Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai)

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Opera dates
Title: Francesca da Rimini
Cover of the libretto, Milan 1914

Cover of the libretto, Milan 1914

Shape: Tragedia in four acts and five pictures
Original language: Italian
Music: Riccardo Zandonai
Libretto : Tito Ricordi
Literary source: Gabriele D'Annunzio : Francesca di Rimini
Premiere: February 19, 1914
Place of premiere: Teatro Regio , Turin
Playing time: approx. 2 ½ hours
people
  • Children of Guido Minore da Polenta:
  • Giovanni lo Sciancato, the "Lame" ( baritone )
  • Paolo il Bello, the "beautiful" ( tenor )
  • Malatestino dall'Occhio, the "one-eyed" (tenor)
  • Children of Malatesta da Verucchio
    • Biancofiore (mezzo-soprano)
    • Garsenda, (soprano)
    • Altichiara ( old )
    • Adonella (soprano)
    • Smaragdi, the slave girl (mezzo-soprano)
  • Francesca's women
  • Ser Toldo Berardengo (tenor)
  • Il Giullare, the minstrel (bass)
  • Il Balestriere, the crossbowman (tenor)
  • Il Torrigiano, the tower keeper (baritone)
  • Montagna, prisoner (tenor)
  • seven shooters (7 silent roles)
  • Crossbowmen, archers, musicians, women ( choir , extras)

Francesca da Rimini is an opera (original name: "Tragedia") in four acts and five pictures by Riccardo Zandonai ( music ) with a libretto by Tito Ricordi . It was premiered on February 19, 1914 at the Teatro Regio in Turin and is still his most frequently performed opera.

action

prehistory

For political reasons, Francesca is supposed to be married to a son of the Malatesta family, more precisely to Giovanni the Lame, known as Gianciotto. However, it is feared that Francesca would, because of his ugliness, never want to connect with him and oppose the wedding. So a deception is staged in order not to endanger the "advantageous" role: Instead of Giovanni, his younger and more beautiful brother Paolo is sent to deceive Francesca.

first act

Courtyard of the Polenta Castle

Ostasio, Francesca's brother, guards all her contacts and relationships out of fear that the big lie might still be exposed, and so a simple minstrel, who tells the story of Tristan and Isolde to the maids at court for amusement , is unceremoniously locked in dungeon . Francesca's sister Samaritana appears with that very girl, still unaware of the lies and intrigues, and begs her not to leave the house in which they had spent their childhood together. Francesca, however, is determined and filled with the thought of her upcoming wedding. Then they call their maids: And then she sees Paolo riding across the courtyard with his entourage. Filled with its beauty and the love that arises, she breaks a rose and gives it to "her bridegroom".

Second act

Malatesta Castle

On the day of an important battle between the Malatestas and the Paridati, Francesca drove up one of the castle towers, in the middle of the tumult of the upcoming battle. There she meets Paolo, who is returning after a short absence. Because of her shame, she accuses him of treason. His face, however, is marked with remorse, he takes off his helmet and goes into battle without it, defenseless. Francesca recognizes in that courage to death, which she seems to recognize in Paolo, a sign of the greatest repentance, which he wants to redeem through atonement, and forgives him. But the danger seems to be taking revenge: Paolo's face is grazed by an arrow. When Francesca looks for the wound on him and touches his face with her hand, Paolo confesses his love to her. Gianciotto comes to the castle, pleased with the positive outcome of the wild battle, and greets Francesca there. This gives him and Paolo Becher with wine, but suddenly, with some commotion, the seriously injured Malatestino is brought in. As soon as Francesca has bandaged his wound on the eye, it plunges back into the revived battle.

Third act

Room with frescoes depicting the story of Tristan and Isolde

Francesca reads from the legend of the knight Lancelot. While she tries to control her great nervousness, her wives try to entertain her with songs and dances about the beginning of spring. Her slave Smaragdi, who in ignorance had Francesca sent to Paolo, she confides her fears about the insidious Malatestino. Before he even appears, Francesca sends her wives away. Finally Paolo appears, having returned to Rimini after another absence. Francesca welcomes him, but tries to have a safe conversation. She explains to him that she has come to terms with her fate and does not want to hear any more about her past happiness. However, Paolo tells her how he has longed for her again and again in the last few months, and always fought in vain against his feelings for her. Then his gaze meets the open book: He begins to recite from it and persuades Francesca to take on the part of Genevieve. When they arrive at the point where the first kiss between Lancelot and Genevieve takes place, the two hug each other and kiss passionately.

Fourth act

First picture. Octagonal hall

Francesca is waiting for her husband, who is to leave for the night. At her side is Malatestino, who is harassing her. Her feeling of discomfort is heightened by the screams of a prisoner, which continuously come from a dungeon below. Soon Malatestino takes an ax and descends into the dungeon. While Malatestino is in the depths, Gianciotto appears, who finds his wife pale with horror. Malatestino appears with the prisoner's head and Francesca leaves the room, horrified. Giovanni immediately confronts Malatestino because he rightly suspects that Malatestino had harassed Francesca. The latter, however, cleverly steers Gianciotto's thoughts through hidden allusions to the secret relationship between Paolo and Francesca, which he has not escaped. Giovanni falls into a raging jealousy: He decides to stage his departure and to surprise the two supposed lovers at night.

Second picture. Made as in the third act

At four o'clock in the morning the women wake up at Francesca, who seems to be plagued by nightmares. When she wakes up from her sleep with a scream, she sends the women away and turns off the lights: this is the sign that Paolo had been waiting for hours. When Francesca Paolo hears her name calling, she lets him in quickly and the two give in to their love. But the passionate scene is short-lived: Gianciotto's throbbing suddenly roars from outside. While frightened Francesca opens the door, Paolo tries to escape the jealous brother through a secret trap door in the floor: this fails because he gets caught with his coat. In the end, Paolo pulls his dagger, but Gianciotto rushes at him with an open weapon. To save her lover, Francesca rushes between the brothers and is fatally struck by her husband's weapon. She sinks into the beloved's arms and receives one last kiss from Paolo. Gianciotto, driven by jealousy and abysmal hatred, now stabs Paolo too, who, arm in arm with Francesca, sinks to the ground, dying.

Instrumentation

The following instruments are required:

Work history

Title page of the libretto, Milan 1914

The text comes from the publisher Tito Ricordi . It is based on Gabriele D'Annunzio Verstragödie Francsca da Rimini (1901), in turn, Giovanni Boccaccio Commento alla Divina Commedia processed (1373). The latter processed an episode from the fifth song of the "Inferno" from the Divine Comedy (around 1320) by Dante Alighieri .

The premiere took place on February 19, 1914 in the Teatro Regio in Turin under the musical direction of Ettore Panizzas . Contributors included Linda Cannetti (Francesca), Giulio Crimi (Paolo) and Francesco Cigada (Giovanni).

literature

Web links

Commons : Francesca da Rimini  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Egon Voss : Francesca da Rimini. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 779-782.
  2. ↑ Information in the score.