The seduced Claudius
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| Title: | The seduced Claudius |
| Original title: | The damned state addiction or the seduced Claudius |
Title page of the libretto from 1703 |
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| Shape: | Opera in three acts |
| Original language: | German , Italian |
| Music: | Reinhard Keizer |
| Libretto : | Heinrich Hinsch |
| Premiere: | 1703 |
| Place of premiere: | Hamburg |
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The seduced Claudius is a baroque - Opera (original title: "Sing-game") in three acts by Reinhard Keizer ( music ) with a libretto by Heinrich Hinsch . The work was performed for the first time in 1703 in the opera on Gänsemarkt in Hamburg . In 1726 it was revised again. However, the music of the new version has not been preserved. Georg Friedrich Händel used motifs from the opera for his debut Almira and also in later works such as Agrippina , Rinaldo , Teseo and Alceste .
action
The story is based freely on an episode told by Tacitus from the time of the Roman Emperor Claudius . It is about the affair of his wife Messalina with Gaius Silius and the political intrigues of some courtiers. In a subplot, Calpurnia, who is also in love with Silius, seeks advice from supernatural powers.
first act
Calpurnia has a problem. She is engaged to Callistus , but has now fallen madly in love with Silius. However, this does not want to know anything from her. In her need she conjures up the spirit of the fortune teller Acius Navius. He advises her to seek help in the Elisa fields .
The Empress Messalina and Silius confess their affection for one another. But because Messalina is married to Claudius, there is still no real confession of love. Messalina gives Silius a medallion with her picture.
Even Narcissus is in love with Messalina, but is rejected by her. From the looks Messalina and Silius give each other, he recognizes their relationship.
The general Curtius Rufus receives the honorary title " Father of the Fatherland " from the emperor for his services in the fight against the mountain people. Narcissus and Silius envy his fame. They think he is exaggerated because he only defeated farmers. They despise Claudius for giving tributes too lightly. Narcissus points out to Claudius the possible infidelity of Messalina.
In the Elisaic Fields, Calpurnia asks the spirits of Dido , Medea , Hero and Leander in vain for help. Even time and death do not work against love.
Second act
Curtius solemnly enters the Capitol through a gate of honor.
Silius is waiting for Messalina in the garden. He resolves to kill Claudius and falls asleep. Claudius enters the garden. He doesn't believe in Messalina's infidelity with Silius. Then he finds Silius, who speaks of throne and love in his sleep. He takes the picture of Messalina lying next to Silius. After Silius wakes up, Claudius tells him that he wants to appoint him mayor.
Messalina finds Silius in the garden and confesses her love for him. However, he does not want to betray Claudius and rejects her.
Narcissus, Callistus and Pallas watch Curtius kiss Messalina's hand. You get it wrong and decide to destroy Curtius and Messalina. When they want to blacken Messalina with Claudius, however, they do not agree whether Silius or Curtius should be portrayed as their lover.
Callistus asks his fiancée Calpurnia once more for her love. She holds him out. When she sees Silius, she sends Callistus away. Silius is torn between his love for Messalina and his loyalty to Claudius. Calpurnia confesses her love to him. He rejects them. Calpurnia swears vengeance and goes to Hell to find support.
Narcissus puts pressure on Messalina. He warns her that the emperor could expel her at any time if he tells him about her relationship with Silius.
Calpurnia has arrived in hell. But she also receives no help from Pluto , Minos , Rhadamantus and Proserpine .
Third act
Messalina is angry with Silius because of his previous behavior. He woos her num and finally falls at her feet. Calpurnia, Callistus and Narcissus enter unnoticed by one another and watch the scene. Silius explains to Messalina that he has no interest in Calpurnia. Messalina says the same about Narcissus. The two now find each other and decide to get married. At this moment Calpurnia, Callistus and Narcissus attack the two, but are startled when they see each other. Now Claudius comes in and intervenes. He still does not believe in the infidelity of his wife and Silius and leads Messalina away.
In a garden on the Aventine, Silius and Messalina arrive with their entourage dressed as bacchantes on a chariot drawn by tigers. Behind the wagon, Silenus is riding a donkey. Satyrs scream, sing and dance around him . Silius and Messalina swear eternal loyalty. Narcissus, Callistus, Pallas and Calpurnia decide to kill the two. Instead, the emperor should marry Agrippina . In addition, a law that forbids the marriage of close relatives is to be abolished, and Claudius is to be brought to love Agrippina through Calpurnia's magic.
Calpurnia cannot decide. On the one hand she wants to kill Silius, on the other hand she loves him and still hopes to be able to win him over. In front of the cave of the Fury Erynnis, she asks her for advice. Erynnis advises her to only love someone who loves her too. The black smoke of her torch is said to make her love for Silius wane. The magic works and Calpurnia senses that she is beginning to be interested in Callistus again.
Claudius wants to forget his worries and be happy. At Ostia , he and Curtius pick grapes. Callistus, Pallas, Narcissus come one after the other. They tell Claudius that Silius plans to marry Messalina and become emperor himself. He has already drawn the army to his side. Curtius doesn't believe them at first. Now Calpurnia appears and throws herself to the ground in front of him. Silius had already married Messalina and was about to march into the Capitol. They rush to the Capitol to prevent the worst. Only Calpurnia and Callistus remain. Since Erynnis' spell has worked, they find each other again.
A festival of sacrifices and the Olympic Games take place in the Temple of Jupiter . The priest sees signs of impending disaster. Messalina and Silius come to the temple to sacrifice Jupiter. When Messalina throws incense into the flames, black smoke rises. This is interpreted as a sign of calamity. However, the two ignore it and sing about their love. Claudius, Curtius and Pallas join them. Claudius would like to seek refuge there. The priest comforts him. Happiness will remain true to him. Claudius now throws incense into the fire. A bright flame rises: a good omen.
Callistus appears with the emperor's bodyguard to assist Claudius. Narcissus brings Messalina and Silius prisoner. Messalina explains her behavior by saying that she was afraid that Claudius might leave her because of Agrippina. At Narcissus' urging, he condemns Messalina and Silius to death. Then Parthenia, the eldest of the Vestals , comes with her retinue and interrupts the emperor. He should not judge too quickly because the cause of the betrayal has not yet been clarified. Silius accuses Narcissus of being in love with the Empress himself and of only acting out of revenge. Parthenia explains that the real guilt actually lies with Narcissus, who first initiated the betrayal through his intrigues. Claudius banishes his co-conspirators from Rome. When he wants to sentence Narcissus to death himself, Parthenia intervenes again: “No! this day does not have to be stained with blood: Inside Rome the end of the five years / With the greatest joy / And around the Käyser's hair / Braid the lovely branch of oil. ”Claudius renounces the death sentence, warns Narcissus and gives Messalina to the Vestals. Silius is banished to Africa, where he is supposed to act as governor. Callistus and Calpurnia decide to get married.
layout
With this opera Keizer and his librettist Hinsch introduced individual Italian arias for the first time in an opera that was actually German. This practice became the standard in Hamburg in the following years. The musicologist Friedrich Chrysander saw this critically:
“For us, Claudius is memorable as the first Hamburg opera text in which Italian arias were scattered, and Reinhard Keizer has the sad fame of having put such a thing into work. The way Hinsch [the lyricist] speaks of it shows clearly that it was Keizer who came up with this new stimulant; as a reward for this he was immediately celebrated among Germans as an Italian composer. "
Musically striking is the frequent use of popular melodies and the largely avoidance of coloratura .
Performance history
After the first performance on July 1, 1703, the opera was performed again in Hamburg on November 21, 1718 and in a revised form on July 17, 1726.
Several performances and CD releases are documented from more recent times:
- In 1989 there was a performance in Swedish at Vadstena Academy in Sweden , directed by Alan Hacker and directed by Åsa Melldahl. The singers were Greger Erdös (Claudius), Christina Falk (Messalina), Lars Palerius (Silius), Charlotta Nilsson (Calpurnia), Sigrid Holmquist (Calistus, Heros), Tomas Lind (Curtius Rufus), Elisabet Hellström (Narcissus), Paula Hoffman (Pallas), Henrik Westberg (Leander), Pia-Lena Andersson (Dido) and Kristina Eriksson (Medea).
- In 2001 the CD Reinhard Keizer: Opera Arias / Instrumental Works (MDG # 5051037) by Elisabeth Scholl and the Ensemble La Ricordanza was released . a. contains some arias from Claudius .
- In November 2003 there was a production by Matthias Remus in the Hansa-Theater Berlin . The Capella Orlandi Bremen played under the musical direction of Thomas Ihlenfeldt . Vocal soloists were Raimonds Spogis (Claudius), Doerthe Maria Sandmann (Messalina, Heros), Melanie Hirsch (Narcissus, Dido), Dorothe Ingenfeld (Callistus), Ulrike Bartsch (Pallas), Eeva Tenkanen (Calpurnia), Knut Schoch (Silius, Rhadamantus) , Mona Spägele (Medea, Erynnis, Parthenia Vibidia), Bruno Fath (Curtius Rufus, Minos, Geist von Accius Navius) and Lars Grünwoldt (Leander, Pluto).
- There was a further series of performances in 2008 in the Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt , the Theater Meiningen and the E-Werk Weimar . The Lautten Compagney played here under the direction of Wolfgang Katschner . Elmar Fulda directed the film. Dong-Hun Han (Titus Claudius), Susanne Langbein (Messalina), Christel Loetzsch (Narcissus), Lis Dorlöchter (Calistus), Anna Buschbeck (Calpurnia) and Juliane Leonore Schenk (Silius) sang. A recording was broadcast on November 8, 2008 by MDR Figaro .
literature
- Reinhard Keizer , Hinrich Hinsch : Claudius and Nebucadnezar. Score. In: John H. Roberts (Ed.): Handel sources. Volume 3, Garland, New York 1986, ISBN 0-8240-6477-1 .
Web links
- Libretto from 1703 and libretto from 1706 Der seduced Claudius as a digitized version in the directory of prints from the 18th century published in German-speaking countries .
- Discography in operabaroque (French), accessed August 8, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c John H. Roberts: Claudius. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ a b c Rita Laurance: Description of the opera from Allmusic , accessed on August 8, 2014.
- ^ Friedrich Chrysander : History of the Hamburg Opera under the direction of Reinhard Keizer (1703-1706) , AMZ XV. Volume, No. 2-6 (1880), pp. 1–41, pp. 17-18; quoted from Arno Lücker: Reinhard Keiser's Orpheus operas - comments on the libretti. FZMw Jg. 7 (2004) p. 82 (online)
- ↑ Data sheet and sound samples of the 1989 performance on the Vadstena Academy website (Swedish), accessed on August 11, 2014.
- ↑ Information about the CD Reinhard Keizer: Opera Arias / Instrumental Works from Allmusic , accessed on August 8, 2014.
- ↑ The first work for a public opera house - report on the Berlin performance from 2003 in the Berliner Zeitung on November 17, 2003, accessed on August 8, 2014.
- ^ Announcement of the 2008 performance series on the Lautten Compagney website , accessed on August 8, 2014.
- ↑ baroque opera; slightly shortened; Staging of the Weimar Music Academy on WorldCat , accessed on August 8, 2014.