Comprimario

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A Comprimario is a medium to smaller role in an opera or a performer of such roles.

The term is also used today in acting and dance .

Definition of terms, meaning

The term con primario comes from Italian and stands for with the main actor . There are singers who more or less exclusively sing such roles throughout their careers, those who start their careers in this repertoire, and others who, towards the end of their careers, mostly sing Comprimario roles. Naxos defines the term as "secondary roles or those of less weight, however important they are for the course of the plot".

In every opera house, the Comprimarii are one of the pillars of the ensemble. While the main characters can only appear every three or four days due to the physical and psychological strain, Comprimarii are often used evening after evening. As a rule, they are firmly committed to an ensemble and rarely make a guest appearance. Comprimarii often remain committed to their opera house for decades. Because they are relatively easy to replace, they have to do without escapades of any kind and are characterized by a high level of discipline and reliability. In many cases, they also ensure a good mood in the ensemble and are very popular with colleagues and the audience. They often achieve an exorbitant number of performances. For example, the US tenor Charles Anthony sang a total of 2,928 performances at the Met between 1954 and 2010 or the Austrian baritone Viktor Madin between 1908 and 1959 in 250 roles in more than 7,000 performances at the Vienna State Opera . Because of their intimate knowledge of the opera house and their rich stage experience, Comprimarii are often important advisers to guest singers or excellent teachers of singing and performance.

There are significantly more male than female roles in opera. In this respect, most of the Comprimarii roles and actors are male. Since the Comprimario, in contrast to the main actor, often only stands on stage for a few minutes and is supposed to represent a complex personality in this short time, high stage presence is essential. Successful Comprimarii are often praised for their comedic talent and can be used in both tragic and comic roles.

Classic Comprimario roles

Der Rosenkavalier is the opera that is peppered with grateful Comprimario roles. The scheming couple Annina and Valzacchi (alto and tenor) appear in all three acts. In the first act three tenors - the steward at the Marschallin, the Italian singer and the animal dealer - as well as a bass and a soprano - the notary and the milliner - can show their profile. The singer was and will be taken over by tenor stars because of his exposed and extremely grateful role with only a few bars. In the second act Faninal (father of the bride), his steward and the maid Marianne Leitmetzerin present opportunities for profiling, even for relatively small roles. In the third act Faninal appears again, as do the landlord (tenor) and the police superintendent (bass). The tenor William Wernigk , one of the most popular Comprimarii of the Vienna State Opera , sang four different roles in the Rosenkavalier from 1920 to 1956: 215 times the steward at Faninal, 176 times the landlord, 8 times the Valzacchi and 4 times the Steward to the field marshal, sometimes two roles in one evening.

Classic Comprimario roles are Fra Melitone in Verdi's La forza del destino or Messner and Spoleta in Puccini's Tosca . Puccini's Turandot also features a number of grateful supporting roles, including altoum, ping, pong and pang.

Well-known Comprimarii

 

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Naxos: Comprimario , accessed on November 24, 2016 (English)
  2. ^ Wiener Staatsoper : Search results for performances with William Wernigk , accessed on November 24, 2016.