The Temple of Janus
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| Title: | The Temple of Janus |
| Original title: | The temple of Janus, closed by the great Augustus, before the universal world peace |
Title page of the libretto from 1712 |
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| Shape: | Opera in three acts with epilogue |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Reinhard Keizer |
| Libretto : | Christian Heinrich Postel |
| Premiere: | 1698 |
| Place of premiere: | Hamburg |
| Place and time of the action: | Rome at the time of the Emperor Augustus |
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The temple of Janus is a baroque - Opera (original title: "Sing-game") in three acts with an epilogue of Reinhard Keizer ( music ) with a libretto by Christian Heinrich Postel . The work was first performed in 1698 "To celebrate the long-desired peace festival" in the opera on Gänsemarkt in Hamburg .
action
first act
Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia decide that Livia's son Tiberius should bear part of the government burden and later become Augustus' successor. To do this, however, he has to marry his daughter Julia . This agrees. Tiberius, on the other hand, loves Agrippina and does not want to leave her. Valerius also loves Agrippina, but is rejected by her.
Augustus and Philanax in the imperial hall are happy about the largely achieved peace. If the Parthian War ended, the temple of Janus could be closed for the third time during Augustus' reign . Then Valerius announced the victory over the Parthians. The temple of Janus should be closed on the same day. Valerius asks Agrippina's hand as thanks.
Livia worries that her son will have to leave Agrippina in order to marry Julia. But the reasons of state must take precedence over love. So she gives Philanax the order to kidnap Agrippina. Despite his remorse, he wants to carry out the job.
Second act
Livia and Augustus are in a dark cave that is used for divination. In one vision, an eagle carries the Austrian coat of arms in the sky. In addition, the words "You should, August, live in a half-god / Germany will give dear peace." Julia joins. Livia and Augustus inform her that she should marry Tiberius in celebration of the temple closure.
Agrippina is attacked by masked people and led away.
Valerius misses Agrippina and asks Philanax about her. This claims that she drowned in the Tiber. Livia reports Tiberius Agrippina's death.
Philanax visits Agrippina in prison and claims that Tiberius gave the order for the kidnapping because otherwise he would not be able to marry Julia and become emperor. After a brief fit of anger, Agrippina is ready to forgive Tiberius if she can see him again.
Third act
Tiberius mourns Agrippina. Philanax tries to comfort him with the fact that he could see Agrippina again in a vision. Tiberius prepares for the vision through meditation and closes his eyes. Philanax now brings Agrippina. Tiberius opens his eyes and sees them. He believes this is the expected vision and declares his love for her. However, it remains silent. After Philanax and Agrippina leave, Tiberius tells Valerius about the vision. He advises him to marry Julia. Philanax brings the news that Augustus wants to close the temple of Janus and the wedding should take place.
Everything is prepared in front of the Temple of Janus. Livia explains that Agrippina is still alive. She also reveals that she is Agrippina's real mother herself. Her sister, Augustus' first wife, was sterile. When Livia had twins - Tiberius and Agrippina - she had entrusted her with her daughter. Tiberius and Agrippina cannot marry for that reason alone. Philanax now brings Agrippina. Nothing stands in the way of Tiberius and Julia's wedding, and Agrippina and Valerius also get together.
A priestess performs the temple closing ceremony. The House of Austria appears again allegorically in a vision.
layout
The dedication in the title refers to the Peace of Rijswijk of 1697, which ended the War of the Palatinate Succession . This peace agreement between Hamburg's most important trading partners and the Reich meant the lifting of numerous trade restrictions. According to Roman custom, the Temple of Janus was kept open in times of war and ceremoniously closed in times of peace.
With this work Keizer established his fame in Hamburg. It is one of his most impressive early operas. The aria Holde Schatten was later revised by Georg Friedrich Handel in his oratorio La Resurrezione . According to Christian Friedrich Hunold , this aria alone was worth a visit to the theater. The music from the epilogue of the first libretto versions has not been preserved. The opera was revised in 1729 by Georg Philipp Telemann and provided with new arias.
Performance history
The first performance took place on June 9, 1698 in the opera on Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. There it was performed again in 1712.
On November 30, 1722, a revised version was performed in Copenhagen under the name The Temple of Janus, which was closed by Othino, the originator of the Danish Empire .
In 1729 the opera was revised by Georg Philipp Telemann and given a prologue and new arias. The performance of this version took place on October 10th under the original title in the Gänsemarktoper.
More recently it was staged in 2001 at the Hebbel Theater Berlin by the Berlin Chamber Opera in a production by Matthias Remus . The musical director of the Capella Orlandi Bremen had Thomas Ihlenfeldt . The singers and actors were Jörg Gottschick (Augustus), Mona Spägele (Livia), Ralf Popken (Tiberius), Constanze Backes (Julia), Eeva Tenkanen (Agrippina), Alan Dornak (Valerius), Knut Schoch (Philanax) and Stephanie Kaiser ( Reader).
Web links
- Libretto from 1698 as digitized version in the Hamburg State and University Library .
- Libretto from 1712 and libretto from 1729 as a digitized version in the directory of prints from the 18th century published in German-speaking countries .
- Work and performance dates on operabaroque (French), accessed on August 7, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ^ John H. Roberts: Janus. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Finally a happy choir - report on the Berlin performance in 2001 in the Berliner Zeitung on September 7, 2001, accessed on August 7, 2014.