La straniera

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Work data
Title: The stranger
Original title: La straniera
Title page of the libretto, Milan 1829

Title page of the libretto, Milan 1829

Shape: Opera in two acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Vincenzo Bellini
Libretto : Felice Romani
Literary source: L'Étrangère by Victor d'Arlincourt
Premiere: February 14, 1829
Place of premiere: Teatro alla Scala , Milan
Playing time: about 3 hours
Place and time of the action: Brittany, around 1300
people
  • Alaide, actually Agnese, the stranger ( soprano )
  • Signore di Montolino ( bass )
  • Isoletta, his daughter, fiancee Arturos ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Arturo, Count von Ravenstel ( tenor )
  • Barone di Valdeburgo, actually Leopoldo ( baritone )
  • Prior of the Spedalieri (bass)
  • Osburgo, confidante Arturos (tenor)
  • Ladies, cavaliers, fishermen, gondoliers, friars, hunters, guards and vassals of Signore di Montolino ( choir , extras)

La straniera (German: The Stranger ) is a tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini . The libretto written Felice Romani , based on the novel L'Étrangère of Charles Victor Prévôt, Vicomte d'Arlincourt . The premiere took place on February 14, 1829 in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

action

prehistory

The king cast out his wife Isemberga and turned to the duke's daughter Agnese. Since the Pope did not recognize the annulment of the marriage with Isemberga, the King had to resume Isemberga. He sent Agnese to a castle in Brittany under the guard of her brother Leopoldo. Agnese fled and since then has been hiding as an alaide in a hut on the lake of Montolino. She leaves the hut only veiled and is called the stranger by the residents who do not know her origin .

first act

Henriette Méric-Lalande as Alaide, Milan 1829
Antonio Tamburini as Valdeburgo, Milan 1829

The wedding of Isoletta and Count Arturo di Ravenstel is being prepared at Montolino Castle. Isoletta complains to her confidante Valdeburgo, a friend of Arthur's, about the changed behavior of her fiancé; she fears that he has fallen in love with the stranger. Arturo visits the stranger, he confesses his love for her, but she informs him that her love cannot be fulfilled. Arturo sends Valdeburgo to the stranger and Valdeburgo, who is really Leopoldo, recognizes his sister Agnese in her, but keeps her incognito. When Arturo sees that Valdeburgo is hugging the stranger, he thinks he is a rival. He challenges Valdeburgo to a duel, in the course of which Valdeburgo falls wounded into the lake. When Alaide, aka Agnese, tells Arturo that Valdeburgo, aka Leopoldo, is her brother, Arturo throws himself into the lake out of desperation. Since Alaide has her brother's blood on her hands, she is charged with the murder of Valdeburgo and Arturo.

Second act

At the trial led by the prior, Alaide does not reveal her identity. When the death penalty threatens her, the soaked Arturo rushes over, who managed to escape from the lake. Now Arturo is accused of murdering Valdeburgo. Arturo and Alaide are to be executed together - but luckily Valdeburgo now appears, who was also able to save himself from the lake. Valdeburgo forgives Arturo, but only on the condition that he renounce the Alaids and immediately marry Isoletta. Arturo agrees, but demands that Alaide attend the wedding.

Arturo now also begs Isoletta for forgiveness, but she suspects that she has lost his heart forever. When she refuses to marry Arturo under these circumstances, Alaide approaches and encourages Isoletta to marry, the love will come soon. While Alaide laments her lot in front of the church, Arturo breaks off the ceremony because he could not live without Alaide. Then the prior steps forward and calls Alaide “Queen”, because Isemberga has just passed away, so that Alaide / Agnese can become the king's rightful wife. In the face of this rival, Arturo realizes the hopelessness of his love and with the reputation that the way to the throne only leads through his corpse, he stabs himself. Alaide / Agnese laments their lot again.

layout

Instrumentation

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

Music numbers

first act

  • Introduction and choir - Voga, voga
  • Recitative and Duet - Io la vidi (Isoletta, Valdeburgo)
  • Recitative - Osburgo? ... (Montolino, Osburgo)
  • Scene and Romance - Sventurato il cor che fida (Alaide)
  • Scene and duet - Serba, serba i tuoi segreti (Alaide and Arturo)
  • Choir of Hunters - Campo ai veltri
  • Recitative and trio - No, non ti son rivale (Alaide, Arturo, Valdeburgo)
  • Scene and choir - La Straniera a cui fé tu presti
  • Trio - Ah! non partir (Alaide, Arturo, Valdeburgo)
  • Scene, Choir and Aria - Finale I - Un grido io sento (Alaide)

Second act

  • Scene and aria - Sì, li sciogliete, o giudici (Valdeburgo)
  • Scene - Tu che osasti mentir (Priore, Osburgo)
  • Scene and duet - Sì!… Sulla salma del fratello (Arturo, Valdeburgo)
  • Scene and aria - Ah! se non m'ami più (Isoletta)
  • Choir - È dolce la vergine
  • Scene and quartet - Che far vuoi tu? (Alaide, Isoletta, Arturo, Valdeburgo)
  • Scene, chorus and aria, Finale II - Ciel pietoso (Alaide)

Historical role model

Agnes of Andechs-Meranien

The plot of the opera is based on a historical model that is hardly less involved than the libretto: in 1193, King Philip II of France married the Danish Princess Ingeborg . Shortly after the wedding, he separated from her again and had the marriage annulled by the French clergy. Although Pope Innocent III. did not recognize the annulment of the marriage, Philip married Agnes-Maria von Andechs-Meranien (* 1175 in Andechs ) in 1196 , so he lived in bigamy . Ingeborg was imprisoned but refused to consent to a divorce. Pope Innocent III supported them by banning the French king in 1200 and threatening him with excommunication . On September 7, 1200, Philipp expelled Agnes and then brought Ingeborg back to the French court. Agnes retired to Poissy Castle and died there a year later on July 20, 1201 after the birth of her son Tristan. Her body was buried in the monastery of St. Correntin-les-Mantes north-west of Paris . Her two surviving children were legitimized by the Pope in 1201 at the request of the French king. The fate of Agnes was also dealt with by François Ponsard in his tragedy Agnès de Méranie (1847).

reception

The opera is not part of the international standard repertoire and is rarely performed. The few attempts at revival in the 20th and 21st centuries include, in addition to a few concert performances, productions at La Scala in 1935, in Catania 1954 and 1980, in Palermo 1968, in Martina Franca 1983, at the Wexford Festival Opera 1987, in Trieste 1990 and on Teatro Avenida in Buenos Aires 2000. In July 2012 the opera was performed in Munich in concert with Edita Gruberová as Alaide. A staged performance took place in June 2013 at the Zurich Opera House , also here with Edita Gruberova in the leading role. In January 2015 the opera was played in the Theater an der Wien , where Edita Gruberová and Marlis Petersen alternated in the title role . In June 2015 there were concert performances at the Berlin State Opera with Edita Gruberová in the title role.

Discography (selection)

  • 1969 - Anton Guadadno, Orchestra e Coro della Carnegie Hall; Montserrat Caballé (Alaide), Vincente Sardinero (Valdeburgo), Amedeo Zambon (Arturo), Bianca Maria Casoni (Isoletta) - Opera d'oro
  • 1970 - Ettore Gracis, Orchestra e coro de La Fenice di Venezia; Renata Scotto (Alaide), Domenico Trimarchi (Valdeburgo), Beniamino Prior (Arturo), Elena Zilio (Isoletta) - Opera d'oro
  • 1990 - Gianfranco Masini, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Verdi di Trieste; Lucia Aliberti (Alaide), Roberto Frontali (Valdeburgo), Vincenzo Bello (Arturo), Sara Mingardo (Isoletta) - Ricordo Fonicetra
  • 2008 - David Parry , London Philharmonic Orchestra ; Patrizia Ciofi (Alaide), Mark Stone (Valdeburgo), Dario Schmunck (Arturo), Enkelejda Shkosa (Isoletta) - Opera rara
  • 2014 - Pietro Rizzo, SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg ; Edita Gruberová (Alaide), Luca Grassi (Valdeburgo), José Bros (Arturo), Laura Polverelli (Isoletta) - Nightingale

literature

  • Friedrich Lippmann : La straniera. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Volume 1: Works. Abbatini - Donizetti. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1986, ISBN 3-492-02411-4 , pp. 242-244.
  • La Straniera. Melodramma in Two Acts. A Facsimile Edition of a Contemporary Manuscript with Bellini's Autograph Annotations , con un'introduzione di Philip Gossett , Early Romantic Opera, Garland Press, New York 1982, 2 full.

Web links

Commons : La straniera  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich Lippmann : La straniera. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Volume 1: Works. Abbatini - Donizetti. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1986, ISBN 3-492-02411-4 , p. 242.
  2. ↑ AGNES OF MERAN. In: Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1, of 28 .
  3. ^ Adelaide Negri - Recent Performances. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Marianne Zelger-Vogt: Return of a Queen, Bellini's “La Straniera” in Zurich , review in the NZZ on June 25, 2013. Accessed on July 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ La straniera. Schedule Theater an der Wien. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Ursula Wiegand: BERLIN / State Opera: LA STRANIERA - in concert with Edita Gruberova. Performance review in Online-Merker, accessed on November 21, 2016.