Il trionfo di Clelia
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Il trionfo di Clelia |
Third act, scene II. |
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| Shape: | Opera seria |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Johann Adolph Hasse |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | April 27, 1762 |
| Place of premiere: | Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Tuscan ( Etruscan ) camp on the banks of the Tiber at the foot of the Gianicolo in front of Rome, 508 BC Chr. |
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Il Trionfo di Clelia is an opera - libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio . It was performed for the first time in the setting by Johann Adolph Hasse on April 27, 1762 to celebrate the birth of Archduchess Isabella von Bourbon in Vienna. With ten well-known settings, it is one of the less common libretti Metastasios.
A German translation of the libretto by Johann Anton Koch appeared in 1775 under the title The Triumph of Clelia in the seventh volume of the unfinished complete edition Des Herr Abbot Peter Metastasio Kayserl. Royal Court Poet's Dramatic Poems.
action
The Roman King Tarquinio ( Lucius Tarquinius Superbus ) had been overthrown and banished from Rome because of his tyrannical regime. To regain power, he made an alliance with the Etruscan King Porsenna , which was strengthened by his engagement to Porsenna's daughter Larissa. The fighting eventually led to the siege of Rome by the Etruscans (referred to here as the Tuscans). At the beginning of the opera there is a truce secured by the Roman hostage Clelia ( Cloelia ). Clelia's fiancé Orazio ( Horatius Cocles ) is also in the Tuscan camp to negotiate with Porsenna as Roman envoy.
Metastasio preceded his libretto with an outline of the plot, at the end of which the author also refers to his sources. The Munich libretto gives the following translation of the text:
“Porsenna King of the Toscans was determined to reinstate Titus Tarquinius, last son of Tarquinius Superbus, on the throne of Rome, from which he had been rejected; so he came with an immense army to besiege Rome. The arrest of the frightened Romans, and the particular steadfastness of Mutius Scevola, which aroused the admiration of the king, were given an armistice for a few days in order to be able to negotiate the peace negotiations: but with the condition that the besieged a prescribed number to ensure this standstill To deliver hostage: of these, the most handsome was Clelia, a noble girl from Rome. The fraudulent acts of violence discovered by Tarquinius, and the repeated proofs which the Romans have meanwhile given of their bravery, aroused in the Porsenna (which is mostly characteristic of great souls) contempt and loathing for one, love and admiration for the other. When the king finally heard the more than masculine courage of Clelia with which she crossed the Tiber (which made Livy say she was braver than Scevola and Coclites ) all his admiration changed in him into a noble emulation for her Honor. He considered it a great injustice to rob posterity of so many examples that could be promised from the first sages of such a people: instead of suppressing what he intended to do, he entered into the most exact bonds of friendship with them, and of peace: and left them in the quiet possession of their won freedom.
Livy Dio: Alicar. Plutary. Pile. Aur. Victor .
The action takes place in the Tuscan camp, on the banks of the Tiber, and at the foot of Janikulus . "
The following table of contents is also based on the libretto of the setting by Josef Willibald Michl , published in Munich in 1776 .
first act
Inner rooms intended for Clelia in the royal palace in the suburbs on the banks of the Tiber and at the foot of the Gianicolo , which was occupied by Porsenna during the siege of Rome
Clelia sits thoughtfully at a small table. She is horrified when she sees Tarquinio approaching. Regarding him as an enemy, she feels her honor hurt by his visit. Despite his engagement to Larissa and her association with Orazio, he declares his love for her and offers her marriage and the Roman throne. Clelia firmly refuses. When Larissa arrives, Tarquinio greets her exaggeratedly friendly as his bride and leaves. Clelia now tells her about Tarquinio's proposal, and both complain about his mean character. Larissa envies Clelia her relationship with the Roman envoy Orazio, as she has to keep her own love for Mannio a secret. After she leaves, Orazio appears. Clelia also tells him about Tarquinio's advertisement and urges him to flee with her because she no longer feels safe. Orazio assures her of his love, but points out their mutual obligations for the fatherland. Clelia sees that. The entering Mannio calls Orazio to the king. Asked by Clelia for his opinion on the negotiations, Mannio refers to the justice of Porsenna, who unfortunately trusts Tarquinio. Clelia rejects his fear that Larissa could support Tarquinio. Eventually, Mannio admits to being in love with Larissa himself. Clelia is confident that she can face the dangers.
Royal apartments overlooking the Tuscan army next to the occupied Janiculum
The negotiations between Porsenna and Orazio begin. Porsenna hopes to be able to conquer Rome without bloodshed. Orazio refers to the great love of the Romans for freedom. They are glad to have shaken off the yoke of bondage under Tarquinio. Porsenna, however, is of the opinion that their peoples should support one another and that freedom only plays a subordinate role. The negotiations ultimately ended with no results.
One hall
In order to divert attention from his actual plan, Tarquinio offers Orazio to renounce his claim to the throne if he leaves Clelia to him. Orazio would be quite ready to do so, despite his concern for Clelia. When she arrives, he tells her about the failed interview with the king and vaguely suggests another possibility. However, he withholds Tarquinio's specific offer.
Second act
A gallery that leads to different rooms
Tarquinio has ordered his people to gather at a poorly guarded bridge to carry out a surprise attack on Rome while the Romans await the outcome of the negotiations. The messenger, impatiently awaited by him, finally appears and reports that everything is ready. Tarquinio is on his way.
While Orazio is still pondering that he should give up Rome for the sake of Clelia, Clelia comes and reports Tarquinio's treacherous attack on the city. Orazio now understands its insidiousness. He decides to return to Rome and take part in the defense. Meanwhile, Clelia is supposed to inform Porsenna. They confidently say goodbye to each other.
A small green retreat inside the royal garden with seated statues and water features
Larissa complains to her father about the forced engagement to the hated Tarquinio and tells him about her love for Mannio. They are interrupted by the excited Clelia, who reports on Tarquinio's attack. But since she has not observed it herself, Porsenna does not believe her. Larissa does not consider Tarquinio capable of such an unauthorized act either. She accuses Clelia of believing that her father was the real perpetrator of the attack. But now Mannio comes and confirms the news. Rome is already threatening to lose. Clelia sets off to meet her people. Larissa asks Mannio to follow her. She assures him that he is not indifferent to him, but does not manage to make a real confession of love. Mannio is disappointed with her apparent hard-heartedness.
Old buildings on the Tuscan bank of the Tiber, over which a drawbridge leads
One end is to the left under the buildings, the other can be seen on the far bank of the river. The city of Rome is some distance away.
The Roman bridge watch is on the run from the Tuscans who are slowly marching in. Orazio appears and faces them alone. During the bitter struggle, some dead fall into the river. The Tuscans finally give way and release the bridge. Orazio orders his men to tear down the bridge while he holds the position. The fleeing Tuscans are stopped by Tarquinio and sent back. Orazio continues to defend the bridge until it finally collapses behind him. The Tuscans flee again. Clelia rushes to the victorious Orazio. But he throws himself into the Tiber in front of her eyes to get to the Roman side.
After his plan has failed, Tarquinio tries to convince Porsenna that the Romans are to blame for breaking the armistice. Although Clelia clearly shows her contempt for him, he still loves her and decides to kidnap her. Due to time constraints, however, he has to instruct his followers by letter.
Third act
Pleasure gardens that lead to the inner room of Clelias and are surrounded by pillars and bars
A single locked gate leads to a lonely bank on the Tiber.
Tarquinio's letter was intercepted by Mannio and delivered to Clelia by a messenger. In addition to the kidnapping order, it contains evidence of Tarquinio's guilt for the attack. Clelia makes her way to the king to let him know. Then she sees Tarquinio coming. Your only escape route is behind the bars on the banks of the Tiber, where Tarquinio's companions are waiting. Eventually she finds a horse and rides across the river to the other bank. Tarquinio and Larissa approaching from the other side are horrified.
Cabinets
Porsenna still believes that Rome broke the armistice. Tarquinio confirms this opinion. Nevertheless, Porsenna is impressed by the steadfastness and courage of Orazio. He decides to send his ships across the Tiber the following night to attack in the morning. However, when Mannio reports the arrival of a Roman envoy, he postpones the attack again. Tarquinio loses hope.
The royal castle
Porsenna awaits the ambassador's arrival with some nobles. Tarquinio informs him that it is the traitor Orazio himself. He appears with his entourage and asks Porsenna about the reason for the broken peace. If Porsenna should be the author, Rome would resume the war. Otherwise it demands the extradition of the guilty party. Porsenna is surprised because he expected a defense instead of allegations. Orazio explains that he had been informed of the betrayal and was therefore able to take action in good time. However, he could not give the name of the informant without perjury. He was ready to resume fighting, but demanded the hostage back. Tarquinio points out that Clelia has already fled across the river. Porsenna and Orazio now decide to continue the war. After Orazio leaves, Tarquinio tries to incite Porsenna against Rome. But this is no longer completely convinced of the guilt of the Romans, since Orazio's behavior seemed honest.
Clelia comes accompanied by some Romans. She informs Porsenna about Tarquinio's actions and his kidnapping plan and gives him the intercepted letter as evidence. Tarquinio takes flight. Porsenna now declares that it has been overcome. He sends Clelia back to Rome to say that from now on the Romans will have in him a friend and defender of their freedom.
Sources and previous edits
The historical reports of the siege of Rome by the Etruscan troops of Porsenna and the story of Cloelia can be found mainly in the second book of Titus Livius ' Ab urbe condita and in the fifth book of the Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus . Further historical sources are the tenth book of the Punica by Silius Italicus , the chapter Publicola from the Vitae parallelae of Plutarch , the first book of the Epitoma by Florus and the thirteenth chapter by Aurelius Victors De viris illustribus urbis Romae .
Even before Metastasio, the Cloelia story had become known to larger circles through the pseudo-historical novel Clélie, histoire romaine by Madeleine de Scudéry . This appeared in ten volumes between 1654 and 1660. It also became the subject of various other libretti such as Mutio Scevola by Nicolò Minato (1665), Clelia by Friedrich Christian Bressand (1695), Muzio Scevola by Silvio Stampiglia (also 1695), Porsenna by Agostino Piovene (1712) and Clelia by Giovanni Claudio Pasquini . The latter was set to music in the form of a festa teatrale by Ignazio Maria Conti , which Metastasio could have seen in Vienna in 1733.
Settings
The following composers used this libretto for an opera:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1762 | Johann Adolph Hasse | April 27, 1762, Burgtheater | Vienna | also on May 15, 1762 in Naples; revised on August 3, 1762 in the Royal Polish Opera House in Warsaw; on January 20, 1763 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples; Autumn 1766 in the Royal Theater in Prague |
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| 1763 | Christoph Willibald Gluck | May 14, 1763, Teatro Comunale | Bologna | Wq 31; for the opening of the theater |
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| 1767 | Josef Mysliveček | December 26th 1767, Teatro Regio | Turin | ||
| 1769 | Ferdinando Bertoni | June 10, 1769, Teatro Nuovo | Padua | ||
| 1770 | Johann Baptist Vanhal | 1770 | Rome | lost | |
| 1773 | Giovanni Battista Borghi | May 30, 1773, Teatro San Carlo | Naples | ||
| 1774 | Niccolò Jommelli | Early 1774 | Naples | Revised by João Cordeiro da Silva on June 6, 1774 in the Palazzo Ajuda in Lisbon | |
| 1776 | Josef Willibald Michl | January 8, 1776, court theater | Munich |
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| 1785 | Pietro Urbani | 1785 | Dublin | lost | |
| 1786 | Angelo Tarchi | December 26th 1786, Teatro Regio | Turin | also spring 1787 in the Teatro Ducale della Cittadella in Piacenza |
Discography
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Christoph Willibald Gluck :
- 2012: CD recording. Armonia Atenea; Direction: Giuseppe Sigismondi de Risio ; Hélène Le Corre (Clelia), Mary-Ellen Nesi (Orazio), Irini Karaianni (Tarquinio), Burçu Uyar (Larissa), Vassilis Kavayas (Porsenna), Florin Cezar Ouatu (Mannio).
Web links
- Several different versions of the libretto as full text (Italian) on progettometastasio.it.
Digital copies
- ^ Johann Anton Koch: The abbot Peter Metastasio Kayserl. Royal Court Poet's Dramatic Poems, translated from Italian. Seventh volume. Krauss, Frankfurt and Leipzig in 1775 as digitization at the Munich digitization center .
- ↑ a b Libretto (Italian / German) of the opera by Josef Willibald Michl, Munich 1776 as digitized version at the Munich digitization center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Johann Adolph Hasse, Vienna 1762 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Johann Adolph Hasse, Naples 1763 as a digitized version in the Internet Archive .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, Bologna 1763 as a digitized version in the Internet Archive .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Josef Mysliveček, Turin 1768 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Angelo Tarchi, Turin 1787 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Don Neville: Trionfo di Clelia, Il. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Metastasio, Pietro in Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart , p. 50861 ff (cf. MGG vol. 9, p. 229 ff.) Bärenreiter-Verlag 1986 ( digital library volume 60).
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Johann Adolph Hasse) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ^ List of stage works by Johann Adolf Hasse based on MGG at Operone, accessed on September 29, 2014.
- ↑ Il Trionfo di Clelia (Johann Adolf Hasse) at operabaroque.fr , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Christoph Willibald Gluck) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Josef Mysliveček) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Ferdinando Bertoni) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ^ A b c Don Neville: Metastasio [Trapassi], Pietro (Antonio Domenico Bonaventura). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ List of stage works by Johann Baptist Vanhal based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ^ Il trionfo di Clelia (Giovanni Battista Borghi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ^ Il trionfo di Clelia (Niccolò Jommelli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Josef Willibald Michl) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ^ List of the stage works by Pietro Urbani based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Il trionfo di Clelia (Angelo Tarchi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on January 7, 2015.
- ↑ Gluck: Il trionfo di Clelia - Giuseppe Sigismondi de Risio . CD information from Allmusic , accessed January 7, 2015.