Siface re di Numidia
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Siface re di Numidia |
Title page of the libretto from 1727 |
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| Shape: | Opera seria |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Francesco Feo |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | May 13, 1723 |
| Place of premiere: | Naples |
| Place and time of the action: | Rusconia near Cirta in Numidia , around 205 BC Chr. |
| people | |
Siface re di Numidia (also: Siface or Viriate ) is an opera - libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio . It is an arrangement of La forza della virtù by Domenico David and is Metastasio's first work as an opera librettist. It was first performed in the setting by Francesco Feo on May 13, 1723 in the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples.
action
The opera is about the Numidian king Siface , who plans a marriage of convenience with the Lusitan princess Viriate, but then falls in love with Ismene. He is now trying to get rid of Viriate through an intrigue.
“SYphax, King of the Numidians, whose power and unfortunate fate was recorded by the Roman historian Titus Livius Lib. 28/29/30, desired the Viriate, print trial of the King of the Lusitanians, in order to completely eradicate the old hatred, and to grant a lasting peace stiffened, to wife and queen. But this happened more for state reasons than out of true affection, because he was already living with Ismenen, the daughter of one of his most distinguished vassals, in a secret understanding of love. Viriate arrived in Rusconia, the capital city of Numidia; but found instead of a bridegroom, the cruelest tyrant, who, in order to refuse her marriage, accused her of shameful treason, but falsely. But the deception was revealed, and the cruelty of the barbarian, conquered by the magnanimous heart of the virians, so that he finally valued her worthy of his throne and marriage bed. As in the singing game itself, in many pleasant entanglements, of which the infidelity of Syphax, the constancy of the Viriate, the honor of the Ismen, and the magnanimous display of the Orcan, give rise to several things.
The show place is Rusconia, the capital city of Numidia. "
The following table of contents is based on the German translation of the libretto by Johann Philipp Praetorius , which was performed in Hamburg in 1727 with arias by Nicola Antonio Porpora and recitatives by Georg Philipp Telemann .
first act
Outside of the city wall of Rusconia with a gate on one side, the Orcanos palace on the other, a port in the background
The Numidian king Siface, his general Erminio and the Numidian nobleman Orcano await the arrival of Siface's bride Viriate, a Lusitan princess. It is a political marriage that aims to confirm the peace agreement between the two peoples. Trumpets sound, the galley lands, and Viriate comes ashore accompanied by Siface's confidante Libanio. You will be welcomed by the people and briefly greeted by Siface, Orcano and Erminio. However, Viriate is slightly offended when Siface immediately sends her with Libanio and Orcano to his castle in Cirta, without bothering about them. Siface then confesses to Erminio that he has fallen in love with Orcanos daughter Ismene, who is waiting for him right now. Since Erminio is also in love with Ismene, he gets into a conflict of conscience between his loyalty to the king and his love for her.
Pleasant area near the royal palace
Siface meets with his lover Ismene. Because of his engagement, she wants to end the relationship. However, Siface declares that he only loves her and he finally promises her to marry and crown her that same day. After he leaves, Erminio comes to her and complains that she left him. Although she cannot be changed, he decides to remain loyal to her.
Royal cabinet with chairs
Viriate accuses Orcano that Siface wants to marry his daughter Ismene. She thinks he is trying to increase his own power by doing this. Orcano denies this and leaves. Now comes Libanio, who is supposed to look for weak points in Viriate's behavior on behalf of Siface. To get her to take a rash act, he claims to be in love with her. However, Viriate does not address this.
Ismene looks forward to her future as queen. But she also feels sorry for her former lover Erminio. When her father Orcano finds her in the palace, she tells him about her relationship with the king. He gets angry and accuses her of being dishonorable. As a punishment and instruction he wants to send them to the Scythians in exile. When she refuses, he draws his sword to kill her. At that moment, however, Viriate comes in and intervenes. Since Orcano already regards her as his queen, gives her the sword and asks her to kill him as punishment for his daughter's dishonor. Viriate tries in vain to appease him. After he leaves, Viriate tries to start a conversation with Ismene. She tries to get Ismene to voluntarily leave the palace and tells her that Siface will only enjoy her love, but that she will never marry. Finally there is an argument, and Siface who joins them does not manage to calm her down either. Both accuse him of infidelity.
Second act
Magnificent portico
Libanio reports to Siface that he failed to attack Viriate's virtue. Siface then orders her to be thrown into the dungeon. In order to justify this in front of the people, he intends to forge evidence of their infidelity and to sacrifice Ismenes' admirer Erminio as well. Libanio goes to arrest Viriate. To appease Ismene, Siface lets her know about the plan.
Orcano is still angry with his daughter and threatens her with the sword. Siface protects her, however, and Ismene leaves. Siface then assures Orcano that he wants to marry Ismene and that Viriate has betrayed him. To prove it, he shows him a forged letter from Viriate to Erminio. In it she writes about her love and their common plan to murder Siface. Orcano secretly doubts the authenticity of the letter.
Libanio has Viriate captured. Erminio tries to free her, but is also captured. Ismene promises Viriate that she will use her influence on the king to free her, but Viriate doesn't believe her. After Viriate was taken away by Libanio, Ismene assures Erminio that she really loved him, but that the crown is more important to her. Erminio is also taken away.
Great Courtroom; on one side a magnificent royal throne, in front of it a table with a chair
Libanio tells Siface that he tried in vain to get Viriate's servant to testify against her and therefore killed him. He goes to get the prisoners. Siface decides to attach this murder to Erminio. Orcano comes in and pretends to be Siface's lies. In the following hearing he is to take over the judge's office. Viriate and Erminio are brought in by Libanio, and Orcano reads the forged letter as evidence of the prosecution. Viriate refuses to answer these lies and does not defend himself. However, Erminio asks about the origin of the letter. Siface replies that he got it from Viriate's servant. This revealed the treason and was then murdered by Erminio. Orcano now speaks the verdict. Because he saw through Siface's lies, he announces that the traitor must die, but does not give a name. Siface is willing to pardon Viriate, provided she acknowledges her guilt and leaves the country. Since Viriate refuses, she is taken away again. Siface now demands a confession from Erminio. But he only confesses to love Ismene and assures Siface that Ismene only wants to marry him because of the crown, but that he himself still has her heart. Siface leaves the room angry. Erminio accuses Orcano of supporting Siface's machinations. The latter explains to him, however, that he only acted to protect himself and Viriate.
Third act
Barred prison cell with a door; in it large stones for sitting and writing
Libanio brings Viriate a mug of poison and a dagger and tells her to choose the way of her death. She decides on the poison, but wishes to be able to write her father a letter beforehand. Siface secretly watches her writing. Because he fears that his deeds will be betrayed, he finally snatches the letter from her. However, this only contains the request to her father to forgive Siface, as she had already forgiven him. Siface is touched, but continues to insist on her death. She throws away the cup of poison and asks for his sword to kill herself with. At that moment, Erminio and Orcano come in and free Viriate. When they want to kill Siface, however, Viriate stands protectively in front of him and sends the two away. Finally she gives Siface the sword back and tells him to carry out the sentence himself. Siface takes her hand and leads her away.
Brightly lit and magnificent gallery
After they could not free Viriate, Erminio and Orcano decide to wrest at least Ismene from the tyrant and go in search of her. In the meantime, Ismene and Libanio are waiting for the king to perform the wedding ceremony. Libanio is completely disturbed and leaves Ismene alone. Now Erminio comes and urges her to flee with him to avoid the wrath of the king. Orcano also comes and reports that Viriate has been released and that Siface wants to marry her after all. Her virtue finally convinced the king. He advises his daughter to recognize the queen and ask for mercy. Then she could marry Erminio. Reluctantly, she makes her way to Siface. Erminio is concerned, but Orcano can reassure him that their actions are more rewarding than punishment. When Siface arrives with the guard, the two ask his forgiveness. However, he thanks them for saving his honor. Viriate also comes with her entourage and is praised by the choir as a royal bride. Siface offers her the throne and asks her forgiveness for his previous behavior. Now Ismene comes back and asks Viriate to punish her. She embraces this as a sign of forgiveness. She brings Ismene together with her admirer Erminio. At the end of the opera the choir repeats its hymn of praise to the new queen.
history
Metastasio wrote this arrangement of Domenico David's La forza della virtù a year before his first own libretto Didone abbandonata . He did not count it among his actual works. The template dealt with the historical figure of the Castilian King Peter I the Cruel , who lived in the mid-14th century and whose life story Bartolomeo de Rogatis in the fourth book of the fifth volume of his Historia della perdita e reaquisto dell Spagna accupata da Mori (From the loss of the Kingdom of Spain and its re-conquest from the hands of the Moors) . Peter was forced to marry Blanche, daughter of Duke Pierre I de Bourbon , in 1353 in order to consolidate an alliance with France against England. However, he loved María de Padilla and had Blanche arrested immediately after the wedding. María remained his lover until her death in 1361. David already changed the historical names. Metastasio changed it again and moved the story to Numidia. He also reduced the number of characters and streamlined the plot. The emotional expression has been reduced compared to the original. In particular, Viriate's motivation with Metastasio is more focused on virtue than with David. By using the character Siface ( Syphax ), Metastasio created a connection to the Sophonisbe dramas popular at the time , which were based on various classic reports and mostly also dealt with extramarital love and a poison offer.
David's libretto La forza della virtù was first set to music by Carlo Pollarolo for Venice in 1692 . It was praised by some members of the Accademia dell'Arcadia and subsequently used by other composers, including Giacomo Antonio Perti in Bologna in 1694 . In 1699 Pollarola's opera was performed in Naples under the name Creonte tiranno di Tebe with arias by Alessandro Scarlatti . Metastasio knew these versions and used elements from them for his adaptations. Independently of David, the story of Peter the Cruel was also processed by some French authors, such as Charles Regnault in the tragic comedy Blanche de Bourbon, Reyne d'Espagne (1641), Pierre de Belloy in the tragedy Pierre le cruel (1772) and von Voltaire in the tragedy Dom Pèdre, roi de Castille (1775).
In 1725 Metastasio revised the text for a setting by Nicola Antonio Porpora , which was performed simultaneously in Milan and Venice on December 26th. He reinforced the characterizations, "the infidelity of Syphax, the constancy of the Viriate, the honor of the Ismen, and the magnanimous display of the Orcan". He also removed Ismenes' assassination attempt on Viriate, which was still contained in the first version, thus ensuring a more convincing end to the opera. These two Porpora versions differ slightly. The opera performed in Milan is more heavily edited and also contains substitute arias from Porpora's older operas. While Porpora attended the performance in Milan, Metastasio attended the premiere in Venice with Nicola Grimaldi and Marianna Benti Bulgarelli , the main actors in the first version of Francesco Feo from 1723.
Settings
The following composers used this libretto for an opera:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1723 | Francesco Feo | May 13, 1723, Teatro San Bartolomeo | Naples | ||
| 1725 | Nicola Antonio Porpora | December 26th 1725, Teatro Regio Ducale | Milan | first version; on the same day at the Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo in Venice; German version as Syphax translated by Johann Philipp Praetorius with recitatives by Georg Philipp Telemann ( TWV 22: 4) 1727 in the opera at the Gänsemarkt in Hamburg |
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| 1729 | Giovanni Nicola Ranieri Redi | Summer 1729, Teatro Cocomero | Florence |
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| 1730 | Nicola Antonio Porpora | July 2nd 1730, Teatro Capranica | Rome | second version, with interludes by Michele De Falco | |
| 1732 | Giuseppe Maria Nelvi | January 1732 | Frankfurt am Main |
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| 1734 | Giuseppe Sellitto | 4 December 1734, Teatro San Bartolomeo (according to information in the libretto, according to Corago in the Teatro San Carlo ) | Naples | Pasticcio with music by Leonardo Vinci , Nicola Antonio Porpora , Geminiano Giacomelli , Johann Adolph Hasse and others | |
| 1737 | Leonardo Leo | May 11, 1737, Teatro Malvezzi | Bologna | New version as Pasticcio Viriate in Pistoia in the summer of 1740; also in autumn 1740 in the Teatro Pubblico in Lucca; in the spring of 1745 at the Teatro Ducale in Parma | |
| 1737 | Giovanni Battista Mele | Carnival 1737, Teatro de los Caños del Peral | Madrid | in two acts as Amor constancia y mujer | |
| 1739 | Johann Adolph Hasse | January 24th 1739, Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo | Venice | Libretto edited by Domenico Lalli as Viriate | |
| 1744 | Francesco Maggiore | October 10, 1744, Teatro Manfredini | Rovigo |
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| 1748 | Gioacchino Cocchi | May 30, 1748, Teatro San Carlo | Naples |
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| 1752 | Ignazio Fiorillo | Summer fair 1752, court theater | Braunschweig | ||
| 1761 | Domenico Fischietti | Ascension Mass 1761, Teatro Sant'Angelo | Venice | ||
| 1761 | Michelangelo Valentini | Carnival 1761, Teatro Omodeo | Pavia | as La Viriate | |
| 1762 | Baldassare Galuppi | May 19, 1762, Teatro San Salvatore | Venice | as a viriate |
Web links
Digital copies
- ↑ a b c Libretto (German) of the opera by Nicola Porpora, Hamburg 1727 as a digitized version at the Berlin State Library .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Nicola Porpora, Milan 1725. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Giovanni Nicola Ranieri Redi, Florence 1729 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / German) of the opera by Giuseppe Maria Nelvi, Frankfurt 1732 as digitized version at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main .
- ^ Siface (Various). Score. Digitized at the International Music Score Library Project .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Leonardo Leo, Bologna 1737. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Leonardo Leo, Pistoia 1740 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Johann Adolph Hasse, Venice 1739 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Francesco Maggiore, Rovigo 1744 as a digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Gioacchino Cocchi, Naples 1748. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Baldassare Galuppi, Venice 1762 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Don Neville: Siface re di Numidia. 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).
- ↑ a b c Don Neville: Siface re di Numidia. ( Online, PDF )
- ^ Siface (Francesco Feo) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ a b Siface (Nicola Porpora) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ a b List of the stage works by Nicola Porpora based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on September 29, 2014.
- ^ Viriate (Giovanni Nicola Ranieri Redi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ Siface, re di Numidia (Giuseppe Maria Nelvi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ Siface (Giuseppe Sellitto) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ List of the stage works by Giuseppe Sellitto based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ Vinci, Leonardo - Siface. Work information in the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales . Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Siface (Leonardo Leo) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ List of stage works by Leonardo Leo based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on October 11, 2014.
- ^ Amor, constancia y mujer (Giovanni Battista Mele) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ List of the stage works by Giovanni Battista Mele based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on October 6, 2014.
- ↑ Viriate (Johann Adolph Hasse) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ Siface (Francesco Maggiore) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ Siface (Gioacchino Cocchi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ Siface (Ignazio Fiorillo) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ↑ Siface (Domenico Fischietti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ La Viriate (Michelangelo Valentini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.
- ^ Viriate (Baldassare Galuppi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 17, 2014.