Ernani

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Work data
Title: Ernani
German text book around 1890

German text book around 1890

Original language: Italian
Music: Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto : Francesco Maria Piave
Literary source: Hernani by Victor Hugo
Premiere: March 9, 1844
Place of premiere: Teatro La Fenice , Venice
Playing time: approx. 2 ¼ hours
Place and time of the action: Aragon , Aachen , Saragossa ; in 1519
people
  • Ernani, a bandit ( tenor )
  • Don Carlos, King of Spain and later Emperor Charles V ( baritone )
  • Don Ruy Gómez de Silva, Spanish grande ( bass )
  • Elvira, his niece and fiancee ( soprano )
  • Giovanna, her confidante ( soprano )
  • Don Riccardo, the king's squire ( tenor )
  • Iago, the squire Silvas ( bass )

Ernani is an opera (dramma lirico) in four acts and five pictures. It was composed by Giuseppe Verdi in 1844 . The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave . It was premiered on March 9, 1844 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

action

The opera is set in the mountains of Aragon , in the castle of Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, in Aachen and in Zaragoza in 1519 .

First act: "Il bandito" - The rebel

The mountains of Aragon

A band of robbers encamped in the mountains of Aragón. The bandits drink to their independent life. Their leader Ernani is an outcast nobleman whose father, the Duke of Aragon, was killed by a member of the Spanish royal family. Ernani reports that his lover Elvira is to be married to her guardian and uncle Duke Silva. The rebel leader and his companions decide to kidnap Elvira from old Silva.

Elvira's richly furnished room in the Palace de Silvas

In Duke Silva's castle: Elvira, who is to marry the Duke the next day, eagerly waits for Ernani, with whom she would also share his rebel life. But instead of the expected lover, Carlo, King of Spain, gains access to Elvira's rooms. He confesses his love to her. However, Elvira would rather kill himself and the king than follow him. Ernani appears. He recognizes Carlo as his father's murderer and challenges Elvira's rival to a duel. The landlord Silva arrives and also angrily wants to duel with the intruders and rivals. Only now does Carlo reveal himself as King of Spain. To save the day, he claims to have broken into Silva's house to talk to him about the death of the emperor and the search for a successor. Ernani had come with him as his faithful.

Second act: “L'ospite” - The guest

Magnificent hall in the castle of Don Ruy Gómez de Silva

Elvira has given in to Silva's wish to marry her on the pretext. While the servants prepare for the wedding, a pilgrim requests admission. Since the Silva's hospitality has always been a special honor, the host welcomes the unknown stranger without hesitation. When Elvira enters in her wedding dress, the pilgrim takes off his disguise in horror: It is Ernani who is being persecuted by the king. Since he believes Elvira treacherously, life now seems pointless to him and he asks Silva to hand him over to the king. But Silva refuses. For him, the right of hospitality, once pronounced, is paramount. Silva rushes out to secure the castle from the approaching king. Left alone for a short time, Elvira Ernani explains that, according to a rumor, she believed her lover dead, that she had only pretended to consent to the wedding with Silva and that she wanted to stab herself at the altar. Reconciled, Ernani embraces Elvira when Silva unexpectedly returns and swears vengeance at the sight of the lovers. Meanwhile, King Carlo requests entry into the castle, where he suspects the rebel Ernani. But although Silva hates the rival profoundly, the honor forbids him to deliver the accepted guest to the king. Carlo suspects that Silva is protecting Ernani and threatens torture. Since Silva remains tough, Carlo takes Elvira hostage with him in order to force Ernani to surrender. Alone again, Silva wants to settle accounts with Ernani and challenges him to a duel. But the wanted rebel is able to win Silva on his side for the time being, and they decide to take revenge on the king together. Ernani's life, however, remains in Silva's hands: Ernani leaves Silva a horn as a pledge and swears that he will kill himself immediately if Silva sounds the horn.

Third act: “La clemenza” - Grace

Underground crypt

In the crypt of Charlemagne in Aachen Cathedral: while the German electors are electing the new emperor in the cathedral, Carlo is hiding in the crypt of Charlemagne and waiting for a group of conspirators who will supposedly resolve his death here. In dialogue with himself and his great namesake, he reflects on his previous life and seeks strength for the tasks that may await him as emperor. The conspirators appear, including Silva and Ernani. Ernani is chosen by lot to kill Carlo. Silva Ernani asks in vain for this right to revenge on the king. Three cannon shots announce that Carlo has just been elected emperor. As Emperor Charles V, he now shows himself to the conspirators and announces harsh punishments. But at the intercession of Elvira and following the example of Charlemagne, he generously forgives, pardons the rebels and brings the Ernani-Elvira couple together.

Fourth act: “La maschera” - the mask

Terrace in the palace of D. Giovanni d'Aragona

Ernani, who can now use his title of duke again, celebrates his wedding with Elvira in his palace. At a late hour, the couple is finally alone on the terrace. The sound of a horn can be heard from afar. Ernani remembers the oath that was attached to it. Silva appears masked and vengefully demands that the promise be kept: "Whenever this horn sounds, Ernani will kill himself." Neither Ernani's nor Elvira's pleas and supplications change the hateful old man. Mercilessly he insists on his rights and demands Ernani's life. As a man of honor who keeps his word, Ernani finally stabs himself, Elvira collapses on his corpse, passed out.

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Work history

The template is based on Victor Hugo's drama Hernani from 1830. Since Verdi's opera, this drama has rarely been performed on the French stages. The plot is fictional, although the characters refer to historical personalities and the plot refers to their life stages (e.g. the election of Emperor Charles V ). The theme is revenge, and this is implemented in various facets and stages. The feeling of revenge seems to demand all the greater satisfaction as the perfect happiness of two newlyweds is ended by death before the terrible alternative of a dishonorable life.

The opera was one of the most frequently performed Verdi operas in the 19th century. With this - his fifth - opera Verdi finally made the breakthrough. At that time only the first three acts were often played because the fourth act was misunderstood as a foreign body. The end of the third act looks like a finale. The performance of the solo trios in the fourth act could not be done without, however, this was often only done in concert and sometimes even with chamber music, which is due to the compositional quality of the opera, especially this act.

It is thanks to the revaluation of the bel canto that the opera has recently been played more frequently again. The choirs play an important role. They represent the courtly public in which the ranks are carried out.

Silva's cabaletta from the end of the 1st act "Infin che un brando vindice" is occasionally sung by Nabucco in the 4th act when he is freed from prison. Also Roger's Cabaletta in Act 1 of Jérusalem , “Ah! viens démon esprit du mal ”is undoubtedly very similar in its melody to“ Infin che un brando vindice ”. Research by David Lawton and David Rosen into Verdi's early works and the English musicologist Roger Parker revealed that the cabaletta was originally written for Verdi's first opera Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio , even if it is not performed (any more) today. The circumstances under which the cabaletta was included in "Ernani" are not entirely clear.

Web links

Commons : Ernani  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Leo Karl Gerhartz: Ernani. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , p. 397.
  2. ↑ Operalibera.net (Italian)
  3. ↑ Scholarship.richmond (Engl.)