Il tempio dell'eternità
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Il tempio dell'Eternità |
Italian title page of the libretto from 1768 |
|
| Shape: | festa teatrale |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Johann Joseph Fux |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | August 28, 1731 |
| Place of premiere: | Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | in the Elysian fields and in the surrounding forests |
| people | |
Il tempio dell'Eternità (also: Enea negli Elisi ; German: "The Temple of Eternity" or "Aeneas in Elysion") is a libretto for a festa teatrale in one act by Pietro Metastasio . It was performed for the first time in the setting by Johann Joseph Fux on August 28, 1731 to celebrate the birthday of Empress Elisabeth , the wife of Charles VI. in Vienna.
action
This serenata consists primarily of praises to the Austrian Empress Elisabeth Christine, who is called "Elisa" here. They are embedded in a framework story in which the Trojan horse Aeneas descends with the Sibylle Deiphobe into the Elysian fields of the underworld in search of his deceased father Anchises . In front of the Temple of Eternity there, he meets the allegorical figures of “Eternity”, “Fame”, “Virtue” and “Time” who talk about Elisha's virtues.
"Enea trojano, figliuolo d 'Anchise, avendo dopo la distrusion della Patria perduto il padre nell viaggio prescrittogli dall' oracolo d 'Apollo, pervenne in Cuma; donde con la Sibilla Deifobe discese agle Elisi a rivedere e consultare l 'ombra del padre.
Negli Elisi suddetti si figura il Tempio dell Eternità, descritto da Claudiana nel II. Libro delle Lodi di Stilicone, e situato dal medesimo in parte remota, ed inaccessibile a'mortali.
L'azione della Festa sarà L'adempimento del tenero desiderio di Enea di rivedere il padre: e tutto ciò ch 'egli vede ed ascolta in tale occasione, serve opportunamente per celebrare il felicissimo giorno natalizio d'Augusta. »
“After the Trojan Aeneas, the son of Anchises, who had been driven out of his homeland, lost his father on the journey, he arrived in Cumae as prophesied by the oracle of Apollos ; there he went down with Sibylle Deiphobe into the Elysian Fields to see his father's shadow again and to ask for advice.
In the Elysium, the Temple of Eternity, described by Claudian in the second book of the Stilico , is located in a remote and inaccessible place for mortals.
The festa will be about the fulfillment of Aeneas' tender wish to see his father again; and everything he sees and hears on this occasion is suitable for celebrating Augusta's happy birthday. "
The homage theme does not appear right at the beginning of the work, but only becomes apparent as a surprise effect in the course of the plot. At the beginning there is an introductory scene that corresponds to the traditional prologue, but is not explicitly referred to as such here. It contains various allusions to the main works by Virgil , Dante Alighieri and Ludovico Ariosto and depicts a small dark forest - analogous to the “selva oscura” in Dante's Divine Comedy . Two paths lead through this forest: a lighter one to the Elysian Fields and a darker one that leads to Hell, which is called “Dite” as by Dante. Between the two paths stands a bushy elm - according to Virgil the seat of dreams - in which monstrous dream images can be seen. Aeneas' guide Deiphobe explains the nature of the tree to him in words reminiscent of descriptions in Ariosto's Mad Roland and the sixth book of Virgil's Aeneid . The access to both paths is guarded by allegorical figures who subsequently discuss in a moralizing tone. On Deiphobe's advice, Aeneas places the “branch of deadly gold” (“L'aureo ramo fatale”) in the elm in order to address Hecate , the goddess of magic. It's getting dark and after a storm and earthquake the scene gives way to a morning landscape.
The Elysian Fields appear with the Temple of Eternity described by the late antique Latin poet Claudian . This is supported by transparent columns and is equipped with statues of the most famous heroes and heroines of antiquity. In the middle sits “Eternity”, at its sides “Virtue” and “Fame”, a little lower “Time”, and at both ends the laurel-crowned shadows of the singers Linos and Orpheus with their zithers. At this moment the solemn theme of the plot is revealed. Linos explains that the demigods and allegories have gathered here to celebrate the virtues of the “most beautiful soul” (“l'alma più bella”). The framework story is now abandoned for a long time in favor of paying homage to Elisa. Deiphobe tells Aeneas to sit down, be silent and watch. The two only act as spectators in a theater within the theater. Aeneas serves as a symbol for the emperor, who to a certain extent participates personally in the celebration for his wife. Elisa’s praise revolves around the issue of the passage of time and its consequences, aging and forgetting. The “Eternity” praises Elisha's virtues and emphasizes the firm and lasting virtues in comparison to the loud and superficial ones - possibly an allusion to the personality of the Empress, who is more interested in family joys and music than in the display of brilliant ideas was. In order not to bore the audience with an excess of virtue, Die Zeit countered that antiquity had already provided enough heroes who live on in memory. That would prevent them from fulfilling their task of bringing into life an equally perfect soul.
“Eternity” interrupts the conversation after a while to point out an apparition in the sky: a group of clouds is gradually expanding. On one side, the goddess Venus appears in a large conch shell pulled by pigeons with reins made of roses. From the other side come the three graces and joking cupids . The scene is lit by stars, in the largest and brightest of which the image of the empress appears. Metastasio did not use such an elaborate effect of the stage machinery in any other of his occasional works before 1760. The empress appears here in full pomp - in obvious contrast to the qualities of moderation and modesty previously ascribed to her by “virtue”.
The remainder of this section of the festa teatrale is directly devoted to the praise of the Queen and her family. Aeneas only gets the floor briefly by asking Deiphobe if he can see the apparition up close. However, she rebukes him, telling him to be silent and listen - another nod to the Divine Comedy , in which the leader of the main character also occasionally refuses to answer questions that seem premature to him. “Virtue”, “Eternity” and “Fame” scoff at “Time” which, in the face of appearance, has lost speech like a lion before the light of a torch. Finally, the "Zeit" suggests to replace the previous dispute with a new one: All four should help to perfect this incomparable soul. To do this, one must first determine the most suitable place for her birth. After various suggestions such as the Gardens of the Atlas , Thessaly , Crete or Delos , the "Eternity" interrupts the conversation and explains that this place has already been found: it is with the Germans. The four allegories speak one after the other to praise Austria in the form of her people and her emperor. They describe the development of German civilization from the nomadic way of life of the Teutons to the Empire and the assumption of office by Elisha's husband Charles VI . The warlike characteristics of the Germanic peoples are particularly emphasized - similar to Tacitus in his description of the Germanic women in Germania . This image is taken up again in the last aria of “Virtue”. The "Zeit" refers to how the German forests were replaced by proud cities before they praise agriculture and Austrian wine. The most striking part of her speech, however, is a praise for the German winter, in which the poet describes how the human mind overcomes the harshness of nature. After “Glory” has again praised the military achievements of the Austrians, “Eternity” drives with praise of the virtues of Charles VI. left in times of peace and war. Surprisingly, however, she now asks Elisa to dampen the warlike zeal of the emperor - as Venus does with Mars. This is an allusion to the monarch's difficulties in obtaining recognition from the European powers of the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which would ultimately lead to the War of the Austrian Succession . In addition, Charles VI. Defend Austria against the Turks.
After a choir praising the Empress again, the storyline of Aeneas' journey is finally taken up again. A group of dead heroes appear, echoing the previous chorus of Aeneas. Among them is his father Anchises . This encounter differs from Virgil's original. While in the Aeneis Anchises reproaches his son about his permanent stay with Dido in Carthage , here he anticipates Aeneas' excuses: If love does not turn into weakness but is in harmony with virtue, one cannot blame her. Then Deiphobe connects the search of Aeneas with the occasion of the celebration. She explains that the reunion with his father had been postponed until this day so that Aeneas could see the "glory of his descendant" ("di sua progenie i fasti"). So Aeneas is the ancestor of Charles VI. or - in the words of Anchise - the source from which a great river like the Danube rises, whose unstoppable course will cross the banks and flood the provinces. Aeneas regrets not being able to be reborn after its molt like the serpent or the phoenix from the ashes in the time of Charles. The festa teatrale ends with a final chorus of praise for Elisa.
history
The festa teatrale Il tempio dell'Eternità is after the oratorio Sant'Elena al Calvario Metastasio's second libretto written as court poet in Vienna. He wrote it to celebrate the birthday of Empress Elisabeth , the wife of Charles VI. The performance took place on August 28, 1731 in the Favorita garden - with an elaborate stage design by Giuseppe Galli da Bibiena . Members of the Imperial Court Orchestra were appointed as soloists: the former castrato Gaetano Orsini (Aeneas), the soprano castrato Domenico Genovesi (the "Eternity"), the sopranos Regina Schoonjans (Deifobe), Theresia Holtzhauser (the "fame") and Anna Schnautz (the " Virtue "), as well as the bass Christoph Praun (the" time "). The tenors Gaetano Borghi (shadow of Anchises) and Christian Peyer (shadow of Orpheus) and the old castrato Giovanni Greco (shadow of Linos) also took part.
layout
Compared to his other works of homage, this text is remarkably long and complex. It contains many artistic and cultural allusions and combines the qualities of the ancient Greek and Latin authors with those of Dante Alighieri ( Divine Comedy ), Ludovico Ariosto ( The Furious Roland ) and Torquato Tasso ( The Liberated Jerusalem ). The Aeneas theme, with which Metastasio established his fame in Didone abbandonata in 1724 , is also taken up again here. The framework plot is linked to the occasion of the birthday party of the empress, who is represented as the ruler of the Elysian fields, through the obvious symbolism of "Elisa" (Elisabeth) and "Elisi" (Elysion). The elaborate staging is in the tradition of the baroque “festa” of its predecessors Francesco Sbarra , Nicolò Minato and Pietro Pariati and is once again brought to the highest perfection. The setting performed by the court composer Johann Joseph Fux is his last opera. Since Metastasio also developed formally in his subsequent serenatas, it seems like a farewell to the old form of courtly celebration. Metastasio added a sham act here in order to credibly enliven the praise of the ruler. In addition, he renounced the scheme of the contest between gods, which he had previously used in La contesa de 'numi and was to be resumed in most of the serenatas of the years 1730–40.
Settings
The following composers set this libretto to music:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1731 | Johann Joseph Fux | August 28, 1731, Theater in der Favorita | Vienna | "Festa teatrale", also as Enea negli Elisi ; K 318 |
| 1768 | anonymous | 1768, Teatro Pubblico | postage | "Componimento drammatico" for the birthday party of the Portuguese King Joseph I. |
| 1772 | Giuseppe Sarti | January 1772, Det Kongelige Teater | Copenhagen | “Festa teatrale” for the birthday celebration of the Danish King Christian VII ; according to the University of Western Ontario as early as 1771 |
| 1777 | Josef Mysliveček | 1777 | Munich | as Enea negli Elisi ; lost, only mentioned in a letter from Mozart |
| 1810 | Giovanni Liverati | 1810, Lobkowitz Palace | Vienna | as "allegorical opera" Il tempio d'eternità |
Recordings and performances in recent times
The setting by Johann Joseph Fux has achieved a certain fame through the use of the obbligato trumpet as the only solo instrument. The soprano aria Chi nel camin d'onore is available in various sheet music editions with trumpet music and is performed occasionally.
Web links
Digital copies
- ^ Digitized version of the libretto on Google Books .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / Portuguese) of the opera by anonymous, Porto 1768. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Vienna August 29th 1731. (…) Tuesday, August 28th, the court was at the court (…). In: Wienerisches Diarium , No. 69/1731, August 29, 1731, p. 6 ( unpaginated ), center right. (Online at ANNO ). .
- ^ Don Neville: Metastasio [Trapassi], Pietro (Antonio Domenico Bonaventura). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ a b c d e f Jacques Joly: Les fêtes théâtrales de Métastase à la cour de Vienne, 1731–1767. Pu Blaise Pascal, 1978, ISBN 978-2845160194 , pp. 87 ff.
- ^ A b University of Western Ontario : Il Tempio dell'Eternità. ( Online, PDF )
- ↑ Enea negli Elisi overo Il tempio dell'eternità (Johann Joseph Fux) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on February 20, 2015.
- ↑ Il tempio dell'eternità (anonymous) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on February 20, 2015.
- ↑ List of stage works by Giuseppe Sarti based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on September 29, 2014.
- ^ Josef Mysliveček, Il Boemo. Biography on the Czech Radio website , accessed February 23, 2015.
- ^ List of stage works by Giovanni Liverati based on the MGG from Operone, accessed on February 20, 2015.
- ↑ Il tempio d'eternita (Giovanni Liverati) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed February 20, 2015.