Ginevra di Scozia

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Opera dates
Title: Ginevra of Scotland
Original title: Ginevra di Scozia
Scene from the opera

Scene from the opera

Shape: Dramma serio eroico in two acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Johann Simon Mayr
Libretto : Gaetano Rossi
Literary source: Ludovico Ariosto: Orlando furioso ,
Antonio Salvi : Ginevra principessa di Scozia
Premiere: April 21, 1801
Place of premiere: Teatro Nuovo , Trieste
Playing time: approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: In and near “Sant'Andrea”, the capital of the Kingdom of Scotland
people
  • the king of scotland ( bass )
  • Ginevra, his daughter ( soprano )
  • Polinesso, Grand Constable of the Reich ( tenor )
  • Ariodante, an Italian knight (soprano castrato )
  • Lurcanio, his brother (tenor)
  • Dalinda, a noble lady (soprano)
  • Vafrino, Ariodantes Armored Person (tenor)
  • the great hermit of Scotland (bass)
  • Greats of the empire, dukes, warriors, hermits. Extras: royal guards, Scottish and British soldiers, Irish prisoners, Scottish noble ladies, people, rulers ( chorus )

Ginevra di Scozia is an opera (original name: "Dramma serio eroico") in two acts by the German composer Johann Simon Mayr , which was written on April 21, 1801 for the opening of the Teatro Nuovo, today's Teatro lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste . The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on an episode from Ludovico Ariosto's epic Orlando furioso (1516) and on Antonio Salvi's libretto for the dramma per musica Ginevra principessa di Scozia by Giacomo Antonio Perti (1708).

content

The opera is set in St. Andrews Scotland at a fabulous time. The theme of the opera is an intricate love story between the four main characters, who almost never come together because of various intrigues. At the end of the opera the couples find each other and the guilty party is forgiven.

In the libretto of the Munich performance of 1818 the plot is reproduced as follows:

“Ginevra, the daughter of the King of Scotland, was loved by an Italian knight named Ariodante, and his love was rewarded with the most tender love. While Ariodante fought courageously in the field for the King of the Scots, Polinesso, Grand Constable of the Empire, tried to win Ginevra's heart for himself; but his efforts were fruitless. Ariodante returns victorious, and Polinesso had to learn that the luck of arms was as good to his rival as the luck of love. Jealousy and vengeance gave him the most shameful means to bring both lovers to ruin. For he talked Dalinden, one of the princess's maid of honor, on the pretext of making her happy with his love, of allowing him to meet in the princess's room at night; but made the express condition that Dalinda must appear on the balcony in Ginevra's clothes and throw the rope ladder down for him, by means of which he would be able to get to her. Through his event it happened that Ariodante was an unseen witness of this deceptive appearance; believing that his Ginevra had been unfaithful, he threw himself into the river in excess of his pain, but was saved again by the hermits on the other bank. Soon afterwards he learned from them that Ginevra had been accused of bullying and would have to die unless a valiant knight decided to prove her innocence in a fight to the death. Ariodante decides to become the savior of his beloved Ginevra, defeats her accuser Polinesso, and the latter repentantly confesses his deed. The king forgives him on Ariodante's persuasion and gives this valiant knight the hand of his beloved daughter as a reward. "

layout

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Music numbers

The opera contains the following musical numbers:

  • Sinfonia

first act

  • No. 1. Introduction: “Deh! proteggi, o ciel clemente "(scene 1)
  • No. 2. Choir and Cavatine (Ginevra): "S'apra alla gioia" (scene 1)
  • No. 3. Scene and Cavatine (Polinesso): “Quale m'affanna, e opprime” (Scene 4)
  • No. 4. March: "Figlia, gioisci: il vincitor fra poco" (scene 6)
  • No. 5th scene, choir and cavatine (Ariodante)
  • No. 6. Aria (Lurcanio): “Ah! Dov'è quell'alma audace "(scene 8)
  • No. 7. Duet (Ariodante / Polinesso): "Vieni: colà ti attendo" (scene 9)
  • No. 8. Aria (Vafrino): "Tremo agitato, e peno" (scene 10)
  • No. 9. Scene and aria (Ariodante): "Già l'ombre sue notte distese" (scene 11)
  • No. 10. Scene and aria (Polinesso): "Ah misero fratello!" (Scene 14)
  • No. 11. Finale I: “Sgombra, o cielo! dal mio seno "(scene 16)

Second act

  • No. 12. Aria (Dalinda): "Tu vedi in me la vittima" (scene 2)
  • No. 13. Scene of the hermits: “Ove son io?… Dove m'inoltro!” (Scene 3)
  • No. 14. Aria (King): "Tu mi trafiggi ingrato!" (Scene 5)
  • No. 15. Scene and Rondo (Ginevra): “Infelice Ginevra! in qual cadesti "(scene 7)
  • No. 16. Choir, scene and aria (Polinesso): "Il sole all'occaso" (scene 9)
  • No. 17. Quintet: “Io la difendo. In campo scenda "(Scene 11)
  • No. 18. Duet (Ginevra / Ariodante): “Per pietà! Deh! Non lasciarmi "(scene 12)
  • No. 19. Choir: "Oh giorno di spavento" (scene 13)
  • No. 20. Finale (Duettino and Scozzese): "Apri, mia vita, i lumi" (scene 15)

Work history

For the inauguration of the newly built opera house, a competition was announced, which Rossi and Mayr had won because of the opera set in mythical times of English history. The theme met the romantic enthusiasm for England of the time, which had also spread to Italy. Originally, the opera should have been performed as early as 1800, but delays in completing the theater have delayed the performance by a year.

At the premiere on April 21, 1801, a. a. Pietro Righi (King of Scotland), Teresa Bertinotti (Ginevra), Giacomo David (Polinesso), Luigi Marchesi (Ariodante), Gaetano Bianchi (Lurcanio), Angiola Pirovani-Bianchi (Dalinda), Pietro Righi (Vafrino) and Carlo Borsari (Grand Ceremony Scotland). The set was by Niccola Pellandi and Giuseppe Camisetta, the costumes by Baldassarre Magnani and Luigi Faenza and the choreography by Gaspare Ronzi. Subsequently, Ginevra di Scozia was performed frequently for thirty years, including in Vienna under the direction of Joseph Weigl .

  • Theresa Bertinotti

  • Luigi Marchesi

Recordings

Web links

Commons : Ginevra di Scozia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Sabine Henze-Döhring : Ginevra di Scozia. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 4: Works. Massine - Piccinni. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-492-02414-9 , pp. 15-17.
  2. ^ Ginevra di Scozia. Music numbers on librettidopera.it , accessed January 20, 2017.
  3. ↑ April 21, 1801: "Ginevra di Scozia". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  4. ↑ Libretto data set at librettodopera.it , accessed on January 20, 2017.
  5. ^ Giovanni Simone Mayr. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 9706.