Demetrio e Polibio

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Work data
Title: Demetrio e Polibio
Title page of the libretto, Venice 1817

Title page of the libretto, Venice 1817

Shape: Opera in two acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto : Vincenzina Viganò Mombelli
Premiere: May 18, 1812
Place of premiere: Teatro Valle , Rome
Playing time: approx. 115 minutes
Place and time of the action: Capital of Parthia in the 2nd century BC
people
  • Demetrio, King of Syria, under the name Eumene ( tenor )
  • Polibio, King of the Parthians ( bass )
  • Lisinga, daughter of Polibios ( soprano )
  • Siveno, son of Demetrios, the alleged son of a former minister Polibios ( old )
  • Almira / Olmira, confidante of Lisinga (in later versions)
  • Onao, follower of Polibios (in later versions)
  • Guardians, soldiers, priests choir

Demetrio e Polibio (German: Demetrius and Polibius ) is an opera (original name: "dramma serio") in two acts by Gioachino Rossini . The libretto is by Vincenzina Viganò Mombelli. The composition was completed before 1810 and premiered on May 18, 1812 at the Teatro Valle in Rome .

action

Siveno, a young man, lives at the court of Polibio, King of the Parthians , and is considered the son of one of his former ministers. In truth, however, he is the son of Demetrio, King of Syria. When the latter had temporarily lost his power and his family, his son had been rescued by a servant Demetrius, who had since died, and had been secretly brought to Polibio's court without telling the child or anyone there the real identity of the boy. Siveno falls in love with Lisinga, Polibio's daughter. Shortly before the marriage is due to take place, Demetrio, who has meanwhile regained control of Syria, appears disguised as the ambassador of the Syrian king under the name of Eumene. He demands that Polibio surrender Siveno, which is refused. When Eumene found Lisinga alone in the bridal chamber instead of his son, he kidnapped her as a bargaining chip. During the exchange of the bride and groom, Eumene (Demetrio) Siveno identifies himself as his father. In the meantime, however, Lisinga has called a Parthian force to arms to kill Eumene. This is prevented by Siveno at the last moment. Eumene then reveals himself to everyone as Demetrio, King of the Syrians, and makes peace with Polibio. Now the young couple can finally begin a happy and carefree life.

The following table of contents is based on the libretto of the original version from 1812. In later versions there are additional scenes with Almira / Olmira, a confidante of Lisinga, and Onao, a follower of Polibio.

first act

Audience hall with a throne on one side

Scene 1. Surrounded by the greats of the Parthian Empire and the guards, Siveno sits at the feet of Polibio. Polibio loves Siveno like his own son since he doesn't have his own. Siveno swears his loyalty to him (duet Polibio / Siveno: “Mio figlio non sei”). His wedding to Polibio's daughter Lisinga is imminent (Aria Siveno: “Pien di contento il seno”).

Scene 2. The supposed ambassador Eumene (in reality the Syrian King Demetrio himself) steps with his entourage in front of the throne on which Polibio has now taken his seat and presents him with various gifts. Eumene asks Polibio to give him the young Siveno, who was raised at the Parthian court. This is the only son of Minteo, a close friend of his king, who can no longer do without him. Polibio does not want to part with Siveno and refuses. A bitter dispute ensues (duet Polibio / Eumene: “Non cimentar lo sdegno”). Both part angrily.

Magnificent temple with an altar in the middle and a throne on the side

Scene 3. Enter Siveno, Polibio, priest and people. Siveno explains his joy about the upcoming connection with Lisinga. Polibio ascends the throne (chorus: “Nobil gentil donzella”). Lisinga arrives and steps in front of the altar together with Siveno (Aria Lisinga: “Alla pompa già m'appresso”). They swear eternal love (duet Lisinga / Siveno: "Questo cor ti giura amore"). Polibio is happy for the two, but then expresses his concern about the behavior of the Syrian ambassador. Siveno declares that he will continue to stand by him and, if necessary, want to protect his rights in combat. Lisinga wants to stand by him (Terzett Lisinga / Siveno / Polibio: “Semper teco ognor contenta”).

Large square with a view of the royal palace

Scene 4. Eumene and his entourage carefully approaches the castle (chorus: “Andiamo taciti”). He bribed the Parthian guards and servants in order to be able to penetrate the castle and kidnap Siveno (Aria Eumene with chorus: “All'alta impresa tutti”).

Royal cabinet with an alcove and sofa; night

Scene 5. Lisinga has sat down tired on the sofa (Arie Lisinga: “Mi scende sull'alma”). Eumene enters the room through a side door with armed men and torchbearers. He doesn't find Siveno in it, but now Lisinga is supposed to serve him as a hostage. Lisinga calls for help and begs in vain for pity (Finale I: “Ohimè, crudel, che tenti”). Polivio and Siveno have heard their calls and rush over. To stop them, Eumene sets the room on fire. Lisinga is being dragged away.

Second act

Royal Cabinet

Scene 1. The choir sings about the king's grief (chorus: “Ah che la doglia amara”). Polibio mourns the loss of his daughter (Aria Polibio: “Come sperar riposo”). Siveno calls for the traitor to be pursued.

Rural area near the city

Scene 2. Eumene leads the captured Lisinga over. He assures her that she has nothing to fear because he loves Siveno and therefore his wife. Siveno and Polibio have now caught up with them. There is a scuffle. Eumene threatens to kill Lisinga. In return, Polibio declares that he would rather stab Siveno than leave him to him (quartet: “Donami omai Siveno”). Then Eumene discovers a medallion on Siveno's neck and realizes that this is his son. He ends the fight and everyone is reconciled (“Figlio / a qual gioja io provo”). But when Eumene now calls Sivene to return with him to his homeland, there is another argument ("All'armi, o Fidi miei"). Lisinga and Siveno are forcibly separated. Polibio takes off with his daughter. Siveno throws himself desolate on a rock.

Scene 3. Eumene reveals himself to his son and points out the medallion to him. Siveno is relieved, but asks his father to give him back his lover (Aria Siveno: “Perdon ti chiedo, o padre”).

Audience room with a table and chairs

Scene 4. Lisinga calls on Polibio and the greats of the empire to take revenge against the kidnapper Sivenos (Aria Lisinga with chorus: “Superbo! Ah tu vedrai”).

Encampment with a view of the city

Scene 5. Eumene steps out of his tent. He reproaches himself for giving in to his son's pleading and letting him go (Aria Eumene with chorus: “Lungi dal figlio amato”). Lisinga appears with her people. You defeat Eumene. Before Lisinga can kill him, Siveno appears and throws himself in between to protect his father. Eumene is happy that his son has finally decided on him. He gives his blessing to Lisinga and Siveno. The choir cheers for the luck that will now descend on Persia and Syria.

Scene 6. While everyone is getting ready to march to go to the king, Polibio and his entourage appear (chorus: “Festosi al re si vada”). At first he is frightened to see Siveno peacefully with his enemy. Eumene now officially identifies himself as Syrian King Demetrio and Father Sivenos and shakes hands with Polibio in friendship. The opera ends with a general joy choir (tutti and choir: “Quai moti al cor io sento”).

layout

In this early work by Rossini, Stendhal praised the “sublime cantilenas” and the “grace and modesty of the accompaniments.” However, it contains only a few dramatic scenes. These include the finale of the first act and the quartet “Donami omai Siveno” (second act, scene 2), about which Stendhal raved: “This piece is unsurpassable. If Rossini had written just this one quartet, Mozart and Cimarosa would have recognized him as an equal. For example, there is an ease in carrying out what is called fait avec rien in painting , which I never discovered in Mozart. "Richard Osborne specifically refers to the" delightful melody of Lisinga's' Padre, qual gioia prova 'from the Andante giusto ”and the“ urgent chromaticism at the beginning of this movement ”.

The most successful piece of the opera, however, is the love duet by Lisinga and Siveno “Questo cor ti giura amore” (first act, scene 3), which Rossini later reused several times and wrote about Stendhal: “It is impossible to love with even more To portray grace and less sadness. "

One or two numbers of the opera may come from the client Mombelli himself. Eumene's Cavatine “Presenta in questi doni” (first act, scene 2, not included in the libretto of the 1812 version) and Siveno's aria “Perdon ti chiedo, o padre ”(second act, scene 3) and the recitatives.

Work history

The first parts of the work were started by the almost 15-year-old Rossini in 1806. The tenor and impresario Domenico Mombelli, who also added some parts himself, commissioned Rossini to complete the opera for himself and his family. The libretto was made by his wife Vincenzina Mombelli. It is based on motifs from Pietro Metastasio's Demetrio . Rossini received the individual pieces one by one and composed them separately. According to his own statement, he had no idea that it would be an opera. It was completed before 1810, making it Rossini's first composed opera. However, the public premiere did not take place until May 18, 1812 in the Teatro Vallo in Rome after a rehearsal by Mombelli under the direction of the impresario Rambaldi. Rossini was most likely not present. The Mombellis also played a leading role in the performance. Domenico sang the role of Demetrio, while his two daughters Ester and Marianna took on the roles of Lisinga and Siveno. The bass Lodovico Olivieri, a friend of the family, played the Polibio.

In the following decades the work was performed at various Italian opera houses, such as in Bologna in 1814, in Padua in 1815, in the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice in 1817 , in Palermo in 1818, in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1829 and in the Teatro del Fondo in Naples in 1838 . There were also performances in Vienna, Dresden and Munich until 1820.

Because of the later operas by Rossini, which were more attractive for the opera houses, the work was largely forgotten. It was probably not performed again until 1979 in the small Tuscan town of Barga . In 1992 there was a concert performance in Martina Franca , and in 2010 it was performed at the Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro . In 2016 Demetrio e Polibio was given as part of the Rossini Festival in Wildbad . Deutschlandradio Kultur broadcast a recording of the performance.

Rossini re-used some pieces of the music in later works. For example, the beginning and end of the quartet appear in the quintet of the second act of L'equivoco stravagante . Further loans can be found in La pietra del paragone , Ciro in Babilonia and Il signor Bruschino (the love duet Florville / Sofia “Quanto è dolce a un alma amante”).

Recordings

  • July 27, 1979 (live from Barga, abridged arrangement by Bruno Rigacci ): Bruno Rigacci (conductor), Orchestra Giovanile Internazionale di Opera Barga, Coro della “Guido Monaco” di Prato. Giandomenico Bisi (Demetrio), Aldo Bramante (Polibio), Cecilia Valdenassi (Lisinga), Benedetta Pecchioli (Siveno), Enrico Facini (Alcandro). Bongiovanni LP: GB 2001/2.
  • July 27, 1992 (live from Martina Franca): Massimiliano Carraro (conductor), Graz Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava Sluk Chamber Chorus. Dalmacio Gonzalez (Demetrio and Eumene), Giorgio Surjan (Polibio), Christine Weidinger (Lisinga), Sara Mingardo (Siveno), Anna Laura Longo (Olmira), Martina Fullone (Onao). Dynamic CD: CDS 171 / 1-2.
  • July 1993 (live from Rügen): Wilhelm Keitel (conductor), Minsk Chamber Orchestra. Peter Koppelmann (Demetrio), Stefan Sevenich (Polibio), Sybille Wolf (Lisinga), Carola Guber (Siveno), Dirk Donat (narrator).
  • September 8, 1996 (live from Dordrecht): Giuliano Carella (conductor). Aldo Bertolo (Demetrio), Pietro Spagnoli (Polibio), Maria Costanza Nocentini (Lisinga), Sonia Ganassi (Siveno), Edwin van Gelder (Alcandro), Persephone Abbott (Olmira). Lyric Distribution Incorporated ALD 4085 (MC, 1996).

literature

Web links

Commons : Demetrio e Polibio  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Herbert Weinstock : Rossini - A biography. Translated by Kurt Michaelis. Kunzelmann, Adliswil 1981 (1968), ISBN 3-85662-009-0 .
  2. ↑ a b c Stendhal : Rossini (French: Vie de Rossini. Paris, 1824). Translated from the French by Barbara Brumm. Athenaeum, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-610-08472-3 .
  3. ^ A b c d e f Charles Osborne : The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Amadeus Press, Portland, Oregon, 1994, ISBN 0-931340-71-3 .
  4. ^ A b c Richard Osborne: Rossini - life and work. Translated from the English by Grete Wehmeyer. List Verlag, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-471-78305-9 .
  5. ↑ Thomas Molte: Phantoms of the Opera, Demetrio e Polibio. In: Online music magazine. August 16, 2010, accessed July 8, 2014 .
  6. ^ Demetrio e Polibio (Gioachino Rossini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  7. ↑ Demetrio e Polibio at the Rossini Opera Festival 2010.
  8. ↑ Saber rattles for family peace. Article from July 30, 2016 on Deutschlandradio Kultur , accessed on August 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ a b c Gioacchino Rossini. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , volume 20.
  10. ^ Inclusion by Giuliano Carella (1996) in the discography for Demetrio e Polibio at Operadis.