Mosè in Egitto

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Work data
Title: Moses in Egypt
Original title: Mosè in Egitto
Title page of the libretto, Naples 1819

Title page of the libretto, Naples 1819

Shape: Opera in three acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto : Andrea Leone Tottola
Literary source: Old Testament and L'Osiride by Francesco Ringhieri
Premiere: March 5, 1818
Place of premiere: Naples, Teatro San Carlo
Playing time: approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: Egypt, biblical time
people
  • Faraone ( Pharaoh ), King of Egypt ( Bass )
  • Amaltea, his wife ( soprano )
  • Osiride, her son, heir to the throne ( tenor )
  • Elcìa, Hebrew woman, secretly married to Osiride (soprano)
  • Mambre, Egyptian priest and confidante Faraones (tenor)
  • Mosè ( Moses ), leader of the Hebrews (Bass)
  • Aronne ( Aaron ), his brother (tenor)
  • Amenofi, his sister ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Hebrews and Egyptians ( choir )

Mosè in Egitto (German: Moses in Egypt ) is an opera (original name: "azione tragico-sacra") in three acts by Gioachino Rossini . The libretto wrote Andrea Leone Tottola . In 1827 Rossini revised the work as a French grand opéra with the title Moïse et Pharaon .

action

The opera deals with the biblical story of the exodus of the Israelite people from Egypt , accompanied by a love story between Osiride, the son of the Pharaoh called Faraone , and the Israelite Elcìa. In order not to lose Elcìa, Osiride wants to prevent the departure. At the beginning of the opera it is - one of the ten plagues - complete darkness, which brightens after Mosès' prayer. Faraone permits the Israelites to leave the country, but shortly afterwards revokes their permission at the insistence of his son. More plagues hit the land with lightning and hail. Faraone allows the move again. Osiride flees with Elcìa so that she does not have to go with her people. They are tracked down by his mother Amaltea and Aronne (Moses' brother Aaron ) and separated from each other. Once again Faraone forbids the Israelites to leave under a pretext. Mosè then prophesies the death of the firstborn in Egypt. Faraone has him arrested and appoints Osiride as his co-regent. At the ceremony, Osiride humiliates Mosè. Elcìa publicly confesses her relationship with Osiride and calls on him to let the Israelites go. When Osiride refuses her request and attacks Mosè with the sword, he is struck by lightning. The Israelites can finally leave. At the Red Sea the water divides for them and then collapses over the following Pharaoh.

The following table of contents is based on the Neapolitan version of 1819.

first act

Antonio de Pian : Stage design for the first act, copper engraving by Norbert Bittner, Theater am Kärntnertor Vienna 1824

Royal palace in total darkness

Scene 1. Faraone, his wife Amaltea, their son Osiride and the court are deeply dismayed by the darkness that has fallen over the country (introduction: "Ah! Chi ne aita? Oh ciel!"). Faraone, who has so far denied the Hebrews freedom, feels guilty of this calamity. He calls for Mosè to allow his people to move out after all. Osiride is concerned because he is secretly married to the Hebrew Elcìa and does not want to lose her.

Scene 2. When Mosè and his brother Aronne appear, Faraone vows to let his people go when he ends the darkness. Mosè praises God and moves his staff (scene: "Eterno! Immenso! Incomprensibil dio!"). Immediately it is brighter again. Faraone, Amaltea and Osiride express their joy and astonishment, while Mosè and Aronne praise the power of the Lord (quintet: “Qual portento è questo!”). Faraone confirms that the Hebrews can leave before noon. Osiride's timid objection is ignored. All depart cheering. Only Osiride remains sad.

Scene 3. Osiride asks the priest Mambre to sow discord among the people. Let everyone see what they will lose when the Israelites leave the country. Mambre is only too happy to take on this task. Mosè has long been a thorn in his side. He assures Osiride that Mosè will tremble before his power. He too once turned a staff into a snake and a river into blood.

Scene 4. Elcìa has escaped the watchful eye of Moses to say goodbye to Osiride before her people leave. He begs her in vain to stay with him (duet: "Ah se puoi così lasciarmi"). When the sound of a trumpet sounds in the distance, she tears away from him.

Scene 5. Amaltea asks Mambre where Faraone is. The people are looking for him because he has broken his word and now does not want to let the Hebrews go. Now one feared the wrath of their God again. Amaltea suspects that Osiride influenced his father. Faraone and Osiride join them. Faraone heard her last words. He explains to her that Osiride saved him from falling into the magic wield of the Hebrews. Mosès's real intention is to devastate the country together with the Midianites waiting at the border . The divine punishments were just a mirage. He orders Mambre and Osiride to inform Mosè that he will be punished with death if he leaves the country. Osiride is relieved at this turn. Amaltea, on the other hand, advises her husband to reconsider his decision. Faraone confirms his decision (aria: “A rispettarmi apprenda”).

Wide plain in front of the city walls of Tani

Scene 6. Aronne, his sister Amenofi and the other Israelites have gathered to leave Egypt and are singing a hymn in praise of God (Inno: “All'etra, al ciel”).

Scene 7. Elcìa complains to Amenofi of her suffering over the impending farewell to Osiride (duet: “Tutto mi ride intorno!”). Mosè, Osiride and Mambre appear with their entourage. Osiride tells Mosè of Faraone's change of opinion (Finale: “Che narri? / Il ver / M'inganni”). The Hebrews are outraged at this breach of word. Mosè prophesies the next plagues: hail and fire will devastate the Egyptian land. Osiride takes this as a threat and orders Mosè to be arrested. The conflict worsens as the Hebrews try to defend Mosè.

Scene 8. Faraone and his guards step between the arguments and stop them. Mosè confronts him for breaking his word. Faraone, however, confirms his decision and demands respect from his slaves. Mosè shakes his staff, whereupon a violent storm breaks out with thunder, lightning and hail - a sign of God's judgment. Everyone is confused in horror.

Second act

Royal apartments

Scene 1. Faraone hands Aronne a letter allowing the Israelites to leave again. He then tells his son Osiride that the Armenian king's daughter has consented to the wedding with him. Osiride is horrified. He doesn't know how to show his love for Elcìa to his father. When Faraone asks him the reason for his grief, he answers only with dark allusions (duet: "Parlar, spiegar non posso").

Scene 2. Mosè thanks Queen Amaltea for her support. Amaltea hopes Faraone won't change his mind again. When Mosè compares him to a reed that is moved by the wind, she advises him to leave as soon as possible with his people. She herself is plagued with grief, the cause of which she is not clear. The Israelites comfort them with the fact that heaven has been reconciled (aria with chorus: “La pace mia smarrita”). After she left, Aronne reported a new misfortune to his brother: Osiride had taken Elcìa away to hide her. One of their people is on the trail of the two. Mosè asks him to inform the queen of this in order to prevent the escape.

Dark underground hall with a spiral staircase

Scene 3. Osiride leads the trembling Elcìa down the stairs. She is afraid and reluctant to follow him because she wants to obey God's will (duet: "Dove mi guidi? Il mio timor dilegua"). Osiride tells her about his planned marriage to the Armenian princess. He intends to flee with her the following night to another country where they can live in poverty. Elcìa tries to encourage herself (“Quale assalto, qual cimento”). There is a noise from above. Then Amaltea and Aronne appear, accompanied by Egyptian guards with torches. You blame the couple. Osiride insists on his right to his beloved, while Elcìa assures that she only acted out of unhappy love (quartet: “Ah mira? / Oh ciel” - “Mi manca la voce”). Osiride is ready to renounce his heir to Elcìa. But she does not want to allow that and rather renounce her love. Aronne continues Elcìa while Amaltea holds back the prince.

(Palace)

Scene 4. Faraone has found a new pretext to keep the Israelites in the land: The Moabites have allied themselves with the Philistines and are threatening to invade Egypt. Moving out is now too dangerous. Mosè refers to the power of God who will inflict a new plague in which the prince and all the firstborn will perish. Faraone angrily lets him be chained and led away. Mosè trusts in God who will avenge him (aria: “Tu di ceppi mi aggravi la mano?”).

Scene 5. Faraone tells Mambre about the new prophecy of Moses. He decides that Osiride himself should condemn him to death by his side. Faraone tells Mambre to summon the nobles. Amaltea appears and tries to inform him of her son's failed escape. Faraone doesn't want to hear about it. He trusts Osiride completely.

Scene 6. The nobles enter to the sound of a march, followed by the royal guards. Faraone and Osiride take the throne. Mambre leads in the tied Mosè. Aronne and the deeply disturbed Elcìa follow, accompanied by Amenofi and other Israelite girls (chorus: “Se a mitigar tue cure”). After an opening choir by the nobles, Faraone announces that from now on his son will rule with him. Osiride prays to heaven that he will follow his father's example. He secretly hopes not to lose Elcìa. Faraone lets Moses step forward. Osiride tells him to prostrate himself before him. Mosè is ready to recognize him as king, but again refers to the word of God, which demands the freedom of Israel. Aronne is astonished that the Queen is silent about this humiliation of Mose. Elcìa intervenes. She reveals her love for Osiride and her hitherto secret marriage to him and calls on him to let Mosè and his people go free. Then she wants to die to atone for her mistake. Osiride should then marry a king's daughter (finale: “Porgi la destra amata”). Osiride assures her that he only loves her alone. When the Egyptians tell him to do his duty, he draws his sword and attacks Mosè with it. At that moment he is struck by lightning and falls dead to the ground. While everyone is amazed, the extinction angel strides through the palace. Faraone passes out on the prince's corpse. Elcìa mourns her lover in pain and longs for death herself.

Third act

Plain on the shores of the Red Sea

Scene 1. To the sounds of happy music, Mosè and Aronne march in at the head of their people. Amenofi supports the grieving Elcìa. Mosè explains that the people are now safe. Amenofi and Elcìa despair because they cannot see a way across the sea. Mosè and Aronne, on the other hand, trust in the Lord's guidance. Mosè kneels to say a prayer. The others do the same (Preghiera: “Dal tuo stellato soglio”). The noise of war can be heard in the distance. Faraone and the Egyptian army approach over the hills. The people are frightened (final chorus: “Ma qual fragor! / Che miro!”). Mosè touches the sea with his stick. It divides and gives way. The people passed through and continued on the other bank.

Scene 2. Faraone, Mambre and the other Egyptians initially stopped in amazement at the sight of the divine miracle. Faraone orders the Israelites to be followed across the sea. They step between the water walls, whereupon the floods pound over them.

layout

Instrumentation

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

  • Two flutes / two piccolo flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
  • Four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, serpent
  • Timpani, bass drum , cymbals , triangle
  • "Banda turca"
  • harp
  • Strings
  • On the stage: piccolo, E-flat clarinet (“Quartino”), four clarinets, two horns, four trumpets, two trombones, serpent, bass drum

Music numbers

The opera contains the following musical numbers:

first act

  • No. 1. Introduction (choir, Faraone, Amaltea): “Ah! Chi ne aita? Oh ciel! "(Scene 1)
  • No. 2 scene (Mosè): “Eterno! Immense! Incomprensibil dio! "(Scene 2)
    • Quintet (Faraone, Amaltea, Osiride, Aronne, Mosè, choir): "Qual portento è questo!" (Scene 2)
  • No. 3. Duet (Osiride, Elcìa): "Ah se puoi così lasciarmi" (scene 4)
  • No. 4. Aria (Faraone): "A rispettarmi apprenda" (scene 5)
  • No. 5. Inno / hymn with choirs (Aronne, Amenofi, male and female choir): "All'etra, al ciel" (scene 6)
  • No. 6. Duet (Elcìa, Amenofi): "Tutto mi ride intorno!" (Scene 7)
  • No. 7. Finale: “Che narri? / Il ver / M'inganni "(scene 7)

Second act

  • No. 8. Duet (Osiride, Faraone): "Parlar, spiegar non posso" (scene 1)
  • No. 9. Aria with choir (Amaltea): "La pace mia smarrita" (scene 2)
  • No. 10. Duet (Elcìa, Osiride): “Dove mi guidi? Il mio timor dilegua "-" Quale assalto, qual cimento "(scene 3)
    • Quartet (Elcìa, Osiride, Amaltea, Aronne): “Ah mira? / Oh ciel "(scene 3)
  • No. 11th Quartet (Amaltea, Elcìa, Osiride, Aronne): "Mi manca la voce" (scene 3)
  • No. 12. Aria (Mosè): "Tu di ceppi mi aggravi la mano?" (Scene 4)
  • No. 13. Choir: "Se a mitigar tue cure" (scene 6)
  • No. 14. Finale: "Porgi la destra amata" (scene 6)

Third act

  • No. 15. Preghiera - prayer (Mosè, Amenofi, Aronne, Elcìa, women's and men's choir): “Dal tuo stellato soglio” (scene 1)
  • No. 16. Final chorus: “Ma qual fragor! / Che miro! "(Scene 1)

music

In the original version, Mosè has no overture in Egitto . The opera begins directly with the effective depiction of the plague of darkness. After three C major sounds, there is a difficult transition to a sixteenth-note figure in C minor ("Ah! Chi ne aita? Oh ciel!"), Rising under the horror of the Egyptians . The following opening scene accompanied by trumpets, horns and woodwinds by Mosès (“Eterno! Immenso! Incomprensibil dio!”, First act, scene 2) is reminiscent of the tuba mirum from Mozart's Requiem . The subsequent return of light is represented by the key of C major - possibly an allusion to Haydn's creation . The harmonious transition from minor to major is repeated at the end of the opera, when the Egyptians are swallowed up by the waves and the sea calms down again.

The opera achieves a large part of its impact through the interaction between the large choir scenes and the emotionally charged solo pieces. While the biblical plot is represented in the choir and ensemble pieces, private conflicts are mainly dealt with in duets and arias. In each of the three acts there is a long ensemble movement in stanzas or an approximation of the same. In the first act this is the reaction of the people to the return of the light (“Qual portento è questo!”), In the second the disclosure of the love affair between Elcìa and Osiride (“Mi manca la voce”) and in the third the prayer of the Israelites the passage through the Red Sea (Preghiera "Dal tuo stellato soglio"). The latter is probably the most famous piece in the opera. Mosè, Aronne and Elcìa each sing a stanza to accompany the harp, the refrain of which is repeated by the people. After the third stanza there is the already mentioned second key change from minor to major. The pleading of the Israelites turns into hope - analogous to the end of the darkness at the beginning of the opera. The tutti passages are reinforced by stage music (“banda”), for which Rossini composed all the parts himself - in other operas he only noted the upper part of the banda. The opera ends with an instrumental representation of the calm of the sea.

Richard Osborne also highlights the large number of duets in the original version, the most beautiful of which he names the night scene of the lovers (“Quale assalto, qual cimento”, second act, scene three), in which Elcìa's “beautiful flowing line” from a Parlando Osirides is replied.

Work history

Title page of the libretto, Munich 1822

The opera was composed for the Passion time in 1818 and therefore uses a biblical theme. For this reason, the original genre is also “azione sacra”, and the opera was often referred to as an oratorio. Stylistically, however, it is a typical large three-act opera.

The libretto was by Andrea Leone Tottola . It is based on the story of the exodus of the Israelite people from Egypt in the Old Testament of the Bible and on Francesco Ringhieri's tragedy L'Osiride, published in Padua in 1760 , from which the love story was taken.

Due to lack of time, Rossini asked his composer friend Michele Carafa for help, who contributed the aria of Faraone "A rispettarmi apprenda". Rossini replaced it in 1820 with his own aria "Cade dal ciglio il velo". Nevertheless, Carafa's version was mostly played in the 19th century. In addition, five recitatives are believed to have been written by Carafa. The aria of Mosè "Tu di ceppi mi aggravi la mano" contributed an unknown Rossini colleague. Amaltea's aria “La pace mia smarrita” is based on Amira's aria “Vorrei veder lo sposo” from Rossini's own ciro in Babilonia , and the choir “Se a mitigar tue cure” (second act, scene 6) comes from Adelaide di Borgogna . According to Herbert Weinstock , the Mosè is nevertheless "one of the largest and most carefully prepared scores [...] that he had written so far". Rossini finished the composition around February 25, 1818.

The sopranos Frederike Funck (Amaltea) and Isabella Colbran (Elcìa), the mezzo-soprano Maria Manzi (Amenofi), the tenors Andrea Nozzari (Osiride), Gaetano Chizzola (Mambre) sang at the premiere on March 5, 1818 in the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and Giuseppe Ciccimarra (Aronne) as well as the basses Raniero Remorini (Faraone) and Michele Benedetti (Mosè). The set was by Francesco Tortoli and the costumes by Filippo Giovinetti and Tommaso Novi. The performance was a huge success, although the scene on the Red Sea led to amusement due to the unsuccessful technical execution:

“In the third act, the poet Tottola had sadly perplexed the machinists of the theater by the introduction of the passage of the Red Sea; he did not reflect that the execution of this part of history was not so easy as the plague of darkness. From the situation of the pit, it is impossible to give a view of the sea except in the distance: in the present instance, it was absolutely necessary that it should appear more in the fore-ground, in order to represent the passage of the Israelites with effect. The machinist of San-Carlo, in attempting to resolve this important problem, had fallen most woefully into the ludicrous. The pit beheld the sea raised five or six feet above its banks, and the boxes, overlooking the waves, saw the little lazzaroni whose business it was to roll back wards the silken waves at the voice of Moses. The whole house burst into laughter, but they were good-natured in their merriment; they would not be angry; and repressed those hisses which an audience of our own would not have failed to pour forth without mercy. They were willing to overlook this absurdity at the end of the piece, and did nothing but talk of the beauty of the Introduzione. "

“In the third act the poet Tottola unfortunately confused the machinists of the theater by introducing the passage through the Red Sea; he hadn't thought that this part of the story was not as easy to carry out as the plague of darkness. From the position of the parquet it is impossible to see the sea any other than in the distance: in this case it had to appear more in the foreground in order to effectively depict the passage of the Israelites. The San Carlo machinist was sadly ridiculed in attempting to solve this important problem. The parquet saw the sea raised five or six feet above its banks, and looking down from the boxes at the waves you could see the laborers whose job it was to roll the silk waves back to the words of Moses. The whole house burst into laughter, but they showed goodwill in their glee; they did not get angry and suppressed whistles that our own audience would no doubt have mercilessly uttered. They were ready to overlook this absurdity at the end of the piece and only talked about the beauty of the introduction. "

- Stendhal: Memoirs of Rossini

Rossini revised the third act for a subsequent performance in March 1819, as the first version of this act had been critically assessed at the premiere in 1818, unlike the rest of the opera. The music from the first version has not been preserved. Only the text can still be found in the libretto from 1818. In the new version, Elcìa's personal fate is absorbed in the collective fate of her people. Rossini added the Preghiera "Dal tuo stellato soglio". There are some contradicting legends about their origins. According to Edmond Michotte, Rossini composed the music without knowing the text and then told Tottola the time signature and the number of verses. Stendhal wrote that Tottola unexpectedly turned up at Rossini's and told him about the text that had occupied him for an entire hour. Rossini replied: “One hour of work, huh? ... Well, if it took you an hour to write this prayer, I should be able to write the music in fifteen minutes. ”He did so while his friends were talking loudly. Richard Osborne described this story, however, as "one of Stendhal's wicked inventions". Louis Engel reports another anecdote. As a result, Rossini told him that the key change from G minor to G major in the Preghiera was due to a blob made when he accidentally dipped the pen into the medicine bottle instead of the ink. In the revised version, Rossini deleted Amaltea's aria “La pace mia smarrita” in the second act “in favor of brevity”. The real reason may have been that the role of Amaltea was no longer sung by Frederike Funck, but by Maria Manzi, who was possibly overwhelmed by it.

The opera quickly spread in Italy. There were performances in German in Budapest (1820) and Vienna (1821). The German premiere took place in Frankfurt am Main in 1822. In Paris, the work was also given in Italian at the Théâtre-Italien in 1822 . In London, after a concert performance, the opera appeared as an oratorio on January 30, 1822 at Covent Garden in the 1822/23 season at the King's Theater - since biblical themes were forbidden on the stage in England during this season, revised under the title Peter the Hermit or Pietro l'eremita.

In 1827 Rossini reworked the work for the Paris Opera into a four-act French grand opéra entitled Moïse et Pharaon, ou Le Passage de la Mer Rouge . Richard Osborne found this version "bloated and in some ways unsatisfactory". Nonetheless, it quickly gained international popularity and was translated back into Italian for almost all performances between 1827 and 1981. In many cases, however, it is not certain which version was actually played.

The opera plays an essential role in Honoré de Balzac's novella Massimilla Doni from 1837. Its characters reflect their fears against the background of a performance in Venice, which was occupied by the Austrians in 1822.

Recordings

For the recordings of the revised French version from 1827 and its reverse translation in Italian, see Moïse et Pharaon .

Web links

Commons : Mosè in Egitto  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The happy music mentioned in the libretto is missing from the score. In the preface to the critical edition it is suggested to use the march of the first finale without the choir parts.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Mosè in Egitto. Notes on the critical edition by Charles S. Brauner , accessed March 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Mosè in Egitto (1818). Music numbers on librettidopera.it , accessed March 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Reto Müller : CD text accompanying the recording from 2006 on Naxos , accessed on March 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Richard Osborne:  Mosè in Egitto. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  5. ↑ a b c d Mosè in Egitto. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , p. 780 f.
  6. ↑ a b c d Richard Osborne: Rossini - life and work. Translated from the English by Grete Wehmeyer. List Verlag, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-471-78305-9 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f Herbert Weinstock : Rossini - A biography. Translated by Kurt Michaelis. Kunzelmann, Adliswil 1981 (1968), ISBN 3-85662-009-0 .
  8. ↑ Marcus Chr. Lippe: Rossini's opere serie - On the musical-dramatic conception. Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-515-08586-6 .
  9. ^ A b c Charles Osborne : The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Amadeus Press, Portland, Oregon, 1994, ISBN 978-0-931340-71-0 .
  10. ^ Record of the performance on March 5, 1818 in the Teatro San Carlo in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  11. ^ Stendhal: Memoirs of Rossini. London 1824, p. 175
  12. ^ A b Wilhelm Keitel , Dominik Neuner : Gioachino Rossini. Albrecht Knaus, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-8135-0364-X .
  13. ↑ Peter the Hermit. Libretto (English / Italian), London 1827. Digitized at Google Books .
  14. ↑ a b c d e Gioacchino Rossini. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , volume 20.
  15. ↑ Inclusion from 2011 in the Naxos catalog , accessed on March 13, 2016.