Il palladio conservato
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Il palladio conservato |
Title page of the libretto from 1735 |
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| Shape: | Azione teatrale |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Georg Reutter |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | October 1, 1735 |
| Place of premiere: | Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Lazio , 241 BC Chr. |
| people | |
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Il palladio conservato (German: "The preserved Palladion ") is a libretto for an azione teatrale in one act by Pietro Metastasio . It was performed for the first time in the setting by Georg Reutter on October 1, 1735 on the birthday of Emperor Charles VI. in the private apartments of the imperial residence of Favorita in Vienna. The executives were the young Archduchesses Maria Theresia and Maria Anna as well as probably their tutor Karoline Countess Fuchs .
action
The plot of the libretto is based on a historical event that is recorded in the excerpts of the 19th book of Titus Livius ' Ab urbe condita and in the sixth book of the Fasti of Ovid : the Palladion , a statue of Pallas considered sacred , was given by the consul Metellus saved from a temple fire.
«Noto che un simulacro di Pallade, conosciuto dall'Antichità sotto nome di Palladio fosse trasportato da Troia nel Lazio, e che, per la costante opinione che dalla conservazione di quello dipendesse il destino del Romano impero, fosse poi consegnato alle Vestali, perchè gelosamente il custodissero. Avvenne dopo la prima guerra Punica che un grave improvviso incendio s'apprese nel Tempio appunto, dove il Palladio suddetto si conservava. Spaventate, e confuse le Vergini custodi non sapean per qual via difendere il sacro Pegno dalle sollecite fiamme: e il popolo, atterrito da sì funesto presagio, piangeva già come indubitata la ruina della fortuna Romana. Quando accorso al tumulto il generoso Metello, quell 'istesso che avea poc' anzi trionfato dei debellati Cartaginesi, posponendo alla pubblica la sua privata salvezza, lanciossi in mezzo all'incendio, passò tra'l fumo, e le fiamme a'penetrali del Tempo , ne trasse illeso il Palladio, e ristabilì con sì gran prova di pietà, e di coraggio tutte le speranze di Roma. Liv. Epit. lib. XIX. Ovid. Nearly. lib. VI, & c. »
“It is known that a statue of Pallas , known since ancient times as Palladion, was brought from Troy to Lazio and that it was sent to the. Because of the popular belief that the fate of the Roman Empire depended on its preservation Vestal Virgins to guard jealously. After the First Punic War , it happened that suddenly a devastating fire broke out in the temple at the very spot where the palladion was kept. Startled and confused, the virginal guards did not know how to protect the holy pledge from the oncoming flames: and the people, startled by this gloomy omen, were already weeping over the certain downfall of Roman fortune. Then the magnanimous Metellus, the same one who had shortly before triumphed over the vanquished Carthaginians , put his personal salvation after the general one, threw himself into the middle of the fire, penetrated the temple through the smoke and the flames, brought out the palladion unharmed and with so great a show of fidelity and courage restored all the hopes of Rome. Liv. Epit. lib. XIX. Ovid. Nearly. lib. VI, & c. "
A sacred forest around the whereabouts of the Vestals.
The vestal virgin Clelia urges her two companions Erennia and Albina to speed up the preparations for the sacrificial ceremony for the goddess Pallas . In their temple the Palladion is kept, a valuable statue of Pallas, which, according to legend, is closely connected to the fate of Rome. When Erennia and Albina asked why they were in a hurry, Clelia initially answered vaguely that they did not know what day the goddess would appear. However, you have already seen the omens. Erennia makes her way to the temple. Clelia now tells Albina how Pallas ( called Minerva here ) appeared to her with lightning and thunderclaps and announced that the heavens would miraculously reveal its secrets today. Albina confesses that she also had a vision in a dream: she was near the temple when the sky suddenly darkened and a violent storm broke out. Then the eagle of Jupiter settled on a laurel bush, and at the same moment calm returned.
Albina makes her way to the sanctuary, but returns immediately and reports in horror that the temple is on fire. But then Erennia comes and tells of the magnanimous hero who saved the Palladion. She now describes the horror of the fire in detail. Everyone present, including herself, was paralyzed when Metello, the conqueror of Africa, finally took the initiative. After scolding the cowardice of the inactive citizens, he threw himself into the flames and brought the statue to safety. The whole people watched in shame and kept silent with tears in their eyes.
After the story is over, Albina notices that Clelia is staring spellbound at the sky and that her face has also changed color. Clelia experienced the deeper meaning of the event in a divine vision and explains it to her companions: Fate promises them a great descendant: Metello is a symbol for Emperor Charles VI., Whose birthday is the occasion for the drama.
history
After Le cinesi and Le grazie vendicate , Il palladio conservato is the third work that Metastasio wrote in 1735 for private performances at the Viennese court. All three works were performed by the young Archduchesses Maria Theresia and Maria Anna and a lady-in-waiting who was probably her tutor Karoline Countess Fuchs . However, the Metastasio editor Bruno Brunelli suspected that the third performer could have been Countess Althann , a friend and patroness of Metastasio. Like Il sogno di Scipione, Il palladio conservato was created for the birthday celebration of the Austrian Emperor Charles VI. written on October 1, 1735. The two works are closely related to the military setbacks of Charles VI. in Italy during the War of the Polish Succession , which led to the loss of Naples and Sicily, among other things. These losses were provisionally fixed two days after the birthday celebration in the Preliminary Peace of October 3 . While the text book on Il palladio conservato only suggests this connection ("azione teatrale allusiva alle vicende di quel tempo"), it is specifically mentioned in Il sogno di Scipione ("azione teatrale allusiva alle sfortunate campagne delle armi austriache in Italia"). At the time of the performance, the final outcome of the conflict was still uncertain, because the war was not officially ended until November 18, 1738 in the Peace of Vienna. Therefore, the course and the end of the plot are kept optimistic.
The work contains many allusions to the political situation and also the homage to the emperor that is customary on the occasion of the birthday celebration. Right at the beginning there is talk of a celebration for the goddess Pallas - a symbol for the celebrations at the Viennese court. After the statue was saved, the hero Metello is recognized by Clelia as a symbol of the emperor. The people themselves are passive and admire their heroism. It should, as it were, trust the leader responsible for the defense. The optimistic basic character of the work becomes clear during the dramatic climax, the temple fire, because the terrible details are only described after it is already clear that the statue has been saved. The image of the laurel, whose shadow covers more and more ground, finally reassures the audience about the fate of the distant regions of Austria. Clelia's last aria also takes up this positive theme again when the “bleeding” (“sanguigno”) light of the stars is transformed into an even more beautiful sparkle.
Typical of Metastasio is the integration of musically intended elements into the text, such as the pictorial storm scene with lightning and thunderbolts and the description of the return of the mild Zephyr wind when the storm subsides in an aria by Albina. In this piece, the real action takes place behind the scene. It is only told by the various characters. One reason for this is the location of the performance in the private apartments of the palace, which did not allow for large stage effects such as a burning temple. The main reason, however, was the author's desire to create a parallel between the situation of the spectator and that of the Vestals. In both cases, the action - in the temple or on the battlefields of Italy - is viewed from a distance. The hero or king appears as a benevolent god who ensures the public good behind the scenes.
The performance on the emperor's birthday was so well received that the archduchesses had to play the piece a second time (according to the title page on November 4, 1735 on the emperor's name day). Metastasio himself also praised the performance of the performers in a letter to his brother Leopoldo.
Settings
The following composers set this libretto to music:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1735 | Georg Reutter | October 1, 1735, court theater | Vienna | for the birthday of Emperor Charles VI. |
| 1743 | Franz Joseph Leonti Meyer von Schauensee | November 11th 1743, Teatro Viceregio | Cagliari | "Operetta" |
| 1773 | Luciano Xavier Santos | June 29, 1773, Palazzo Queluz | Lisbon | "Dramma per musica"; also on May 13, 1783 |
| 1805 | Ferdinando Robuschi | around 1805 | "Cantata per Musica"; dedicated to Maria Carolina , Queen of Naples |
Web links
Digital copies
- ^ Pietro Metastasio, Horace: Opere del Signor abate Pietro Metastasio ...: . Presso la Vedova Herissant, nella Via Nuova di Nosta-Donna, alla Croce d'oro., 1780, p. 341.
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the Serenata by Georg Reutter, Vienna 1735 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Don Neville: Metastasio [Trapassi], Pietro (Antonio Domenico Bonaventura). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ a b Anna Amalie Abert : Metastasio, Pietro. In: Friedrich Blume (Hrsg.): The music in past and present (MGG). First edition, Volume 9 (Mel - Onslow). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 1961, DNB 550439609 , Sp. 224-230 (= Digital Library Volume 60, pp. 50853-50867).
- ^ A b Ludwig Ritter von Köchel: Johann Josef Fux . Georg Olms Verlag, 1974, ISBN 978-3-487-40297-0 , p. 553.
- ↑ a b c d e Jacques Joly: Les fêtes théâtrales de Métastase à la cour de Vienne, 1731–1767. Pu Blaise Pascal, 1978, ISBN 978-2845160194 , pp. 165 ff.
- ↑ Il palladio conservato (Georg Reütter (ii)) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on March 4, 2015.
- ^ Il palladio conservato (Franz Joseph Leonz Meyer von Schauensee) at the opening night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed March 4, 2015.
- ^ Eugen Koller: Franz Josef Leonti Meyer v. Schauensee: . Рипол Классик, 1922, ISBN 978-5-87270-630-4 , p. 10.
- ^ Il Palladio conservato (Luciano Xavier Santos) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on March 4, 2015.
- ^ Il Palladio Conservato (Ferdinando Robuschi). Library record on opac.sbn.it , accessed March 4, 2015.