Belisario
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Belisario |
Title page of the libretto, Venice 1836 |
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| Shape: | “Tragedia lirica” in three parts |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | Gaetano Donizetti |
| Libretto : | Salvadore Cammarano |
| Literary source: | Jean-François Marmontel : Bélisaire |
| Premiere: | February 4, 1836 |
| Place of premiere: | Teatro La Fenice , Venice |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: |
Byzantium and Emus Mountains , 6th century AD |
| people | |
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Belisario is an opera (original name: "Tragedia lirica") in three parts by Gaetano Donizetti . The libretto was written by Salvadore Cammarano . The successful premiere took place on February 4, 1836 in the Teatro La Fenice in Venice .
action
prehistory
Belisario, general of Emperor Justinian I , wants to have his son Alexis killed to prevent him from rising against Byzantium one day. However, the slave Proklo, who was supposed to kill Alexis, only exposes him. Before his death, he confesses to his wife Antonina, Alexis's mother, what he had done. Antonina longs for her son and hates her husband, who stole her son from her.
First part: "Il trionfo" - The triumph
Belisario returns victorious from a battle. His daughter Irene is happy to see her father again. Consort Antonina seeks revenge. She promises Eutropio, the leader of the imperial bodyguard, who desires her, the fulfillment of his wishes if he supports her in her plans against Belisario.
At Belisario's request, Emperor Justinian acquires the prisoners. A captured warrior who calls himself Alamiro, but no one knows anything about his origin, wants to stay with Belisario. The two men are drawn to each other and swear eternal loyalty.
Belisario is accused of high treason and letters to his wife with plans to overthrow have been discovered. Antonina also accuses him of murdering his son. Belisario is sentenced to death, Antonina cheers.
Second part: "L'esilio" - The Exile
Belisario's death sentence was overturned and commuted into lifelong banishment. Because Justinian had uttered the enigmatic words in judgment that Belisario's eyes should never see the emperor again, Eutropio blinds Belisario. The former general is taken prisoner with empty eye sockets. He longs for his daughter, but she doesn't dare to come close to her father. Finally, she decides to accompany him into an unknown exile. Alamiro swears vengeance.
Third part: “La morte” - Death
Irene wanders across the country with her father. They rested under a palm tree. Soldiers with their leader Alamiro march past. The declaration that they are rising against Byzantium enraged Belisario, he is still devoted to the emperor. Irene sees the Christian cross on the leader's neck with the same ornament that her missing brother last wore. The father and his children are very happy to see each other again.
Antonina regrets what she has done and confesses her guilt to the emperor. The emperor is upset. In addition, Irene reports that Belisario has placed himself at the head of the army again and is advancing against Byzantium with his son, who was believed to be lost.
Belisario is hit by an arrow and the dying man is carried inside. The emperor reconciles with his former friend. Belisario can no longer hear his wife's plea for forgiveness. Cursed by the people, the widow collapses.
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : two flutes (2nd also piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , four trombones
- Timpani , bass drum
- Strings
- Incidental music : Banda (quartino, piccolo, two clarinets, two horns, three trumpets , two trombones, ophikleide )
Work history
The premiere on February 4, 1836 in the Teatro La Fenice took place under the baton of Gaetano Mares. The set was designed by Francesco Bagnara . The leading roles were sung by Celestino Salvatori as Belisario and Caroline Unger as Antonina, as well as Saverio [De] Giorgi (Giustiniano), Antonietta Vial (Irene), Ignazio Pasini (Alamiro), Amalia Badessi (Eudora), Adone Dall'Oro (Eutropio) and Giovanni Rizzi (Eusebio and Ottario).
Many other performances followed, mainly in Italian cities, but also in Madrid in 1836 and 1843, in Barcelona and Lisbon in 1837, in Rio de Janeiro in 1844 and in Porto in 1855.
Discography
- 1969: Gianandrea Gavazzeni; Leyla Gencer , Giuseppe Taddei , Mirna Pecile, Umberto Grilli
- 1970: Adolfo Camozzo; Leyla Gencer, Renato Bruson , Mirna Pecile, Umberto Grilli
- 1981: Gianfranco Masini; Mara Zampieri , Renato Bruson, Stefania Toczyska, Vittorio Terranova
- 1997: Dan Ratiu; Sergei Homov, Ines Salazar, Jacek Strauch, Fran Lubahn, Zoltan Gatamo
- 2013: Mark Elder , Nicola Almaio, Joye El-Khoury, Camilla Roberts, Russell Thomas
literature
- Robert Steiner-Isenmann: Gaetano Donizetti. His life and his operas. Hallwag, Bern 1982. ISBN 3-444-10272-0 ; P. 186f; 455f.
Web links
- Belisario : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto (Italian), Venice 1836. Digitized in the Internet Archive
- Work information and libretto (Italian) as full text on librettidopera.it
- Belisario (Gaetano Donizetti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Work data for Belisario based on MGG with discography at Operone
- Discography on Belisario at Operadis
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Norbert Miller : Belisario. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 2: Works. Donizetti - Henze. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1987, ISBN 3-492-02412-2 , pp. 9-12.
- ↑ a b c Belisario (Gaetano Donizetti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on July 24, 2019.
- ^ February 4, 1836: "Belisario". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ., Accessed on July 30, 2019.