Rosmira

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Opera dates
Title: Rosmira
Title page of the libretto, Venice 1738

Title page of the libretto, Venice 1738

Shape: “ Dramma per musica ” in three acts.
Original language: Italian
Music: Antonio Vivaldi
Libretto : Silvio Stampiglia :
La Partenope
Premiere: January 27, 1738
Place of premiere: Teatro Sant'Angelo
Playing time: approx. 2 ¾ hours
Place and time of the action: Naples , mythical time
people

Rosmira (in the score manuscript Rosmira fedele ) is an opera seria (RV 731, original name: “Dramma per musica”) in three acts , which Antonio Vivaldi put together as a pasticcio based on a libretto by Silvio Stampiglia . It premiered on January 27, 1738 at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice.

action

short version

First act. Several princes court the hand of Queen Partenope. Her favorite is Arsace from Corinth . She doesn't know that he left his former fiancée Rosmira because of her. Armindo from Rhodes, however, hardly dares to confess his love to Partenope. In addition, the Armenian Eurimene arrives - in reality, the disguised Rosmira who wants revenge on Arsace and makes him swear not to reveal her identity. Eurimene / Rosmira also pretends to love Partenope. Emilio from Cumae threatens war if Partenope does not accept his advertisement. Since she refuses, a battle is inevitable. The Cretan princess Ersilla has followed Emilio and initially tries in vain to win him over. Partenope himself takes command of their troops. During the fight, Armindo saves them from the enemies. Arsace in turn saves Eurimene and takes Emilio prisoner.

Second act. At the victory celebration, Eurimene / Rosmira claims victory for themselves and defames Arsace, who is unable to defend himself because of his oath. The angry Partenope has Eurimene arrested. Arsace stands up for him and obtains his release. His attempts to reconcile Rosmira are unsuccessful. The others are confused about the strange relationship between Arsace and Eurimene.

Act III . Eurimene reveals Arsace's past to the queen and the others and explains that he himself was sent by Rosmira to challenge Arsace to a duel. Partenope agrees. Before the fight, Arsace insists that both parties fight shirtless. So he forces Rosmira to reveal her identity without breaking his oath. This clears the way for a happy ending: Partenope accepts Armindo's advertising, Rosmira and Arsace are reconciled, and Emilio chooses Ersilla.

first act

Square by the sea with Partenopes throne, a statue of Apollo and an inflamed altar

Scene 1. In a public ceremony, Queen Partenope asks the god Apollo to protect the city she founded and named after her (now Naples). The people cheer her (chorus: "Viva viva Partenope viva").

Scene 2. Partenope has two admirers, the princes Arsace of Corinth and Armindo of Rhodes. Arsace left his fiancée Rosmira, the princess of Cyprus , because of her. He is surprised when a foreign Armenian appears who looks astonishingly similar to him. The Armenian claims his name is Eurimene and that he was shipwrecked in a storm. He asks Partenope for help because he lost all of his property in the accident.

Scene 3. Partenopes Captain Ormonte reports that parts of the country have been occupied by the troops of neighboring Cumae. Their leader Emilio had sent a messenger and wanted to speak to Partenope.

Scene 4. Eurimene / Rosmira hears Armindo about the conditions at Partenope's court. She learns that Armindo loves the queen, but that she prefers his rival Arsace. She recommends Armindo to reveal his love to Partenope. Armindo decides to follow her advice (Aria Armindo: "Fra l'orror del grave affanno").

Garden of Partenopes Palace

Scene 5. Arsace returns and confronts the supposed Eurimene. Rosmira does not deny that she was his former bride. Although Arsace claims that he still loves her, she doesn't believe him. But she is ready to forgive him for his bid for the throne of Naples, provided he swears to keep her identity secret under all circumstances. Arsace takes this oath, and Rosmira warns him of the consequences if he breaks it (Arie Rosmira: “Pensa che dei tacer”).

Scene 6. Arsace finds that he still has feelings for Rosmira. Partenope has now recognized Armindo's love for her and shares this with Arsace. She adds that she owes a lot to Armindo's loyalty, but that she cannot hear him because of Arsaces.

Scene 7. When Eurimene / Rosmira arrives, Partenope tells him that Arsace is her favorite. Eurimene pretends to be shocked that he has fallen in love with Partenope himself. Partenope cannot give him any hope (aria Partenope: “Sei caro all'or che serbi”).

Scene 8. Rosmira accuses Arsace of his infidelity and swears vengeance.

Scene 9. Arsace cannot decide between the two women (Aria Arsace: “La rondinella”).

Scene 10. The Cretan princess Ersilla loves Emilio and has followed him to the court of Partenopes. When she reveals her feelings to him, however, he declares that he knows neither her nor love and rejects her (Aria Ersilla: “Aver un'anima”).

Royal chamber with a throne

Scene 11. Ormonte leads Emilio to an audience with Partenope, in which Eurimene, Arsace and Armindo also take part. Emilio assures Partenope that he did not come as an enemy, but wanted to ask for her hand because he loved her. But if she refuses, he will resort to gun violence. Partenope firmly rejects him and threatens her with anger. Emilio has to prepare for the war (Aria Emilio: "Già risvegliar à sdegno").

Scene 12. Arsace, Armindo, and Eurimene cannot agree which of them may lead the Neapolitan troops. Partenope therefore decides to take over the command as an Amazon himself. Ormonte feels spurred on by her determination (Aria Ormonte: "Semper la fiamma è bella").

Scene 13. Eurimene / Rosmira also wants to take part in the fight. Arsace tries to talk her out of this because he's worried about her safety.

Scene 14. Armindo feels betrayed by Eurimene, who is wooing his lover, even though he has confided his feelings to him.

Scene 15. Rosmira reflects on her feelings towards Arsace (Aria Rosmira: “È follia se nascondete”).

Forest near the Cumaer camp

Scene 16. The battle begins (Aria Emilio: “Forti sheer”). Armindo saves Partenope from an attack by enemy soldiers. Emilio overpowers Eurimene / Rosmira in a duel, but Arsace is able to free them and in return take Emilio prisoner. So the victory is certain. Ormonte brings the captured enemy banners, and everyone praises the victorious Queen Partenope (chorus: "Ti circondi la gloria d'allori").

Second act

A street decorated with trophies with a triumphal arch

Scene 1. Partenope appears in a large carriage to the victory celebration. Partenope generously lets Emilio loosen the chains. This points out to her the heroism of Armindo. Eurimene / Rosmira agrees and adds that, on the other hand, Arsace would not have distinguished himself in any way after overpowering Emilio himself. Although Emilio contradicts this lie, Arsace does not show himself offended, but even leaves some of the glory to Eurimene. The others don't understand his behavior. Partenope has Eurimene arrested for his continued provocations against her lover (Aria Partenope: “Il mio caro e dolce amore”).

Scene 2. Arsace tries in vain to persuade Rosmira to make up. Armindo, Emilio and Ersilla are amazed at his supposed cowardice and the aggressiveness with which Eurimene reacts to him (Aria Ersilla: “Vorrei dirti il ​​mio dolore”).

Scene 3. When Armindo and Emilio ask Eurimene / Rosmira about it, to their amazement he defends the attacked man and compares his courage with that of a lion.

Scene 4. Ersilla tells Emilio that she was sent to him by a princess who loves him and, unlike Partenope, does not despise him. She only wants to give their names if he promises not to reject her. Emilio swears this, but changes his mind and puts Ersilla off until later (Aria Emilio: “Prigionier che fa ritorno”).

Scene 5. Ersilla vacillates between hope and sorrow for love (Aria Ersilla: “Amor mi disse un di”).

Lovely area

Scene 6. Arsace asks Partenope to forgive Eurimene. Although he gives no reasons for this other than an "inexplicable impulse", the Queen shows herself graciously for his sake. Eurimene is banned from court, but released. Ormonte should explicitly refer him to Arsace's intercession. Arsace is still unhappy (Aria Arsace: "Quel ruscelletto").

Scene 7. When Ormonte releases Eurimene / Rosmira and points out the banishment, the latter declares that he will never leave Arsace alone. Ormonte advises him to suppress his feelings (Aria Ormonte: "Se fra turbini d'atra procella").

Scene 8. Eurimene / Rosmira promises Armindo his help. He should tell the queen that he wanted to reveal a secret to her. This will turn Partenopes heart away from Arsace and to him. Armindo begins to hope, but at the same time recognizes a threat Eurimenes against Arsace (Aria Armindo: "Leone sdegnoso per orrida strage").

Scene 9. Although Arsace declares his love for Rosmira again, she finds that her revenge is not yet complete (Arie Rosmira: “Che gran contento”).

Scene 10. Arsace wants nothing more than a reconciliation with Rosmira. Armindo asks Partenope to receive Eurimene again to find out his secret. The queen agrees.

Scene 11. In the presence of the other princes, Eurimene / Rosmira reveals that Arsace once promised marriage to the Cypriot princess Rosmira and then left her in favor of Partenopes. She sent him (Eurimene) to Naples to challenge Arsace to a duel. The Partenope, deeply disappointed by the behavior of her lover, breaks away from him immediately (Terzett Partenope / Arsace / Rosmira: “Un core infedele si deve punir”).

Third act

room

Scene 1. Rosmira rejects another attempt at reconciliation by Arsace, but at the same time claims that she still loves him (Aria Rosmira: "Vuoi ch'io t'oda?").

Scene 2. Arsace is confused by Rosmira's behavior (Aria Arsace: “La bella mia nemica”).

Courtyard near the amphitheater

Scene 3. Partenope rejects Emilio again and advises him to stick with Ersilla. For the upcoming duel she appoints Armindo as Eurimenes and Emilio as Arsace's seconds. She is determined not to spare Arsace (Arie Partenope: "In mezzo all'onde irate").

Scene 4. Emilio now knows that Ersilla herself is the princess who loves him. Before he can answer her, a trumpet signal announces the start of the duel.

Scene 5. Ersilla still has to endure the uncertainty (Aria Ersilla: “Chi mai d'iniqua stella”).

The magnificent amphitheater with a throne intended for the duel

Scene 6 (ultima). After Ormonte reads Eurimene's challenge, Partenope gives her consent to the fight. However, Arsace is reluctant to fight Rosmira. When the others accuse him of cowardice, he explains that they insist on a bare-chested fight. Rosmira cannot allow that. She publicly identifies herself as Rosmira. This resolves the conflict. Partenope announces that she wants to marry Armindo, and Rosmira and Arsace get together again. Emilio is released and takes Ersilla as his wife. Everyone cheers the queen (chorus: “Viva viva Partenope viva”).

layout

orchestra

The opera's orchestra requires two recorders , two oboes , two trumpets , two horns , a solo violin , strings and basso continuo .

Music numbers

The opera contains the following musical numbers:

  • "Introdutione"
    music by Girolamo Micheli with a few lines from Vivaldi
    • 1. Allegro assai (D major); for two trombe da caccia, two oboes, strings and basso continuo
    • 2. Andante
    • 3. Allegro assai

first act

  • Scene 1. Choir (tutti unisono): “Viva viva Partenope viva” - Allegro (D major); for trumpet, violins I / II, viola / basso continuo
    • Recitative: "Tu dell 'eccelse mura"
    • Choir (tutti unisono): “Le sue spiagge fecondi l'aurora” - Allegro (D major); for trumpet, violins I / II, viola / basso continuo
  • Scene 2. Recitative: "Arsace Armindo osserva"
  • Scene 3. Recitative: "Regina, in torture sheer il popolo cumano"
  • Scene 4. Recitative: "Cavalier, si degli Dei"
    • Aria (Armindo): "Fra l'orror del grave affanno";
      not received
  • Scene 5. Recitative: "O che Arsace delira"
    • Aria (Rosmira): “Pensa che dei tacer” -… (F major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Vivaldi's autograph; also included in the pasticcio Rosmira RV Anh 127.29 (Graz 1739).
  • Scene 6. Recitative: "Rosmira, oh Dio, Rosmira sotto mentito spoglie"
  • Scene 7. Recitative: "Non soggiace a rossori"
    • Aria (Partenope): “Sei caro all'or che serbi” -… (D major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Antonio Maria Mazzoni : Solo aria “So che io son figlia” with text underlaid by Vivaldi
  • Scene 8. Recitative: "I novelli amot tuoi"
  • Scene 9. Recitative: "O Roamira gradita, bella cagion"
    • Aria (Arsace): “La rondinella” - Andante molto molto (F major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Vivaldi's autograph
  • Scene 10. Recitative: "Seguo dell'idol mio l'orme gradite"
    • Aria (Ersilla): “Aver un'anima” - Moderato (F major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli : aria from Artaserse , “Bramar di perdere” with text underlaid by Vivaldi
  • Scene 11. Recitative: "Emilio venga ei quì non lunge attende"
    • Aria (Emilio): "Già risvegliar à sdegno" - Allegro (D major); for trumpet, oboe solo, violin solo, strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Georg Friedrich Handel : Aria from Ezio , “Già risuonar d'intorno”; Handwriting of a professional copyist, text and music adapted by Vivaldi
  • Scene 12. Recitative: "Arsace, tu sarai dell'esercito"
    • Aria (Ormonte): "Semper la fiamma è bella" - Allegro (B flat major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by an anonymous composer: aria “Lascia Clomiri bella”, possibly from a cantata; Handwriting of a professional, less skilled copyist; Words and musical notation adapted from Vivaldi
  • Scene 13. Recitative: "Eurimene al cimento venir tu vuoi?"
  • Scene 14. Recitative: "Deggio di te lagnarmi"
  • Scene 15. Recitative: "Vò meditanto semper"
  • Scene 16. Recitative: "Soccorso Armindo è teco"
    • Choir (Arsace, Ersilla, Armindo, Rosmira, Ormonte, Emilio): “Ti circondi la gloria d'allori” -… (D major); for trumpet, strings and basso continuo

Second act

  • Scene 1. Dance
    • Recitative: "Olà dè ferri il peso"
    • Aria (Partenope): “Il mio caro e dolce amore” -… (C major); for two flutes, strings and basso continuo;
      Music by an anonymous composer; Copy possibly made by one of the singers
  • Scene 2. Recitative: "Ti bramo amico, e teco"
  • Scene 3. Recitative: "Non può darsi in un petto maggior viltà"
  • Scene 4. Recitative: "Sola al fin teco resto"
    • Aria (Emilio): “Prigionier che fa ritorno” -… (F major); for strings and basso continuo;
      unprofessional copy with several cuts, not necessarily by Vivaldi
  • Scene 5. Recitative: "Deh, perchè mai volesti"
    • Aria (Ersilla): "Amor mi disse un di" - Andante amoroso (B flat major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi : L'olimpiade , poor commercial copy with some text adjustments by Vivaldi
  • Scene 6. Recitative: "A 'prò di chi t'offese"
    • Aria (Arsace): “Quel ruscelletto” -… (E major);
      Vivaldi's autograph; sketch only (bass line)
  • Scene 7. Recitative: "Principe ti narrai con qual divieto"
    • Aria (Ormonte): "Se fra turbini d'atra procella" - Allegro e con spirito (A major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Johann Adolph Hasse , unidentified; good professional copy without Vivaldi's changes
  • Scene 8. Recitative: "Quando godo Eurimene vederti in libertà"
    • Aria (Armindo): “Leone sdegnoso per orrida strage” - Allegro assai (C major); for strings and basso continuo;
      Music by Antonio Gaetano Pampani ; good copy, possibly by Pampani himself, with Vivaldi's adaptations; Original text: “Torrente cresciuto” from Pietro Metastasios Siroe , intended by Vivaldi for a setting in Ferrara in 1738, realized in the summer of 1738 in Ancona
  • Scene 9. Recitative: "Giva guardando intorno"
    • Aria (Rosmira): "Che gran contento";
      not received; Text also in the libretto by Ginevra principessa di Scozia RV 716 I: 6 (1736, music lost)
  • Scene 10. Recitative: "Rosmira, Rosmira, à me deh riedi"
  • Scene 11. Recitative: "Partenope, Eurimene mercè de tuoi favori"
    • Trio (Arsace, Partenope, Rosmira): “Un core infedele si deve punir” - Allegro (C major); for strings and basso continuo
      autograph by Vivaldi

Third act

  • Scene 1. Recitative: "Rosmira, ove it guida sdegno tiranno"
  • Scene 2. Recitative: "Che pensi, Arsace?"
    • Aria (Arsace): “La bella mia nemica” -… (D major); for strings and basso continuo (anonymous);
      good, but not professional copy without a title with several cuts; Text entered by Vivaldi (originally “Il labbro ti lusinga”); with different text also in Armida al campo d'Egitto RV 699d III: 9 (1738)
  • Scene 3. Recitative: "Regina, ecco il momento"
    • Aria (Partenope): “In mezzo all'onde irate” -… (F major); for two horns, violins I and II, viola / basso continuo;
      Music by Leonardo Vinci from the then very well-known solo cantata “Mesta, oh Dio, fra queste selve”; autograph copy of Vivaldi's
  • Scene 4. Recitative: “Che pensi? Ah Principessa "
  • Scene 5. Recitative: "Del mio destino incerto"
    • Aria (Ersilla): “Chi mai d'iniqua stella”
      not preserved; possibly from Antonio Gaetano Pampanis Artaserse Longimano ; on the other hand, there are two copies of an aria with this text attributed to Vivaldi; According to Frédéric Delaméa, the aria was recently rediscovered in Rostock and Vienna with minor text differences.
  • Scene 6. Recitative: "Leggi, Ormonte Regina in queste arene"
    • Choir (tutti unisono): "Viva viva Partenope viva" - Allegro (D major); for trumpet, violins I / II, viola / basso continuo (repetition of I: 1)

Work history

Antonio Vivaldi compiled his opera pasticcio Rosmira from music by Georg Friedrich Händel , Johann Adolph Hasse , Girolamo Micheli, Antonio Maria Mazzoni , Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli , Antonio Gaetano Pampani , Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and Leonardo Vinci as well as some of his own pieces. Except for the latter, all names are listed on the title page of the score manuscript. It is Vivaldi's last surviving stage score. It is not completely passed down. The four missing arias probably did not come from Vivaldi and were only loosely attached to the manuscript. Arsace's aria “Quel ruscelletto” (II: 6) is only a fragment. Vivaldi wrote down all the recitatives himself. Although he selected the arias personally, the scores were transferred by a total of twelve copyists before he added the new text to them. These copies vary widely in quality and are often below contemporary standards. One or two may have been made by the singers themselves. Apart from the recitatives, only the choirs, the trio and probably four arias come from Vivaldi. Due to the idiosyncratic composition, Reinhard Strohm speculated that Vivaldi might have simply bought the music on the open market. His main focus was to produce an opera with arias in the current style, which differed significantly from Vinci's version played in Venice in 1725 under the title La Rosmira fedele . Vivaldi's manuscript is also titled Rosmira fedele . According to the textbook, the opera was then performed under the title Rosmira .

The libretto is a revised version of the frequently set Partenope by Silvio Stampiglia (first set to music in 1699 by Luigi Mancia). Several of the exchanged aria texts are taken from works by Pietro Metastasio . Vivaldi undoubtedly used the version from 1725 set to music by Leonardo Vinci, which in turn is based on the version used by Domenico Sarro in 1722 . Vivaldi, however, restructured the text significantly. The short third act only appears like an appendage to the other two acts. The texts of almost all closed music numbers, including all arias except for one (“La rondinella”, I: 9), have been exchanged. The trio “Un core infedele” was moved from the third act to the end of the second. In addition, a new character was introduced with Ersilla, which in the end made a triple wedding possible (in the older versions Emilio had to be content with Partenope's friendship).

The printed libretto from 1738 is dedicated to Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg-Bayreuth , who was visiting Venice with his wife Sophie Wilhelmine at the time. Vivaldi himself signed the dedication.

Anna Girò (Rosmira), Dorotea Lolli (Partenope), Margherita Giacomazzi (Arsace), Catterina Bassi (Ersilla), Giacomo Zaghini (Armindo) sang the world premiere on January 27, 1738 as the third opera of the carnival season of the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice , Giuseppe Rossi (Emilio), Pasqualino Negri (Ormonte). The sets were by Giuseppe Zanchi and Federico Zanogia (Zanoja), the costumes by Natale Canciani, the choreography of the dances by Francesco Catenella. The premiere was received by the audience with “great applause”, and the performance on the following day also received “general applause from the audience”.

Some authors state that the Rosmira operas played during the carnival season in Klagenfurt in 1738 and in Graz in autumn 1739 were arrangements of Vivaldi's pasticcio. This was apparently concluded from Anna Girò's participation. Reinhard Strohm explained , however, that the libretto used there is essentially based on the one used by Leonardo Vinci in 1725 - with smaller parts from the text set to music by Antonio Caldara in 1708. There is not a single exact match with the version used by Vivaldi. In the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , both productions are assigned accordingly (with question marks) to Vinci's opera. Instead, Corago assigns an opera Rosmira, shown in the Carnival season of 1740 in the Palazzo Privinciale in Ljubljana, to Vivaldi's record, whose textbook claims, however, that the text comes from Pietro Metastasio and the music from Johann Adolph Hasse.

The work was performed again in March 2003 in Nice under the direction of the conductor Gilbert Bezzina in a production by Gilbert Blin. A live recording was released on CD.

Recordings

  • March 2003 as Rosmira fedele - Gilbert Bezzina (conductor), Ensemble Baroque de Nice.
    Marianna Pizzolato (Rosmira), Claire Brua (Partenope), Salomé Haller (Arsace), Rossana Bertini (Ersilla), Jacek Laszczkowski (Armindo), Philippe Cantor (Emilio), John Elwes (Ormonte).
    Live from Nice; with replacement pieces for the arias that have not survived.
    Dynamic CDS 437 / 1-3 (3 CDs).

literature

Web links

Commons : Rosmira (Vivaldi)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Duration of the recording of Gilbert Bezzina.
  2. ↑ a b c d Siegbert Rampe : Antonio Vivaldi and his time. Laaber, 2010, ISBN 978-3-89007-468-9 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Peter Ryom : Vivaldi catalog raisonné. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-7651-0372-8 , pp. 481-485.
  4. ^ Work information based on the Ryom catalog on musiqueorguequebec.ca.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g Reinhard Strohm : The Operas of Antonio Vivaldi. Leo S. Olschki, Florence 2008, ISBN 978-88-222-5682-9 II, Volume II, pp. 634-644.
  6. ↑ a b c d Frédéric Delaméa, Eva Pleus (transl.): Vivaldi's Venetian Twilight. In: Supplement to CD Dynamic CDS 437 / 1-3, pp. 14–19.
  7. ↑ a b c d Eleanor Selfridge-Field: A New Chronology of Venetian Opera and Related Genres, 1660-1760. Stanford University Press, Stanford 2007, ISBN 978-0-8047-4437-9 , pp. 457-458.
  8. ↑ La Rosmira fedele (Leonardo Vinci) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on August 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ Rosmira (Antonio Vivaldi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on August 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ Rosmira. Libretto (Italian), Ljubljana 1740. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on August 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ Information on the 2003 performance in Nice at academiedesprez.org, accessed on August 12, 2020.
  12. ↑ a b Antonio Vivaldi. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005, p. 22196.