , May 1736

Nevertheless, the elaborate backdrops, banners and fireworks called "uncommon Delight and Satisfaction" ( "unusual joy and satisfaction") produced. In addition to the precious equipment, which also referred to the solemn occasion in the set design (especially in the final scene, which is designed in the form of an epilogue with emphatic eulogies for the high couple), the fireworks were intended as a special attraction on the open stage, with the the opera closed. This arrangement left a lasting impression on the audience, and when Handel's famous “fire music” was mentioned at this time, it concerned this end of the opera and not the later fireworks music (HWV 351, 1749).

The opera season 1735/36 was Handel's shortest ever: it lasted barely more than a month and was his last auspicious season, because the following one brought him complete material ruin and a stroke - the sign of death - and irrevocably ended his career as opera director.

After Prince Friedrich had been part of Handel's opposing party for so long (probably the almost obsessive adoration of Handel by his sister, Princess Anna , who has now been married to Holland , was another reason for this), it was by no means a matter of course that Handel would write a festive opera for his wedding. It is believed by many that the invitation could have come from the German ducal bride, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha - she continued to be one of those who supported Handel. The aristocratic opera in turn served the ducal couple with a festive serenade entitled Festa d'Imeneo - without particular success. Atalanta , by contrast, achieved great success. It was performed eight times in a row until June 9th and was repeated twice in November - at the express request of the heir apparent couple. Handel succeeded in finally winning Friedrich over for himself. The two great singers played a major role in the success: Anna Maria Strada del Pó, who sang the title role and was one of the most important personalities in Handel's career, and the castrato “Gizziello”, who was only 18 years old, whom Domenico Gizzi had trained. Up until now, Handel always worked for mezzo-sopranos or altos, such as B. Senesino composed and thus the commitment of the soprano Gizziello was a novelty in his previous work. For Gizziello Handel was the only castrato to write a high C, in the said aria “Non sarà poco” .

The special occasion and the great success motivated Handel and the music publisher John Walsh to have the printed score of the opera published and to arrange for an invitation to subscribe for the publication . 195 copies were subscribed - which was considered a success - and the score was released on June 9, the day of the opera's last spring performance. For the composer, two successful months were completed on this day - barely a year before the greatest crisis of his life.

The secret of the opera's success, its charm, which is still effective today, is probably that the versatile master, who understands colors and quantities, is capable of deep and nuanced portrayals of people and is also very susceptible to tragedy, has found exactly the right tone, the specific weight , with which such a stylized, even somewhat artificial and yet nice libretto can be put on the opera stage.

libretto

Hunt of the Meleager and the Atalante, Peter Paul Rubens , 1616/20

The libretto, which an unknown author wrote after Belisario Valeriani's La caccia in Etolia ( premiered in 1715 with music by Fortunato Chelleri in Ferrara ), is a bucolic shepherd's game: It is set in mythical Arcadia , in the circle of supposed and real shepherds and shepherds who, besides the Do not engage in any activity worth mentioning in love and hunting. (After one of his first London operas, Il Pastor fido (1712), which was later arranged twice, Handel uses a libretto of this kind for the second time.) We do not know who, if any, was the arranger of Handel's original. Since he has always been in the lead in such matters, it is quite possible that he himself modified the textbook. The changes in Atalanta consist primarily of cuts, which have little influence on the plot, but shed light on Handel's technique of how to "sharpen" the drama. Of the 24 arias in the original, 18 are found in Handel's score.

Atalanta is also not a regular opera, because its third act is transformed into a deus ex machina , in the form of the god Mercury, into an updated stage celebration, a so-called “license”, an epilogue that connects the action shown and the occasion of the The production of the performance leads to: the previous stage history is suddenly placed in quotation marks, and the challenges and the ultimate happiness of the people portrayed become an allegory , a model, a “heavenly image” of the royal marriage alliance surrounded by virtues. So Handel had found the tone for this shepherd's dream world: it is natural, cheerful and light, although he does not lack compassion for the heroes of the story. He shares her pain and grief - but her musical personality on the whole cannot be compared with a “real” Handel hero.

Handel, who was always demanding when choosing his textbooks - obviously personally determining the type of piece to be set to music - could have been tempted to show the heir to the throne, whom he wanted to see on his side, that he would also have an easy, playful libretto inspires to write such music that corresponds to the level he is used to. He absolutely succeeded in achieving this goal, although the textbook is artificial, fragmentary and sometimes even a little childish - even beyond the stylization of the genre itself - and the conflicts seem static: as they are resolved at the end of the third act they could have been solved in the first act; that the end of the second thread, Irene / Aminta, is simply missing; or to the solution that makes you smile and actually completely superfluous, that Meleagro falls asleep in angry desperation. Despite all the naivety and mistakes, the libretto has a special roundness and grace - and this is precisely what Handel recognizes and reinforces with musical means, such as the second, middle-class couple also have less grandeur than the royal one. Irene tests Aminta with cold cruelty; and when he makes her jealous, her jealousy is utterly commonplace. Aminta is burdened with minor mistakes: his loyalty is heroic, but his suicide attempt indicates weakness, his outburst in the second act is indecisive and hysterical, and he, too - if only because of the answer - is not at a loss for a little hypocrisy. And if we can believe Irene, she's not far from a little usufruct. In general: While the unhappiness of the Atalanta / Meleagro couple is entirely the result of external reasons (mutual non-recognition and social conventions), the Irene / Aminta couple is themselves to be blamed for their afflictions. The royal couple can have all the less negative qualities since they correspond to the “earthly” heir to the throne couple. (Only Meleagro becomes less sympathetic for a moment when he takes advantage of Irene because he thinks she is in love with him.)

After ten performances in 1736 under Handel's direction, Atalanta was only performed again on July 17, 1970 in Hintlesham (Suffolk). This Kent Opera's open-air production in English (text version: Laura Sarti and Norman Platt) was directed by Roger Norrington . The first re-performance of the piece in the original language and historical performance was seen in Szombathely (Steinamanger) on August 13, 1984 with the Capella Savaria under the direction of Nicholas McGegan .

music

The music of the Atalanta , although it is an occasional piece, is by no means only casual. Handel carefully distinguishes between the aria texts, the validity of which does not extend beyond the given situation, and between those in which the respective protagonist can authentically and convincingly convey a type of person or a fundamental feeling, a passion, to us at the given moment. He composes these arias with the greatest invention, with the greatest artistic power; in the rest, in contrast, the conventional means are given more space. Apart from the two duets, all four main actors of the opera get one or two such “key arias”. Besides the great lamentation aria of the title heroine Atalanta in the second act “Lassa! Ch'io t'ho perduta ” (No. 11) is also very powerful in her hopeful aria “ Bench'io non sappia ancor ” (No. 19), which opens the third act . Meleager's aria “Non sará poco” in the first act is also hopeful, but has a completely different character . Aminta's fighting aria “Di 'ad Irene, tiranna” (No. 15), Irene's aria of coldness , should also be emphasized “Soffri in pace il tuo dolore” (No. 14) and her jealous aria “Ben'io sento l'ingrato” (No. 21).

The two hauntingly beautiful duets are special pearls of the opera. In the genre of the opera seria , duets or even larger solo ensembles were by no means common; two important duets within three short acts, that is definitely well above the Handelian average. It goes without saying that both are sung by the first couple, but Handel, with a fine sense of balance, gives the other couple at least one unusual little "duet recitative" (third act, sixth scene).

The finale of the opera belongs to a special tradition. Such a “license” is very rare for Handel, but the court composers of the continent, mainly those working in Vienna , often wrote epilogues of this type for various occasions. ( Il Porno d'oro by Antonio Cesti was also made for Vienna in 1666, for the wedding of Emperor Leopold I ). In addition to an Accompagnato recitative and the following aria, the Atalanta License contains only choirs and orchestral symphonies, i.e. jubilant pieces, according to its genre. The role of the choir has nothing to do with its greater importance in the late Handel oratorios. But even so the choir sounds with Handelian power and together with the wonderful arias, the sparkling symphonies and the great climax - and of course the sights on the stage: the stage machinery, the elaborate backdrops, the moving crowd scenes, the fireworks that were long mentioned in London - it is perhaps the most interesting basis for a Handel finale .

The overture is a three-part piece written in the brilliant D major of the trumpet. The first section is a solemn, slow French introduction in dotted rhythm, the second an allegro in three-four time, to the grandiose effect of the constant change, the confrontation of the even and odd bars and the obbligato oboes, which increase the number of voices to seven, contribute. The third part, the Andante, is graceful music in the style of a gavotte . The first vocal number of the opera is the broad-based Arioso Meleager's “Care selve, ombre beate” (No. 1) with continuo accompaniment , which at the same time welcomes the beauty of nature and introduces the stray lovers. After meeting Aminta and Irene, Meleagro encourages Irene in his B flat major aria "Lascia ch'io parta solo" (No. 2) to please Aminta. This first real aria immediately exposes the light and graceful keynote of the entire opera. The basic rhythm is dance-like, minuet- like - but not a real minuet : The instrumental introduction, consisting of 23 bars, is a rarity with Handel, the master of long-winded melodies. It begins with “melody series” structured in three bars, but then it meanders inexorably until bar 23, without any resting point or caesura; a truly "infinite melody". In the main part of the aria, an ornamental, cheeky motif consisting of four tones plays a major role. The longest vocal fioritur falls - not by chance - on the word "leggiadra" (graceful).

The brief exchange between Irene and Aminta is followed by Aminta's A major aria “S'è tuo piacer, ch'io mora” (No. 3). The short aria strikes an unadulterated rococo tone. The constant sequencing repetition of the second bar of the basic idea makes the aria artificial and graceful. This also reveals that Aminta's mortified longing for death is a bit affected and doesn't really have to be taken seriously, not even if he later pretends to throw himself in front of the angry boar. This is followed by Nicandros aria in C minor “Impara, ingrata” (No. 4). Nicandro has a small role in the play, he is a character figure. Handel does not miss the only opportunity to portray one of his protagonists with comical means. The text of the abusive father begins with the word "impara" ("learn") because of the cruelty towards Irene Aminta. Here Handel draws with angular rhythms, a constantly returning unison trill motif - which signals the movements of a teacher who wants to emphasize his words through gestures - and each gigantic interval jump the image of a clumsy schoolmaster. In the short middle section in G minor, however, behind the comical mask, within a moment, the understanding person who respects Aminta's loyalty appears.

Irene is indomitable for the time being. Her aria “Come alla tortorella” (No. 5) does not reflect this inflexibility so much, but rather the metaphor used by Irene: the languor of the turtledove. The lovely naivety of the Siciliano -character bearing aria, which pauses several times, is particularly beautiful : the dove is symbolized by a wing-flapping motif, an ascending row of triplets. The languor, sighing is represented by breaking off, numerous pauses and stops. In the next moment Atalanta appears, as the last among the actors of the play, but in the midst of the most magnificent outward appearances. The female lead, who loves the hunt, naturally arrives in the midst of the pounding of horses and stimulating hunting music. In an energetic arioso, which is accompanied by hunting music that sounds in the strings and oboes, she urges the shepherds to take their places. The climax of the first act, the hunting scene, begins. There is a small interlude between Meleagro and Atalanta, Aminta's suicide attempt and the killing of the game. (In the meantime the hunting music can be heard again for a moment.) Then Atalanta sings her first aria in A major about the fact that victory did not bring her inner peace: “Riportai gloriosa palma” (No. 8). The pearly virtuoso aria, accompanied by the violins, is a masterful dialogue between the instrumental and vocal parts in the rhythm of a gigue . This aria is the magnificent portrait of Atalanta's "Amazon face".

Then the F major aria “Non sarà poco” (No. 9) tops the first act . This virtuoso soprano aria has inexhaustibly varied coloratura and syncope rhythms , which represent Meleager's joyful hope. The middle section, modulating according to A minor, underlines the importance of the word “costanza” (“steadfastness”) with a great increase that leads to a high a. The aria poses a very difficult task for the protagonist in terms of vocal technique and vocal range (the peak is a three-stroke C).

The second act begins with a choir “Oggi rimbombano di seine” (No. 10), which again has a dance character. The rustic sound is reinforced by horns. The rather extensive, colorful, happy, festive tableau is moved by the swing of the Gaillarde rhythm. Atalanta's quiet lament that ensued brings a sharp contrast to the opening image. Your C minor aria “Lassa! Ch'io t'ho perduta ” (No. 11) is perhaps one of the most intimate, moving moments in the entire opera. The composer genuinely identifies himself here with his feeble heroine, in whom we can hardly recognize the previous combative Amazon. It indicates Handel's real greatness that he, who knows every template and convention and applies it with astonishing ease when necessary, can become completely individual and authentic. The delicate syncopation of the violins this time radiates real participation; the words "oh bella, dol (ce)" in a broken, diminished chord sigh for the irretrievable past. The painful series of dissonances that sound towards the end of the main part seems so fresh, as if it were not one of the most common baroque platitudes. This time the middle part of the aria also contains particular beauty: the particularly inspired musical representation of “piangendo” (“crying”).

In the tragicomic scene of “not understanding” between Atalanta and Meleagro that now follows, this suddenly changes from a recitative dialogue into an intimate duet: “Amarilli? - Oh Dei, ehe vuoi? ” (No. 12, G major). This is one of the most beautiful moments of the opera and one of the most complicated when it comes to the portrayal of people: While our heroes do not understand each other with words, going into the comic, the passionate, almost shameless embrace of the voices, regardless of the libretto, reveals that between them the full understanding has already come about on a much more important and higher level. In this way, Handel anticipates - with musical means - the happy outcome at this point. After handing over the tape, Meleagro sings a very virtuoso, moving aria in A major, "Sì, mel raccorderò" (No. 13), accompanied by violins , the text of which reflects the current lack of clarity in her relationship with Irene. The following E-flat major aria by Irenes “Soffri in pace il tuo dolore” (No. 14) is gallant, stylized soulful music, which gives the repeated unison of song and violin a special color. Following the handing over of the arrow, the portrait of Amintas "Di ad Irene, tiranna" (No. 15, G minor), written with masterful observation of the portrayal of the soul, sounds . The aria faithfully follows every impulse of the behavior of a lover who has lost his self-control and wavers between doubts. When he thinks his loved one is bad, he also loses the musical proportions in his anger and repeats the same beat over and over like a broken music machine. Then he notices what he is saying and collapses for a moment: this is expressed by an adagio bar and a fermata . He calms down, then begins to rage again and breaks out into a passionate fioritur at the word “tiranna” (“tyrant”), which is then followed by a dismayed silence. The clear, hopeful tone that flashes in the middle section creates a wonderful contrast.

After Atalanta's renewed rejection comes the B flat major aria Meleager's “M'allontano, sdegnose pupille” (No. 16). As before, Meleagro is not completely desperate, but reacts more cynically than painfully. This embodies the constantly moving aria with a gallant, chatting melody. This time, the middle section also deviates from the main section in terms of the instrumentation: the accompanying ensemble extends from a simple violin part to all the strings, which accompany the meleagro, which truly opens up during these few bars, with regular eighth notes and delicate harmonies instead of in constant movement. If Irene sang about the languishing dove, Atalanta is now entitled to express herself in a parable aria ("aria di paragone"): She compares her love with the longing of a mountain stream for the way to the sea: "Se nasce un rivoletto" (No. 17, D major). This is also done musically with powerful stylization. The introduction is finely chiselled French dance music: later, the echoes of the high mountains can sometimes be heard, and the meandering of the brook can also be heard.

At the beginning of the third act - after Atalanta took over the gift of Meleager from Irenes - she also sings her aria of hope in B flat major “Bench'io non sappia ancor” (No. 19). This intimate music deviates from Meleager's energetic hope that concluded the first act. The vocal part always retains its direct, sincere tone - although dotted rhythms are constantly sounding in the orchestra accompaniment, the vocal part and the orchestra often respond with fast triplets. After Aminta has noticed that it is best to hit Irene with her own weapon, it is now his turn to lightly state that he already loves someone else; this includes his F major aria “Diedi il core ad altra Ninfa” (No. 20). Worldly ease is already in the first two bars of the violin prelude, in the elegant dots and the soaring sixth steps. Where the shepherd piles up the good qualities of his new loved one ( "più gentile, più amorosa, più vezzosa" ), we find motifs repeated as well as in the aria Meleager in the second act, only here, since Aminta remains very sober, the meter not blown up by the music, on the contrary: it fits in playfully. A fine idea that, at the same time as the praising attributes, flattering double bonds appear in the violin part, which has always been played "non legato" up to now. Aminta's ruse also solves Irene's only frightening-looking F minor jealousy aria from “Ben'io sento l'ingrata” (No. 21), which is called “Andante e staccato”. It is interesting to observe how the broken melody, which progresses in great jumps, is shaped by Handel by changing one or two notes into an extremely energetic, but already vocal melody. In response to the word “raggirasi” (“to twirl”), Irene also sings two stormy coloratura: once together with the violins, once alone. The middle section, modulating in C minor, is more painful than stormy.

This is followed by the "sleeping scene" Meleager. For this somewhat naive and actually superfluous solution of falling asleep in anger - because the conversation after Meleager wakes up could also be carried on when they are awake - Handel has definitely found the means to use it musically: it offers the opportunity for the short Arioso Atalantas “Custodite, dolci sogni” (No. 22), in which she watches over Meleager's sleep, with the wonderful touching turn from A major to the soft A minor, which is actually the fate of Atalanta and Meleagros decides. There is no standing still for Atalanta. The mutual confession rings out, and lo and behold, the second couple also enter, holding hands. Everything is fine: Nicandro greets love and happiness in a short but brilliant C major aria “Or trionfar ti fanno” (No. 23). The aria was not written in the usual Da Capo form , but in an AABB structure. Then only an interesting duet recitative consisting of a few words and the grand final duet of the first pair “Caro / Cara, nel tuo bel volto” (No. 24b, B flat major) remain .

Unlike spoken theater, opera was able to create a utopia through the free choice of voice - the dream of an equality between men and women, of an erotic attraction that grew not out of submission but out of agreement. Handel was particularly fond of playing with the fascination of this harmony in the love duets and composed them in such a way that the listener soon lost track of who was, literally speaking, just above or below in the permanent entanglement of the voices. A prime example of this way of composing is the duet between Alalanta and Meleagro, which Handel put at the end of the actual plot shortly after the premiere instead of the bravura aria Meleager that was actually intended, before Mercury appeared in the sky and introduced the great final apotheosis in praise of the British nation and its royal family . It is one of the few duets that Handel wrote for a female soprano and a castrato soprano, and he made full use of the vocal equality. The duet begins with a languid, sweet suspensory dissonance b '- c "in an apparently freely improvising cadenza; Meleagro then starts with a longer solo section, which Atalanta immediately repeats literally. Also the playful phrases" Caro "/" Cara ”(“ Beloved ”/“ Beloved ”) are invariably composed like an echo, ie always as a literal repetition. From now on the roles seem to be clearly divided: Atalanta (above) and Meleagro (below) sing in parallel thirds or sixths such as in the two large coloraturas in the A section to the word “amore.” But what then happens in bars 44 to 47 could be heard as a little amorous struggle to see who intends to keep the upper hand in this respect, because suddenly Meleagro refers Atalanta to the lower voice by not answering her entry in “his” position, but by placing an octave jump above hers. Atalanta cannot sit on himself Let: As soon as she has sung her planned melody section to the end, she also jumps on the g "with which Meleagro had started his attack, and sends him back to where she believes it belongs. Something similar is repeated later when Atalanta and Meleagro swap main and secondary voices and Meleagro first sings the upper part, then Atalanta, before they come together in a four-bar bliss of thirds.

But the final scene is still ahead. After a few bars of introductory music, Mercury, condescending from the Schnürboden, takes the floor; Its divine nature is expressed in the fact that its recitative is not an ordinary secco, but an Accompagnato. The winged god sings about virtue and the test in a graceful, agile C major aria “Sol prova contenti” (No. 26). Then the spectacle finally takes the lead. The first choir "Dalla stirpe degli Eroi" (No. 27) praises the ancestors of the betrothed: in character it is close to the opening choir of the second act. After the B-Bur of the final duet and the C major Mercury, we rise up to G major, then, after Mercury has given the sign for the general jubilation in a short recitative, we finally get back to the opera opening and from D major smashed to the trumpets. From here on the sound blocks alternate in quick succession. First the crowd cheers on “Gridiam tutti, e viva!” (No. 28), then the trumpets sound a splendid fanfare accompanied by a timpani. The background of the stage opens, bonfires flare up. There is music in the Gavotte rhythm, first in the love-praising choir “Viva la face” (No. 30), then - with a somewhat simplified bass - in the previous trumpet ensemble. These two groups take turns until finally all the instruments unite with the choir and the turbulent finale ends with huge jubilation: “Con voce giuliva gridiam” (No. 32).

The autograph contains a number of changes that Handel made during the setting. The aria “Tu solcasti il ​​mare infido” (No. 24a) was replaced by the described duet “Caro / Cara, nel tuo bel volto” (No. 24b). Although this aria is still cited in the printed libretto, the duet already appears in its place in Walsh's aria. This aria is an excellent piece in terms of its musical quality. The main part of the aria is a jubilation of joy that breaks out with ravishing verve and irresistible power, which is associated with the image of the stormy sea. The middle section, which modulates into the parallel minor, is less rhythmically active, but harmonically more sensitive.

Success and criticism

"[ Atalanta is] one of Handel's most charming operas, with its choruses of nymphs and shepherds, and its indescribable atmosphere of light-hearted gaiety and out-of-door freshness."

"[ Atalanta is] one of Handel's most beautiful operas, with its choirs of nymphs and shepherds and their indescribable atmosphere of bright, warm happiness and fresh natural scenery."

- Richard A. Streatfield : Handel , London 1909

"The songs are mostly short and easy to sing, but wonderfully typical of this late period of Handel's style, in which he throws off trivialities with astonishing originality and genius."

"The arias are mostly short and easy to sing, but wonderfully typical of Handel's late style, in which he discards the simple with astonishing originality and ingenuity."

- Edward Dent : The Operas , London 1954

orchestra

Two oboes , bassoon , two horns , three trumpets , timpani , strings, basso continuo (violoncello, lute, harpsichord).

The Atalanta Orchestra is your average baroque opera orchestra. In addition to the strings, which include the bassoon supporting the bass, it consists of two oboes, which mostly reinforce the violin parts, of three trumpets and the accompanying timpani. The orchestra is joined by two horns in the opening chorus of the second act. Handel carefully adapts the accompaniment to the character of the aria: from a single violin part to the entire string orchestra reinforced with oboes, he uses a variety of combinations.

Discography

  • Hungaroton SLPD 12612-4 (1986): Katalin Farkas (Atalanta), Eva Bartfai-Barta (Meleagro), Eva Lax (Irene), János Bandi (Aminta), Jozsef Gregor (Nicandro), Lászlo Polgár (Mercurio)
Capella Savaria ; Dir. Nicholas McGegan (134 min)
  • Philharmonia Baroque (Naxos) B007HCX4PC (2012): Dominique Labelle (Atalanta), Susanne Rydén (Meleagro), Cécile van de Sant (Irene), Michael Slattery (Aminta), Philip Cutlip (Nicandro), Corey McKern (Mercurio)
Philharmonia Orchestra; Dir. Nicholas McGegan (143.15 min)

literature

swell

Web links

Commons : Atalanta (Handel)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Edition management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Hrsg.): Handel manual: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 266
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Christopher Hogwood : Georg Friedrich Händel. A biography (= Insel-Taschenbuch 2655), from the English by Bettina Obrecht, Insel Verlag , Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 2000, ISBN 3-458-34355-5 , pp. 225 ff.
  3. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Hrsg.): Handel manual: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 259
  4. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Handel manual: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 257 f.
  5. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Händel-Handbuch: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 254
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Malìna, János: Handel. Atalanta , Hungaroton SLPD 12612-14, Budapest 1985, p. 16 ff.
  7. ↑ a b Friedrich Chrysander : GF Handel , second volume, Breitkopf & Härtel , Leipzig 1860, p. 389 ff.
  8. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Händel-Handbuch: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 263
  9. ↑ a b c Bernd Baselt : Thematic-systematic directory. Stage works. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Händel-Handbuch: Volume 1 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1978, ISBN 3-7618-0610-8 , Unchanged reprint, Kassel 2008, ISBN 978-3-7618-0610-4 , P. 429
  10. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Handel Handbook: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 264
  11. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Ed.): Händel-Handbuch: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 267
  12. ^ Charles Burney : A general history of music: ... Vol. 4 , London 1789, reprint of the Cambridge Library Collection, 2011, ISBN 978-1-1080-1642-1 , p. 397
  13. ^ Editing management of the Halle Handel Edition : Documents on life and work. , in: Walter Eisen (Hrsg.): Handel manual: Volume 4 , Deutscher Verlag für Musik , Leipzig 1985, ISBN 3-7618-0717-1 , p. 265
  14. ↑ Winton Dean : Handel's Operas, 1726-1741. Boydell & Brewer, London 2006, Reprint: The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2009, ISBN 978-1-84383-268-3 , pp. 336 f.
  15. ↑ a b Silke Leopold: Handel. The operas. , Bärenreiter-Verlag , Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-1991-3 , p. 163 f.
  16. ↑ Richard Alexander Streatfield: Handel , Methuen & Co, London 1909, reprint Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish 2007, ISBN 978-0-548-04785-9 , p. 252
  17. ^ Edward Dent : The Operas , in: Gerald Abraham (ed.): Handel: A Symposium , Oxford University Press, London 1954, p. 54