Arminio (Hasse, 1730)

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Opera dates
Title: Arminio
Title page of the libretto, Milan 1730

Title page of the libretto, Milan 1730

Shape: Opera seria in three acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Johann Adolph Hasse
Libretto : Antonio Salvi
Premiere: August 28, 1730
Place of premiere: Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan
Place and time of the action: Rural area on the Rhine and in Segestes Castle, around 9 AD
people

Arminio is an opera seria in three acts by Johann Adolph Hasse with a libretto by Antonio Salvi . It was premiered on August 28, 1730 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan. This opera should not be confused with Hasse's opera of the same name from 1745 (revised in 1753), which is based on a libretto by Giovanni Claudio Pasquini (→ Arminio (Hasse, 1745/1753) ).

Content and libretto

The plot of the opera is based on the life of Arminius , the prince of the Cheruscans , who inflicted one of their most devastating defeats on the Romans in the Varus Battle in 9 AD with the annihilation of three legions.

layout

The music of Arminio from 1730 is not completely preserved. A total of 16 arias have survived individually or as part of a collection of arias.

The following structure emerges from the libretto. It is therefore not possible to differentiate between the Accompagnato and the Recitative.

  • Sinfonia - music not preserved

first act

  • Scene 1. Varo, Segeste. Recitative: "Ecco d'Arminio il brando"
  • Scene 2. Arminio, Tusnelda, Segeste, Varo. Recitative: "Varo, vincesti, e oppresso de 'Cauci"
    • Aria (Tusnelda): "Sposa io sono, e sono figlia" - music not preserved
  • Scene 3. Segeste, Arminio, Varo. Recitative: "Arminio, al tuo furore, all'indomito core"
    • Aria (Arminio): "Se al piede le ritorte sorte" - Allegro ma non presto, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 4. Varo, Segeste. Recitative: "Segeste, alla tua fede"
  • Scene 5. Varo. Recitative: "Astri più luminosi io non vidi giammai"
    • Aria (Varo): “Se credo alla speme” - music not preserved
  • Scene 6. Ramise, Sigismondo. Recitative: “Bella Ramise, oh Dio! un sogno è stato "
  • Scene 7. Tusnelda, Ramise, Sigismondo. Recitative: "Ramise, oh Dio!" - "Quali infelici avvisi"
  • Scene 8. Arminio, Sigismondo, Tusnelda, Ramise. Recitative: "Riedo quale mi rese fiero destina"
    • Aria (Arminio): “Care, vi lascio, addio” - Adagio / Allegro, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 9. Tusnelda, Ramise, Sigismondo. Recitative: "Il barbaro tuo padre mentre ad Arminio annoda"
    • Aria (Ramise): “Non scioglie un nobil core” - music not preserved
  • Scene 10. Tusnelda, Sigismondo. Recitative: “Ohimè! parte Ramise, e seco parte l'anima mia "
    • Aria (Tusnelda): "Ogni speranza da me s'invola" - music not preserved
  • Scene 11. Sigismondo, Segeste. Recitative: "Crudel Tusnelda, oh Dio!"
    • Aria (Segeste): "O svenato nel tuo petto" - without tempo indication, for two horns, two oboes, violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 12. Sigismondo. Recitative: “Ah! padre, e qual s'accende ingiusto sdegno "
    • Aria (Sigismondo): "Posso morir, ma vivere" - Andante ma non troppo, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo

Second act

  • Scene 1. Segeste. Recitative: "Già alla morte d'Arminio cospira"
  • Scene 2. Varo, Segeste. Recitative: "Signore, in questo foglio leggi"
    • Aria (Varo): "Pera, se vuol così" - music not received
  • Scene 3. Segeste, Arminio. Recitative: "Vieni, Arminio, e qui siedi"
    • Aria (Arminio): "Cadrò, ma qual si mira" - Allegro / Un poco lento, for two horns (Trombe da caccia) , two oboes, violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 4. Tusnelda, Segeste. Recitative: "Padre, non mi credea dover per tal cagione"
    • Aria (Tusnelda): “Priva dell'idol mio” - Allegro ma non troppo, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 5. Ramise, Segeste. Recitative: "Rivolgi a me la fronte colma di frodi"
  • Scene 6. Sigismondo, Ramise, Segeste. Recitative: "Ah, Ramise!" - "Ah, destino!" - "Ah, temeraria!"
    • Aria (Segeste): “Inesorabile qual mi rendet” - music not preserved
  • Scene 7. Ramise, Sigismondo. Recitative: “Mia cara! - Ed osi ancora parlami, infido? "
    • Aria (Ramise): “Solo ascolto il mio dolore” - Allegretto, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 8. Sigismondo. Recitative: "O Ramise, o Segeste, troppo fieri tiranni, e troppo cari"
    • Aria (Sigismondo): "Amare, e mirare partire sdegnato" - [Allegro e con spirito], for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 9. Arminio. Recitative: “Olà, custodi. Alcun di voi mi chiami Varo "
  • Scene 10. Tusnelda, Arminio. Recitative: “Mio sposo?” - “Ohimè! tu piangi? "
  • Scene 11. Varo, Tusnelda, Arminio. Recitative: "Arminio?" - "In questi orrori"
    • Aria (Arminio): "Vado a morir costante" - Allegretto, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 12. Tusnelda, Varo, ramise. Recitative: "Tusnelda, io son confuso."
    • Aria (Tusnelda): “Potresti esser pietoso” - Moderato, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 13. Varo, Ramise. Recitative: "Così la mia fortuna nemica all'amor mio"
    • Aria (Varo): "Non si lagna questo core" - Allegro ma non presto, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 14. Ramise, Segeste. Recitative: "Caro germano, ancora della salvezza tua sperar mi lice"
    • Aria (Ramise): “Vorrei goder sperando gradita calma” - Moderato, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 15. Tusnelda, Segeste, Arminio. Recitative: "Eccomi, o padre, a 'cenni tuoi"
    • Trio (Tusnelda, Segeste, Arminio): "Padre ..." - "Non v'è perdono"

Third act

  • Scene 1. Ramise. Recitative: "Fier teatro di morte, orrida scena"
  • Scene 2. Ramise, Arminio. Recitative: “Io moro…” - “Ah! mia Ramise "
  • Scene 3. Arminio, Varo, Segeste. Recitative: “T'arresta! odimi! oh Dio! "
    • Aria (Arminio): “Benché il leon ristretto” - Allegro assai, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 4. Varo, Segeste. Recitative: "Del castello in difesa tu colle genti"
    • Aria (Varo): "Vado il mio sangue a spargere" - music not preserved
  • Scene 5. Tusnelda. Recitative: "Ti stringo, illustrious acciaro"
  • Scene 6. Ramise, Tusnelda. Recitative: "Ferma, Tusnelda!"
  • Scene 7. Sigismondo, Tusnelda, Ramise. Recitative: "Germano!" - "Sigismondo!"
    • Aria (Sigismondo): "Vivi, o bella, ea chi t'adora" - Un poco andante / without tempo indication, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 8. Tusnelda, Ramise, Arminio, Sigismondo. Recitative: "Ah, Ramise!" - "Ah, Tusnelda"
  • Scene 9. Tusnelda, [Ramise, Sigismondo]. Recitative: "Or che libero e sciolto"
    • Aria (Tusnelda): “Dolce rieda nel mio petto” - Allegro assai, for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 10. Ramise, Sigismondo, Segeste. Recitative: "Ramise, e tu partir non vuoi"
    • Aria (Ramise): “Impara a non temer” - music not preserved
  • Scene 11. Segeste, Sigismondo, Tusnelda. Recitative: "Arminio in libertà?"
    • Aria (Segeste): “Tu mi vorresti esanime” - Presto-Lento / [Lento], for violins I / II, viola and basso continuo
  • Scene 12. Tusnelda, Sigismondo. Recitative: "In periglio tu sei"
  • Scene 13. Sigismondo. Recitative: "No, che non è la morte o mia pena, o spavento"
    • Aria (Sigismondo): “Per placere l'idol mio” - music not preserved
  • Scene 14. Ramise, Sigismondo, Segeste. Recitative: "Soldati, olà"
  • Scene 15. Tusnelda, Segeste, Sigismondo, [Ramise]. Recitative: "Arminio è vincitore"
  • Scene 16. Arminio, Seceste, Tusnelda, Sigismondo, Ramise. Recitative: "Ferma, Segeste, e vivi"
    • Choir: “A capir tante dolcezze” - music not preserved

Work history

On August 28, 1730, Hasse's first Arminio was premiered at the Ducal Theater (Teatro Regio Ducale) in Milan.

The opera was on the occasion of the birthday celebrations for Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , who as the wife of Charles VI. von Habsburg was not only Archduchess of Austria , but also Duchess of Milan .

Johann Adolph Hasse wrote his Arminio on a libretto by Antonio Salvi , which was set to music for the first time in 1703 and then used by several other composers. However, it was heavily changed for its setting. The unknown editor used the version used by Carlo Francesco Pollarolo in 1722 as a direct model .

There is no evidence that Hasse used older works for his music. He later adopted four arias from Arminio in his operas Ezio (also 1730) and Demetrio (1732).

The “stars” of the 1730s Arminio were on the one hand the castrato Giovanni Carestini in the title role of Arminius and Hate's wife Faustina Bordoni , who is shown in the profile under her married name Faustina Asse, in the role of Tusnelda, the wife of Arminius.

The full cast for the first performance of Arminio on August 28, 1730 in Milan is given in the libretto as follows:

  • Arminio - Giovanni Carestini (Castrato)
  • Tusnelda - Faustina Bordoni (or after the libretto Faustina Asse) (mezzo-soprano)
  • Ramise - Maria Giustina Turcotti
  • Varo - Domenico Giuseppe Galletti (bass)
  • Segeste - Giovanni Battista Pinacci (tenor)
  • Sigismondo - Giuseppe Appiani (Old Castrato)
  • Singer of the premiere in 1730

  • Giovanni Carestini (Arminio)

  • Faustina Bordoni (Tusnelda)

literature

  • Roland Dieter Schmidt-Hensel: “La musica è del Signor Hasse detto il Sassone…” Johann Adolf Hasse's ›Opere serie‹ from 1730 to 1745. Sources, versions, performances. Part II: List of works, sources and performances. V&R unipress 2009, ISBN 978-3-89971-442-5 , pp. 109-128.
  • Wolfgang Hochstein: Hermann the Cheruscan as an opera hero: Notes on the Arminio settings by Johann Adolf Hasse. In: Culture Education Politics: Festschrift for Hermann Rauhe on his 70th birthday. Edited by Hanns-Werner Heister and Wolfgang Hochstein. Von Bockel, Hamburg 2000, pp. 129–169.
  • Roger Christian Skarsten: Singing Arminius, Imagining a German Nation: Narratives of the "liberator Germaniae" in Early Modern Europe. PhD Thesis (Diss. To Dr. phil.) University of Minnesota 2012 - Dissertation on the various librettos on Hermann the Etruscan and their intonations by various composers ( online )
  • Louis Schneider: History of the opera and the royal opera house in Berlin. Duncker, Berlin 1856 - about Arminio in Berlin as well as Hasse and Friedrich II. ( Snippet view in the Google book search)
  • Moritz Fürstenau: On the history of music and theater at the court of the electors of Saxony and kings of Poland Friedrich August I. (August II.) And Friedrich August II. (August III.). Dresden: Kuntze 1862, pp. 240–241 - about the Arminio in Dresden ( online in the Google book search)

Web links

Commons : Arminio (Hasse, Milan 1730)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Roland Dieter Schmidt-Hensel: “La musica è del Signor Hasse detto il Sassone…” Johann Adolf Hasse's “Opere serie” from 1730 to 1745. Sources, versions, performances. Part II: List of works, sources and performances. V&R unipress 2009, ISBN 978-3-89971-442-5 , p. 119 f.
  2. ↑ Hasse and Bordoni had secretly married on July 20, 1730, probably because of the religious difference. It was probably thanks to his wife that Hasse had apparently already been appointed to the Dresden court during the first 7 months of 1730, succeeding Johann David Heinichen , who died in 1729 . In any case, Arminio's libretto is the first document in which Hasse describes himself as Kapellmeister “di SM il Ré de Polonia” (His Majesty the King of Poland).
  3. ^ Carl Mennicke: Hasse and the Graun brothers as symphonists. Along with biographies by Hasse and Graun and thematic catalogs. Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1906, pp. 352-446 ( online in the Internet archive ).
  4. ↑ Libretto WP 1st setting Milan 1730 (only Italian)