La vestale

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Work data
Title: The vestal virgin
Original title: La vestale
Caroline Branchu as Julia (Paris 1807)

Caroline Branchu as Julia (Paris 1807)

Shape: Tragédie lyrique in three acts
Original language: French and Italian
Music: Gaspare Spontini
Libretto : Victor-Joseph Etienne de Jouy
Premiere: December 15, 1807
Place of premiere: Paris, Opéra
Playing time: about 3 hours
Place and time of the action: Rome, around 269 BC
people
  • Licinius, Roman general ( tenor )
  • Cinna, Commander of the Legion, his friend (tenor)
  • Pontifex maximus ( bass )
  • Leader of fortune tellers (bass)
  • A consul (bass)
  • Julia, young priestess of Vesta ( soprano )
  • High priestess ( mezzo-soprano )
Giuseppe Siboni as Licinius (Vienna 1812)
KF Schinkel : Temple of Vesta (Berlin, around 1818)
Nimfodora Semenova in La Vestale , 1828

La vestale ( The Vestal Virgin ) is an opera (original name: " tragédie lyrique ") in three acts by Gaspare Spontini with a libretto by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy .

action

first act

After a victorious campaign back in Rome, Licinius finds his lover Julia as the priestess of Vesta . Although Julia wants to avoid attending Licinius' victory celebration, she is delegated to crown him with a wreath. He promises to kidnap her and reclaim her.

Second act

In the temple of Vesta, Julia guards the eternal flame and prays to be freed from all temptations. Licinius approaches and they make up passionately. Then the flame goes out. Cinna advises Licinius to flee. Julia is interrogated by the pontifex maximus, but refuses to reveal her lover Licinius. She is sentenced to death for alleged licentiousness.

Third act

Despite Licinius' requests to be buried alive with Julia, which he affirmed by the fact that he was the intruder into the temple, Julia claims not to recognize him. A thunderstorm ensues as lightning rekindles the sacred flame. This is interpreted as a sign from the gods, so that the pontifex maximus and the vestals decide to give their consent that Julia Licinius can marry.

Origin and performance history

Spontini completed the score in the summer of 1805, but initially had to fight against the intrigues of rival composer colleagues and leading members of the Opéra . The premiere was made possible by Spontini's patroness, the Empress Joséphine . On December 15, 1807, La vestale was premiered at the Paris Académie impériale de Musique . Étienne Lainez (Licinius), François Lays (Cinna), Henri Étienne Dérivis (Pontifex maximus), Duparc (leader of the fortune tellers), Caroline Branchu (Julia) and Marie-Thérèse Maillard (high priestess) sang .

La vestale in the 19th century

The opera was a great success and had seen more than 200 performances in Paris alone by 1830. Spontini's reputation soon spread abroad. In 1810 she was still in Brussels and (in German) in Vienna (EA on November 7, 1810, Obervestalin: Katharina Buchwieser , Licinius: Giuseppe Siboni , Cinna: Johann Michael Vogl ), 1811 in Berlin , 1812 in Munich and then throughout Europe Given space very successfully. In Italy , La vestale was first published in Naples in 1811 (translated by Giovanni Schmidt ) and had a decisive influence on the development of the more recent opera seria. In 1844 Richard Wagner led a rehearsal in Dresden, in the presence of Spontini.

La vestale in the 20th century

In contrast to Spontini's other operas, La vestale never completely disappeared from the stage, but was played in regular succession in Europe and America. In 1926 Rosa Ponselle recorded the arias “Tu che invoco” and “O nume tutela” for the first time in the recording studio and Maria Callas recorded the same arias again in 1955, after having taken on the title role in the most famous modern production a year earlier: With Callas was La vestale in December 1954 season opening of La Scala , directed by Luchino Visconti occasion brought out the 180th year of birth of Spontini. This performance was also the Scala debut of the tenor Franco Corelli . In 1969 the conductor Fernando Previtali reanimated the opera with the soprano Leyla Gencer and the baritone Renato Bruson (an unofficial recording of this performance is in circulation). Sony released a recording of a recording at La Scala in Milan in December 1993 under Riccardo Muti .

Famous numbers

  • overture
  • Dance and March (Act I)
  • Feu créateur , choir of the priestesses (act II)
  • Toi que j'implore , Julia (Act II)
  • Impitoyables Dieux , Julia (Act II)
  • Non, non je vis encore , Licinius (Act III)
  • Ce n'est plus le temps d'écouter , duet between Licinius and Cinna (Act III)
  • Choir and funeral march: Périsse la Vestale
  • Toi que je laisse sur la terre , Julia (Act III)

Discography (selection)

  • 1954: Antonino Votto (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala, Maria Callas (Giulia), Franco Corelli (Licinio), Enzo Sordello (Cinna), Ebe Stignani (La Gran Vestale), Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Il Sommo Sacerdote ), Nicola Zaccaria (Aruspice), Vittorio Tatozzi (Un Console). Live recording Milan, Warner Classics.
  • 1969: Fernando Previtali (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Leyla Gencer (Giulia), Robleto Merolla (Licinio), Renato Bruson (Cinna), Franca Mattiucci (La Gran Vestale), Agostino Ferrin (Il Sommo Sacerdote) , Sergio Sisti (Aruspice), Enrico Campi (Un Console). Live recording Palermo, Nuova Era.
  • 1993: Riccardo Muti (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala, Karen Huffstodt (Giulia), Anthony Michael Moore (Licinio), J. Patrick Raftery (Cinna), Denyce Graves (La Gran Vestale), Dimitri Kavrakos (Il Sommo Sacerdote), Aldo Bramante (Aruspice), Silvestro Sammaritano (Un Console). Live recording Milan, Sony Classical.

literature

  • Charles Bouvet: Spontini. Paris 1930
  • Hans Engel: Wagner and Spontini. In: Archives for Music Science. Volume 12. 1955
  • Dennis Albert Libby: Gaspare Spontini and His French and German Operas. Dissertation Princeton 1969
  • Paolo Fragapane: Spontini , Bologna 1954, new edition: Florence 1983
  • Walter Dobner : Psychologizing equipment opera: Spontinis Vestalin an der Scala , Austrian music magazine 49: N2 1994, p. 146ff.
  • B. Donin-Janz: "La vestale" di Gaspare Spontini , Rassegna Musicale Curci Quadrimestrale 47: N2 1994, pp. 20-25
  • Rein A. Zondergeld: Like a picture by Jacques-Louis David : Scala opening with Spontini's “La Vestale” , Musica 48: N2 1994, p. 88
  • Michael Walter : La Vestale de Gaspare Spontini ou Les débuts de l'histoire de l'opéra au XIXe siècle , in: Le Théâtre Lyrique en France au XIXe siècle , ed. by P. Prévost, Metz 1995, pp. 63-79.

Web links