Lucio Cornelio Silla

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Work data
Original title: Lucio Cornelio Silla
Title page of the libretto, London 1713

Title page of the libretto, London 1713

Shape: Opera seria
Original language: Italian
Music: georg Friedrich Handel
Libretto : Giacomo Rossi
Premiere: probably June 2, 1713
Place of premiere: Burlington House or Queen's Theater , London
Playing time: 2 hours
Place and time of the action: Rome , 82-79 BC Chr.
people

Lucio Cornelio Silla ( HWV 10) is an opera ( Dramma per musica ) in three acts by Georg Friedrich Händel . At two hours it is his shortest opera.

Creation & libretto

There is considerable mystery about how Handel's Silla came into being and how it was performed - if it ever happened at all. Although there are almost complete scores for the piece, there is no documented evidence that the work ended with a performance. It was only at the end of the 1960s that John Merrill Knapp was able to find a copy of the original libretto in California . The composition was previously erroneously attributed to Giovanni Bononcini .

The text book is preceded by a dedication preface (admittedly exaggerated) by the librettist Giacomo Rossi (who had previously worked with Handel on Rinaldo and Il Pastor fido ) - not to the Earl of Burlington , but to Louis-Marie, Duc D'Aumont de Rochebaron, the French ambassador to England. D'Aumont was appointed by Louis XIV after diplomatic relations between England and France were resumed after the War of the Spanish Succession , especially the Peace of Utrecht . The dedication is dated June 2, 1713, so this could most likely be the date of the performance. This textbook contains neither an English translation of the Italian text nor a cast list and is therefore unique. The format is also larger than usual. It is believed that the performance took place at Burlington House in Piccadilly , the residence of Handel's patron at the time. But it is unlikely that the required stage effects could be achieved in a private apartment. Or was there only a semi-staged or even concert performance? The Queen's Theater would certainly have been more suitable , where Handel and Rossi had already fully exploited the possibilities of this still very new theater in Rinaldo . The Handel researcher Anthony Hicks also suspected that it could have been a private performance at the Queen's Theater.

Burlington House: This is where the performance of Silla may have taken place in a private setting.

An Italian model, after which Rossi designed his textbook, has not yet been proven. The existing librettos, which deal with Sulla, have nothing in common with Rossi's text.

Possibly this was the cast for the premiere:

The second performance of the opera took place on October 12, 1990 (277 years after its first performance) in the Salle Dupré des Hôtel des Monnaies in Paris under the direction of Gabrielle Marcq. The first performance of the piece in historical performance practice was seen in Handel's birth town Halle / Saale on the occasion of his 308th birthday on February 23, 1993 with the Cologne ensemble La Stravaganza under the direction of Dieter Gutknecht .

action

Historical and literary background

Portrait of Sulla on a denarius of Quintus Pompeius Rufus, 55 BC. Chr.

Giacomo Rossi gives in the "Argomento" ("Preliminary remark") to his printed text book Plutarchs Bíoi parálleloi (Parallel Life Descriptions) as the source. In it he describes which historical events were included in his operatic plot: The seizure of power by Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (138 BC – 78 BC) in 82 BC. After he had defeated his adversary, Consul Gaius Marius , and drove him to suicide, how Sulla established a dictatorship in the now leaderless Roman state and had his enemies mercilessly killed - allegedly on divine command - during the three years of his arbitrary rule. Rossi further mentions the fact that Sulla led the life of a libertine, betrayed and abused his wives, and finally in 79 BC. BC, surprising and as unpredictable as his behavior during the years of his reign, without giving reasons, abdicated and withdrew.

The other characters in the plot take the following positions in the history: Caecilia Metella Dalmatica was Sulla's fourth wife for seven years; she died of a fatal illness two years before his abdication. Behind Claudio is Sulla's follower Appius Claudius Pulcher , who first had to live in exile for four years, then after Sulla's resignation in 79 BC. But became consul. Lepido is Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , who at the latest since 81 BC. Chr. Praetor and in 80 v. Was governor of Sicily as a propaetor. 78 BC Lepidus became consul. He tried to reverse the measures taken by the resigned dictator Sulla, who died that year, but met resistance from his colleague Quintus Lutatius Catulus , the father of Celia, who was invented for the libretto.

first act

After his victory over Mario and his conquests of the eastern kingdoms, Silla and his army, accompanied by military instruments, march into Rome as if on a parade through the Arc de Triomphe. Metella and Lepido greet Silla. This presents the previous leaders of the conquered territories as the new slaves of Rome and finally the head of Mario. In return for his victories, he asked Rome to make him the absolute ruler of the Roman Empire. Metella and Lepido are appalled because they see, rightly, that the freedom of the Roman Republic is threatened. Metella would rather die than see Rome's freedoms destroyed by her husband.

Flavia, Lepido's wife, tells her husband about a terrible dream in which she saw Rome being reduced to rubble by a monster. Lepido tries to calm her down. Then Flavia and Celia see how lightning destroys part of the triumphal arch, and this fuels Flavia's fears. She asks Jupiter to send her a ray of hope.

Claudio appears with a portrait, which he looks at with admiration. Celia suspects that it is a portrait of a woman and snatches it from him. But when she sees that it is a picture of the dead Mario that Claudio had supported against Silla and still admires, she declares him unworthy, as she herself is the daughter of one of the officers of Silla and is therefore also connected to him. Claudio says he loves her, but Celia cannot show him her love because he is Silla's enemy. Claudio promises her loyalty. Left alone, Celia admits that she loves Claudio, but honor demands her silence on this matter.

Claudio meets Silla in a garden and accuses him of suppressing Rome's freedom. Celia, who was in hiding, intervenes by distractingly asking Silla about her father. Silla gives her a letter from her father, which she is now reading. Claudio threatens to drop Silla and the latter storms away, Celia follows him. Claudio decides to oppose Silla's arrogance.

In the amphitheater during the gladiator fights, Silla appears with Flavia and Celia, both of whom he has taken by the hand. Metella, Lepido and Claudio watch them from a sufficient distance. Silla is proud to be a phoenix with a double flame, namely a lover of beautiful women and at the same time a dictatorial war hero. He walks past the others arrogantly, ignoring their accusations and abusive calls.

Second act

Silla and Flavia meet at the temple of Berecinta. He tries to approach her. She shows that she accepts his fame, but remains loyal to her husband Lepido. Silla, left alone, is saddened by this rebuff and falls asleep. In the dream dragons and furies appear to him with burning torches and he wakes up. Even now he thinks he can see the Furies and calls his guard, who appear immediately with drawn swords. He asks them like a madman to kill the enemies and ghosts. Lepido rushes over and tries to calm the dictator down. Silla believes that this dream proves that the gods already wanted him to share in their power on earth. Lepido then calls Silla a fool in the cloak of a usurper . Thereupon Silla threatens Lepido with death, but this does not scare Lepido. Silla demands at least that Lepido should separate from his wife so that he, Silla, can marry her. Lepido indignantly refuses.

The couple Lepido / Flavia are in their apartments. Lepido pensively speaks of revenge on Silla because he is demanding a divorce. Flavia would rather die than be Silla's wife.

Claudio meets Celia, who is worried because Silla has become intrusive towards her. She's afraid of this horny libertine. Claudio lovingly offers to protect her, whereupon she confesses to him that she loves him too. Claudio is happy about it, despite the danger from Silla. After he leaves, Silla returns and tries to perform obscene acts on Celia, but his wife Metella appears and pulls him away from her. Silla leaves furiously and Metella excuses her husband's actions to Celia with the power of love and Celia's beauty.

Silla happens to find Flavia in the garden in front of Lepido's palace. There Silla sees a newly erected statue of herself: a sign of Lepido's support for him so far. Now Silla approaches Flavia and now wants to convince her to marry him too, but she rejects him. When he tries to hug her, the statue sinks into the ground and instead a cypress (a symbol of death) appears in its place. Flavia interprets this as a warning from Heaven that it threatens its destruction, but he believes that his image has now entered the Elysian realms crowned with laurel . He tries to hug her again and she yells for help. When Lepido intervenes with an open sword, Silla accuses him and Flavia of rebellion against him and orders his soldiers to arrest Lepido and Flavia and take them to separate prisons. The couple tenderly say goodbye to each other.

Claudio and Celia are enjoying their love, strolling in the garden, when Silla appears with his soldiers. Silla orders Claudio to be disarmed, arrested and threatened with death. Celia is placed under house arrest in Silla's palace. He calls his favorite Scabro, who is to organize two assassinations: Lepido is to be shot with arrows, while Claudio is to find his death in the lion's kennel. Silla takes pleasure in his thoughts of revenge. Scabro stays behind and Metella joins them. She berates her husband as a traitor who wants to shed innocent blood. Since Scabro is also her confidante, she asks him for his help in saving the innocent.

Claudio stands at the window of a tower with a view of the lion enclosure, into which he is about to be tumbled, and reflects on his fate. Apart from that, Scabro brings Silla a riddled and bloody robe, with the implication that this was Lepido's last coat. Silla is very satisfied and instructs Scabro to inform him immediately if Claudio has been eaten by the lions. Metella stops the departing Scabro and asks him to hurry to his master to protect him. But Silla goes to his wife and asks about the meaning of this madness. She then reported that an angry crowd of supporters of the dead Mario rose against him. Silla suspects that Claudio is the ringleader of the uprising, and hurries away with the sword to kill him himself. Metella now demands of Scabro to release the two prisoners Lepido and Claudio again and bring them to her. She begs the gods for help. Scabro returns with the two men, and Metella hurries them away.

Third act

Lepido is safe in Metella's rooms. He thanks her for the rescue and wants to kill Silla in Rome to restore freedoms. Metella replies, however, that she cannot allow this because she must remain loyal to her husband. Scabro brings Metella a letter from Silla: He writes that he wants to leave Rome. She then instructs Sacbro to put Lepido in Flavia's prison cell until Silla has left Rome. As great as Lepido's joy is, Metella is so sad that Silla has left her without saying goodbye.

Silla, alone, reflects on the burdens of running an empire: If he wants to enjoy love with women - instead he must now go on a secret trip to Sicily. However, he decides to make an attack on Celia's virtue first and sneaks to her room, but she rejects him again. Leaving her angry, he callously claims that Claudio is dead. Celia is desperate and thinks of suicide. She hears her husband's voice and says it must be his ghost before she realizes that he is actually there: he comes out of his hiding place and Celia is overjoyed. Claudio assures her of his love.

Flavia awaits her death in her prison. Silla appears in the blood-stained robe that is supposed to belong to Lepido and tells her that she could see him again soon in the underworld if she did not obey. When she remains defiant, he throws the robe at her feet, leaves and again leaves Flavia to her thoughts of death. Scabro brings Lepido in. He convinces Flavia that he is not a ghost and the couple are happily united.

Silla has reached the coast near Rome on a moonlit night and is preparing to set sail. Metella is with him. He is desperate to leave her and asks for forgiveness for his past behavior. She hopes that her love will be renewed. He boards the ship and sails off. In the distance Metella sees in horror how the ship is destroyed by a sudden storm, lightning and thunder, but Silla can swim to a rock. She bravely boards a small boat to rescue him from there and brings him to safety.

In a large square in front of the Capitol , Lepido and Claudio organize the uprising against the tyranny of Silla. The god Mars appears in a cloud. When everyone in attendance falls on their knees to worship him, Metella comes with a repentant Silla. He asks Mars and the fatherland for forgiveness for their crimes, puts aside all his dignities and honors and declares that in the future he will live with Metella in retreat in the country. As his last official act, he gives his consent to the marriage between Claudio and Celia. All praise is due to those who have placed their trust in Heaven.

music

The music for Silla is preserved as an autograph , some parts are missing, however, due to other copies, e.g. a. from the Barrett Lennard Collection can be added.

Portrait of a stranger, identified with Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix

Despite the speculation in the genesis of the Silla and the rather confusing plot, Handel's music is full of ingenuity. The first act begins with an extensive French-style overture , followed by seven arias. The second act contains eight arias, two duets and an arioso. The short third act then comprises five arias and the opera ends with a notably only two-part final chorus (soprano and alto).

Handel again draws a woman full of character: Metella, the dictator's wife, is the dramatic-tragic figure of this opera. In the third act she shows very expressively in a great aria her unspeakable pain over the malicious deeds of her yet beloved husband. As in earlier works (including Rodrigo and Agrippina ), Handel was thematically inspired in Silla by Reinhard Keiser's Die Roman Unrest or: Die Nobelmüthige Octavia (Hamburg 1705). Handel used larger sections of the Silla in his next opera Amadigi di Gaula , which premiered two years later at the King's Theater.

orchestra

Two recorders , two oboes , bassoon , trumpet , strings, basso continuo (violoncello, lute, harpsichord).

Discography

  • SOMM Recordings 227-8 (2000): James Bowman (Silla), Rachel Nicholls (Metella), Joanne Lunn (Lepido), Natasha Marsh (Flavia), Simon Baker (Claudio), Elizabeth Cragg (Celia), Christopher Dixon (Mars)
London Trade Orchestra; Dir. Denys Darlow (115 min)

literature

Web links

Commons : Lucio Cornelio Silla  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anthony Hicks: Silla. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera . Stanley Sadie (Ed.), London 1992, ISBN 0-333-73432-7 .
  2. ↑ a b Silke Leopold: Handel. The operas. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-1991-3 , p. 254.
  3. ↑ Winton Dean : Laura Williams Macy (Ed.): The Grove book of opera singers . Oxford University Press , 2008.