Il castello di Kenilworth
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Il castello di Kenilworth |
| Original title: | Elisabetta al castello di Kenilworth |
Title page of the libretto, Naples 1829 |
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| Shape: | Opera seria in three acts |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | Gaetano Donizetti |
| Libretto : | Andrea Leone Tottola |
| Literary source: | Walter Scott : Kenilworth |
| Premiere: | July 6, 1829 |
| Place of premiere: | Teatro San Carlo , Naples |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ¼ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Kenilworth Castle |
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Il castello di Kenilworth is an opera seria (original name: "melodramma") in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti from 1829. The libretto was written by Andrea Leone Tottola . The historical role model for Alberto was Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester .
action
first act
Queen Elisabetta wants to visit Leicester at Kenilworth Castle , the marriage is planned. He has secretly got engaged to Amelia Robsart, but still has hope of becoming King of England himself. Fearing Elizabeth's reaction, he asks his servant Lambourne to have Amelia taken to a secluded room in the castle until the queen has left. Warney takes Amelia away and gives the reason that the Duke no longer loves her. He pretends to protect her from him and tries to seduce her. When Amelia rejects him, he swears revenge. Meanwhile the queen arrives. She is greeted brilliantly and looks forward to seeing Leicester again.
Second act
Warney persuaded Leicester to have Amelia moved to a distant castle. Leicester visits Amelia and plays the worried husband. Amelia doesn't believe him, calls him her jailer and insists on being able to move around freely. Later she can escape from her room through a secret passage. She meets the queen in the palace gardens. She tells sadly what troubles her; she thinks Leicester betrayed her.
Furious, the Queen rushes to Leicester with Amelia and demands an explanation. Warney tries to pass Amelia off as his wife, who indignantly refuses but does not tell of her connection to Leicester. The Queen has Amelia captured.
Third act
Elisabetta offers Leicester the crown for the first time and he is now forced to confess his association with Amelia. The queen threatens retribution. Warney tries to poison Amelia, but this can be prevented by Amelia's confidante Fanny. The Queen hears about this, has Warney arrested, forgives Leicester, and approves of his engagement to Amelia.
Work history
Il castello di Kenilworth is Donizetti's 26th opera. The libretto written Andrea Leone Tottola probably after the play Elisabetta al castello di Kenilworth by Gaetano Barbieri, which in turn an adaptation of Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel-François-Esprit Auber's opera Leicester ou Le château de Kenilworth is from the year 1823rd The latter is based on Walter Scott's 1821 novel Kenilworth .
The premiere should have taken place on May 30, 1829. But since Donizetti fell ill, it had to be postponed to July 6th. It took place at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, first under the title Elisabetta al castello di Kenilworth . It sang Adelaide Tosi (Elisabetta), Luigia Boccabadati (Amelia), Giovanni David (Alberto) Berardo Winter (Warney), Gennaro Ambrosini (Lambourne) and Virginia Eden (Fanny). In contrast to the public final rehearsal, where the opera was applauded strongly, the audience at the premiere was cool, but was enthusiastic again on July 12th. Donizetti himself underestimated his latest work: he would not be prepared to give away even a single piece of Il paria , even if he would get the entire Elisabetta in return. The opera had ten performances in 1829 and another four the following year.
A revised version of the opera for an exhibition in Milan was performed under the title Il castello di Kenilworth on June 24, 1830, also at the Teatro San Carlo. Il castello di Kenilworth was Donizetti's first opera on a theme from English history. In 1830 Anna Bolena followed as the first work of the so-called Tudor trilogy, later Maria Stuarda and finally Roberto Devereux .
Adelaide Tosi , the first Elisabetta
Luigia Boccabadati , the first Amelia
Berardo Winter , the first Warney
literature
- Robert Steiner-Isenmann: Gaetano Donizetti. His life and his operas. Hallwag, Bern 1982. ISBN 3-444-10272-0 .
Web links
- Libretto (Italian), Naples 1829. Digitized at Google Books
- Il castello di Kenilworth (Gaetano Donizetti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Work data on italianopera.org (Italian)
- Discography of Elisabetta al Castello di Kenilworth at Operadis
Individual evidence
- ^ William Ashbrook: Donizetti and his Operas. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1982, ISBN 0-521-23526-X , p. 55.
- ↑ operamanager ( Memento from February 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive )