Talestri
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| Title: | Talestri, Queen of the Amazons |
| Original title: | Talestri, regina delle Amazzoni |
Title page of the libretto, Munich 1760 |
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| Shape: | Opera seria in three acts |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | Maria Antonia Walpurgis |
| Libretto : | Maria Antonia Walpurgis |
| Premiere: | February 6, 1760 or August 24, 1763 |
| Place of premiere: | Electoral theater of Nymphenburg Palace and electoral riding house on Taschenberg in Dresden |
| Playing time: | about 3 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Themiskyra on the banks of the Thermodon , mythical time. |
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Talestri, regina delle Amazzoni (German: Talestri, Queen of the Amazons ) is an opera seria (original name: "opera drammatica") in three acts by Maria Antonia Walpurgis on its own libretto. The premiere took place on February 6, 1760 in the theater of the electoral palace in Nymphenburg or on August 24, 1763 in the electoral prince's Reithaus am Taschenberg in Dresden.
action
The opera is set in Themiskyra on the banks of the Thermodon in mythical times . Disputes between Amazons and Scythians form the framework . The prehistory is given in the libretto as follows:
“The Amazons of antiquity were at constant war with their neighbors, the Scyths. On the borders of the two empires which were separated from the Termodoon, the two hostile armies kept watch and attacked one another in turn. The hostility of the two peoples increased still further because the king of Scythia had previously stolen from the Amazons a decent servant of class, who, when she grew up, loved by him and taken as wife, but afterwards rejected by the inconstant and hunted into misery without further hearing from her. While the heir of Scythia, the young Orontes, practiced arms under his father's banner, the young Amazon princess, in her capital, Themiscira, grew in age and beauty. Her fame made the impatient Scythian prince so eager to see her that once, in the heat of a skirmish, he slipped away from his own and, in Amazonian clothes, under the name Orizia, crept into Themiscira. To see and love the Talestris was a moment, and the disguised Orizia soon became the wonder of the whole empire, and the pleasure of the young princess. The amorous prince lived with her under a disguised sex as happily as Achilles once did in Scyrus . And since he relied too much on the innocent samples of their affection, he finally dared to reveal his betrayal. As admired as the betrayed Talestris was at first, she soon became so angry that she overcame the love she had already felt for him, forbade Orontes to see her, and forced him to suddenly leave Themiscira. The unhappy lover obeyed, left the city and the rich, and returned from the new one to his army, where he pretended another cause of his long absence. The hope of appeasing his adored enemy one day kept the sad prince alive for some time. But since at last he could no longer be without her; So he left the army under him to his friend and ally, the Massage-Table Prince Learch, and went across the river to the camp of the Amazons, and was led, unrecognized by them, as a prisoner, before the Talestris, at the moment since they should succeed their late mother and be crowned queen.
From these presupposed circumstances the fictional plot emerges, which ends with the reconciliation of the Amazons and Scythians.
The setting is in Themiscira on the banks of the Termodoon. "
At the beginning of the opera, Talestri is crowned the new Queen of the Amazons. She is reluctant to accept this office, as she has to swear hatred to all men during the ceremony. At this point in time she secretly loves the Scythian Prince Oronte, who for a while lived under the Amazons disguised as a woman. Oronte has now been captured and is intended as a ceremonial sacrifice. Talestri tries to release him and gets into an argument with the strict high priestess Tomiri. The celebration is interrupted when Talestri's sister Antiope reports a Scythian attack led by Oronte's friend Learco. The Amazons manage to repel them and arrest Learco. On this occasion he falls in love with Antiope, who allows him to see Oronte again. Oronte and Learco each want to offer themselves as sacrifices in order to free the other.
In the second act, Oronte and Learco ask Antiope and Talestri each for mercy for the other. The Amazons admit their love for the two men and decide to vote for their rescue at the council meeting. In the council, however, Tomiri insists on Orontes death. Even when Oronte turns out to be her biological son, and Talestri demands that his mother kill him personally, she sticks to her decision.
In the third act, Tomiri leads her son to prison. She allows him one last meeting with Learco, at which the two say goodbye. Tomiri then enters Orontes' cell to kill him. Talestri and Antiope want to secretly release their loved ones. They meet Tomiri, who tells them that Oronte is already dead. However, Antiope can free Learco. Talestri shows him a way to the Scythian camp. She asks him to avenge Oronte and destroy the Amazon Empire. Shortly thereafter, however, she regrets her overreaction and resolves to die in atonement while defending the city. The Scythians attack and the battle begins. Suddenly Oronte, believed dead, appears and demands a halt. Tomiri admits that she herself released him. At the intercession of Orontes, the two peoples make peace. The two couples can get married.
first act
Cabinet with seating
Scene 1. After the death of the Amazon queen, her young daughter Talestri is about to be crowned. The latter does not yet feel ready for this position and is initially hesitant. Since the Amazons have already gathered in the temple for the coronation ceremony, the high priestess Tomiri urges them to hurry (Aria Tomiri: "Vieni al trono, ascendi al regno").
Scene 2. Talestri pours out her heart to her sister Antiope. According to the law of the Amazons, at the coronation she should swear to hate men. But she has already fallen in love with the Scythian Prince Oronte. He had heard of her beauty and sneaked into her court in women's clothes under the name Orizia to get to know her. Talestri fell in love with the supposed woman. After uncovering Oronte's cover, she had expelled him from court. But recently he'd managed to save her life in a skirmish. Since then, their love has flared up (Aria Talestri: "Vado; ma il core oh Dio!"). She goes.
Scene 3. Antiope feels sorry for Talestri. She too would give in to love if the opportunity arose (Aria Antiope: "Chi non mai partì dal lido").
The Temple of Diana with altar fire
In front of the idol, sacrificial implements, on one side a throne. Talestri comes out of the temple, already crowned, with Tomiri and other nobles. Amazons, priestesses and lower temple servants with flower wreaths can be seen everywhere. Then the captured Oronte is brought in by other Amazons.
Scene 4. Talestri ascends the throne to the singing of the choir (choir: “Dea de'boschi, arciera Diva”). Tomiri shows her the captured Oronte, who is now to serve as a ceremonial sacrifice. Oronte explains that he came back to die on the day of her coronation. Talestri takes the opportunity to acquit him because he is apparently insane. But Oronte reveals his identity as the prince of the Scythians and begins to declare his love for her. Talestri interrupts him and orders him to be escorted back to his homeland. Tomiri, however, has already recognized the alleged Orizia in him.
Scene 5. Antiope reports that the city is being attacked by Orontes warriors led by his friend Learco. Tomiri decides to postpone the ceremony. Antiope rushes to defend the warriors, while Tomiri and the priestesses want to plead with the gods for help. In order to be alone with Oronte, Talestri also sends his guard away - ostensibly to learn from him the plans of the enemy.
Scene 6. Oronte assures Talestri of his unbroken love, but she has not yet forgiven him for his betrayal. When he pleads with her to kill him with her own hands, Talestri refuses. She claims to hate him, but secretly returns his love (Aria Talestri: "Ah se vuoi, ch'io sia crudele"). She goes.
Scene 7. Oronte is convinced that Talestri loves him (Aria Oronte: “Non mi lagno del mio fato”).
Courtyard of the Royal Palace
Scene 8. Tomiri and Antiope appear to the sounds of warlike music - the latter without their helmets, with their hair flowing. The Amazons bring in the captured Learco. Talestri congratulates Antiope on her victory. She asks the Amazons to follow her and leaves Antiope alone with Learco.
Scene 9. Antiope is quite taken with Learco's appearance. He compliments her. It is not that easy to win, but it allows him to talk to his friend Oronte (Aria Antiope: “Ad abbracciar l'amico”). She goes to get him.
Scene 10. Learco tells Oronte the process of his attempt at liberation. He and his army had already taken the bridge over the Thermodon and put the Amazons to flight when Antiope ventured out of the city and took him prisoner. Now he wants to offer himself to Talestri as a sacrifice to save Oronte. Oronte, however, does not want to allow this (Aria Oronte: “Per me ti serba, e almeno”). He goes.
Scene 11. Learco is determined not to abandon his friend (Aria Learco: "D'Acheronte sulle sponde").
Second act
Rooms with access to the gardens
Scene 1. Antiope and Talestri prepare to talk to Learco and Oronte. Both have concerns about meeting their respective admirers, but do not want to show any weakness.
Scene 2. Oronte and Learco each ask for their friend's freedom. Everyone is ready to sacrifice their own life for the other. The two women are impressed by their deep friendship. When Learco also declares his love for Antiope, she leaves the judgment to Talestri. She doesn't want to hear any words of love and sends him away. Before he leaves, Learco asks her to be lenient for Oronte (Aria Learco: "Difendi l'amico").
Scene 3. Oronte asks Talestri not to judge him, but rather Orizia, by whose name she had met him. Analogous to the previous scene, Talestri leaves the judgment on Oronte to Antiope and sends Oronte away. Like Learco Antiope before, Oronte Talestri asks for mercy for his friend (Aria Oronte: "Voi d'un fedele Amante").
Scene 4. Talestri and Antiope admit they don't really want to judge them because they actually fell in love with them. They decide to speak for the other prisoner in front of the council meeting so as not to arouse suspicion (Aria Antiope: “Per salvarti il caro oggetto”). Antiope goes to gather the Amazons.
Scene 5. Tomiri asks Talestri what fate she intended Oronte to be. It is true that a law stipulates that no one may be voted a second time as a victim if he escaped on the first attempt. But since Oronte was a man, he couldn't get away with his life. Talestri refers to her authority as queen and explains that she will only announce her decision at the council meeting (Arie Talestri: “Pensa, che ancora io posso”). She goes.
Scene 6. Tomiri is absolutely convinced that Orontes and Orizia are the same person. She also wants to take revenge on him because he once spurned her love (Aria Tomiri: "Io di quel sangue ò sete").
Royal Council Hall
Scene 7. Late appearing Tomiri sued Talestris at the council meeting. She has Oronte brought in and explains that with Talestri's knowledge he had lived among them for a while disguised as a woman. Talestri replies that she fell in love with the supposed Orizia before she knew it was a man. She too was betrayed. She had banished him then, but he returned because he could not not live without her. She does not see herself in a position to punish him because she always has the image of her friend in front of her eyes. Although those present unanimously demand his death (chorus: “Mora l'amante audace”), Talestri refuses to carry it out. She explains that Oronte has Amazonian blood because his mother Mirina was stolen as a child by the then king of the Scythians. Tomiri reveals herself: she is Mirina. She had been cast out by the Scythians after the birth of her son and had returned to her home country undetected after a long migration. Since then she has sought revenge on the Scythians. Even though Oronte is her own son, she continues to claim his death. Talestri agrees - but he must die by Tomiri's own hand. Oronte has only two wishes: he would like to see Learco again - Antiope is going to get him - and a talk with Talestri. Tomiri grants it to him and leaves with the Amazons.
Scene 8. Alone with Oronte, Talestri finally confesses her love for him. Oronte is now calm about his death. Talestri, however, is desperate (Duet Talestri / Oronte: "Ah mi divide il seno").
Third act
Fortified area with several areas for the prisoners, between old walls overgrown with wild bushes and ivy
Scene 1. Tomiri leads Oronte to his prison. She asks his forgiveness for her severity. Oronte, however, is ready to die. He can see his friend Learco one last time. The two sadly say goodbye to each other (Aria Learco: "Da me ti dividi amico diletto?"). Learco goes to his cell.
Scene 2. Oronte asks his mother to refrain from further revenge on the Scythians and to stand by Talestri (Aria Oronte: “Madre ti lascio: addio”). He enters his cell.
Scene 3. Tomiri suppresses her conflict of conscience and follows her son into the cell to kill him.
Scene 4. Talestri and Antiope appear at the prison to free the prisoners. Tomiri approaches them from Orontes cell and claims that she has already killed him. She accuses Talestri of causing his death (Aria Tomiri: "Semper m'avrai sul ciglio"). She goes.
Scene 5. Desperate Talestri wants to follow Oronte into death (Aria Talestri: “Pallid'ombra, che d'intorno”). She moves away.
Scene 6. Antiope managed to free Learco. She assures him of her love. Talestri returns, shows Learco an escape route to the Scythian camp and assigns him to avenge Oronte with his army and to completely destroy the Amazon Empire.
Scene 7. Antiope points out to Talestri that only Tomiri is punishable. The other Amazons were not to blame for Oronte's death. Talestri realizes that love has made her blind (Aria Antiope: "Se follìa si chiama amore").
Scene 8. Meanwhile, Talestri deeply regrets her overreaction. When Tomiris asks her who was responsible for Learco's escape, she reveals her deed, ready to take the death penalty - but Tomiri leaves her to "repentance and fate" to devote himself to the defense of the empire.
Scene 9. Talestri decides to die fighting in order to at least partially make amends (Aria Talestri: "Cadrò col ferro in mano").
On one side the royal palace, on the other the outer fortifications, already conquered by the Scythians
Scene 10. To the sounds of warlike music, Learco comes with his soldiers. Talestri, Antiope and Tomiri come out of the castle with the Amazons. Learco encourages the Scythians to avenge their leader. The battle begins. Suddenly Oronte appears and asks everyone to end the fight. He stands between the Amazons and the Scythians. Learco and the Scythians lay down their arms first, as the reason for their attack no longer exists. Tomiri admits that, overwhelmed by motherly love, she released Orontes and merely pretended to be dead. She too is now ready for peace. The marriage of Talestri and Oronte as well as Antiope and Learco is supposed to seal him. All Scythians and Amazons sing about the new unity of their peoples (chorus: “Esser gloria in voi non deve”).
layout
Stylistically, the work largely follows the models of Maria Antonia's teachers Pietro Metastasio and Johann Adolf Hasse . The action presented in the recitatives is summarized in a parable-like aria or stylized according to the doctrine of affect . There are also several choirs and, especially in the third act, accompaniment recitatives accompanied by the orchestra . All arias are of the da capo type. The virtuoso arrangement typical of the opera seria was dispensed with - presumably because the work was not intended for professional singers but was performed by members of the royal family and the court.
In the libretto, Maria Antonio turned the usual role model of her time on its head. While in the opera libretti Metastasios male roles dominate, there are usually four male and two female roles and there are hardly any dominant female characters, in Maria Antonia three female roles contrast with only two male roles. In addition, the latter act primarily emotionally, while the women show typically masculine characteristics.
At the premiere, the three female roles were sung by members of the royal family, while the male roles Oronte and Learco were taken on by lower-ranking courtiers. Johann Friedrich Agricola already noticed that the music of the male parts was kept simpler than that of the Amazons. The same goes for the cost of the costumes for the 1763 performance, which were proportional to the rank of each performer.
In contrast to many other Baroque operas, the heroine chooses love in her conflict between love and duty. She takes on a pioneering role, which her sister Antiope and even her opponent Tomiri then follow.
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwind : two flutes , two oboes , two bassoons
- Brass : two horns , two trumpets
- Timpani
- Strings
- Basso continuo
Music numbers
The individual pieces have the following titles (translations according to the libretto from 1763):
- Sinfonia: Allegro - Andantino - Allegro
first act
- Aria Tomiri: "Vieni al trono, ascendi al regno" - "Come to the throne, let us rule" (scene 1)
- Aria Talestri: “Vado; ma il core oh Dio! "-" I'm going, but what a turmoil "(scene 2)
- Aria Antiope: "Chi non mai partì dal lido" - "Who never leave the land" (scene 3)
- Choir: "Dea de'boschi, arciera Diva" - "Goddess of the woods with quiver and bow" (scene 4)
- Aria Talestri: "Ah se vuoi, ch'io sia crudele" - "Do you demand that I be cruel" (scene 6)
- Aria Oronte: "Non mi lagno del mio fato" - "Now I do not lament my fate" (scene 7)
- March (scene 8)
- Aria Antiope: "Ad abbracciar l'amico" - "To embrace the friend" (scene 9)
- Aria Oronte: "Per me ti serba, e almeno" - "Keep yourself for my sake" (scene 10)
- Aria Learco: "D'Acheronte sulle sponde" - "Acheron, in your caves" (scene 11)
Second act
- Aria Learco: "Difendi l'amico" - "If my friend just stays calm" (scene 2)
- Aria Oronte: "Voi d'un fedele Amante" - "You should alone, you most beautiful eyes" (scene 3)
- Aria Antiope: "Per salvarti il caro oggetto" - "To save your beloved for you" (scene 4)
- Aria Talestri: "Pensa, che ancora io posso" - "Remember that, through your daring" (scene 5)
- Aria Tomiri: "Io di quel sangue ò sete" - "I thirst for blood" (scene 6)
- Choir: "Mora l'amante audace" - "The bold wooer must fall" (scene 7)
- Duet Talestri / Oronte: "Ah mi divide il seno" - "In such cruel moments" (scene 8)
Third act
- Aria Learco: “Da me ti dividi amico diletto?” - “Oh! do you want to divorce dearest friend? "(scene 1)
- Aria Oronte: "Madre ti lascio: addio" - "I go and leave you, mother" (scene 2)
- Aria Tomiri: "Semper m'avrai sul ciglio" - "You should always see me" (scene 4)
- Aria Talestri: "Pallid'ombra, che d'intorno" - "Pale shadow that I'm sad" (scene 5)
- Aria Antiope: "Se follìa si chiama amore" - "Do you want to call love folly" (scene 7)
- Aria Talestri: "Cadrò col ferro in mano" - "I want, with weapons in my hands" (scene 9)
- March (scene 10)
- Choir: "Esser gloria in voi non deve" - "Rough hearts, gloomy looks" (scene 10)
Work history
The Elector Princess Maria Antonia of Saxony had many artistic ambitions. She received music lessons first from the Munich court composer Giovanni Ferrandini and later in Dresden from Nicola Porpora and Johann Adolf Hasse . Ferrandini may have helped her with the composition of her opera Talestri . The libretto is based on the Thalestris myth and its arrangements as well as the novel Cassandre (1642–1650) by Gautier de Costes de La Calprenède .
As a result of the Seven Years' War , the electoral prince and electoral princess left Dresden in 1759 and spent two years at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich with the Maria Antonias family, where they took over the affairs of Saxony for the elector Friedrich August II . It was there that Talestri's libretto appeared in print for the first time in 1760. It is marked with the abbreviation "ETPA", which stands for her pseudonym "Ermelinda Talea Pastorella Arcadia" at the Accademia dell'Arcadia .
Some sources name the date and place of the premiere as February 6, 1760 in the Electoral Theater of Nymphenburg Palace near Munich. The musicologist Christine Fischer , who has studied the work in detail, assumes, however, that the first theatrical performance took place in Dresden in 1763 after the end of the Seven Years War and the return of the Elector from Warsaw. Moritz Fürstenau reports on this series of performances in detail in the second volume of his History of Music and Theater at the Court of Dresden. Accordingly, a main rehearsal took place on August 23rd on the stage of the electoral riding house. On August 24th there was a performance in front of the inner circle of the court, which lasted from 4:00 p.m. to around 9:00 p.m. The Elector Princess Maria Antonia (Talestri), Princess Kunigunde (Antiope), Frau Kron-Hofmarschallin Countess von Weiszeck (Oronte), Princess Elisabeth (Tomiri) and the Chamberlain Baron von Rechberg (Learco) sang. The choir and the silent roles were also occupied by members of the court. From September 5th, three more performances followed in a somewhat larger circle. Another libretto, published in 1770, suggests another performance in Dresden that year, which is not otherwise documented.
The score of the opera was published in print by Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf in Leipzig in 1765. A number of scenes were added to it afterwards, three of which (a temple, a courtyard and a castle) were made by the painter Johann Benjamin Müller, who also designed a curtain and stage sets for the performance. Four other pictures are presumably from Ferdinando Antonio Bibiena, a son of Giuseppe Bibiena .
The libretto was also set to music by other composers, presumably by Maria Antonia's teacher Giovanni Ferrandini around 1760, by Johann Gottfried Schwanberger in 1764 and by Domenico Fischietti in 1773 .
In 1766 in Zwickau, under the title Thalestris Queen of the Amazons, an adaptation of the libretto was published as "German Tragedy" by Johann Christoph Gottsched .
Recordings and performances in recent times
- July 14, 1998 (live from the Cuvilliés Theater Munich, cross-section): Folkert Uhde (conductor), Batzdorfer Hofkapelle . Jana Frey (Talestri), Jeanne Pascale Schulze (Antiope), Gerson Luis Sales (Oronte), Cassandra Hoffmann (Tomiri), Oleg Bezinskikh (Learco). Chamber sound CD: op. 7/98.
- November 17, 2002 (performance in the Herne cultural center from the days of early music in Herne 2002, slightly shortened without the role of Learco): Batzdorfer Hofkapelle . Christine Wolff (Talestri), Marilia Vargas (Antiope), Ulrike Bartsch (Oronte), Johanna Stojkovic (Tomiri).
- January 22, 2013 (performance at KosmosTheater Vienna): Elisabeth Attl (conductor), Heidi Sommer (concept and direction), WienerKlassikNonett. Anna Manske (Talestri), Ivana Canovic (Antiope), Roland Schneider (Oronte), Heidi Brunner (Tomiri), Francesco Divito (Learco).
Web links
- Talestri, Regina delle Amazzoni : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto (Italian), Munich 1760. Digitized version of the Munich digitization center
- Libretto (Italian / German), Dresden 1763. Digitized version of the Munich digitization center
- Libretto (Italian), Dresden 1770. Digitized version of the Munich digitization center
- Johann Christoph Gottsched : Thalestris Queen of the Amazons (German adaptation as a tragedy). Höfer, Zwickau 1766. Digitized version of the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt
- Manuscripts and performances (1770–1830) by Talestri, regina delle Amazzoni in the DFG opera project
- Talestri regina delle amazzoni. Work information in the catalog of the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Sabine Henze-Döhring: Talestri. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Vol. 3. Works. Henze - Massine. Piper, Munich and Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-492-02413-0 , p. 670 f.
- ↑ Gerd de Bruyn: The singing Amazon. Broadcast manuscript of Deutschlandfunk dated April 14, 2013, accessed on July 27, 2016.
- ^ A b Christine Fischer: Gender ambivalence - Amazon sound and Amazon images. In: Peter Moormann, Albrecht Riethmüller, Rebecca Wolf (eds.): Paradestück military music: Contributions to the change of state representation through music. Transcript, Bielefeld 2012, ISBN 978-3-8376-1655-2 , pp. 165–179 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ a b c Christine Fischer: Self-Stylization in a Ceremonial Context: Maria Antonia Walpurgis as Talestri, regina delle amazzoni. In: Melania Bucciarelli, Norbert Dubowy, Reinhard Strohm (eds.): Italian Opera in Central Europe. Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-8305-0381-4 , pp. 203-219 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ^ A b Rebekka Bindewald: The opera "Talestri, regina delle amazzoni" - A spa princess as the Amazon queen. In: VivaVoce No. 80 ( online ).
- ^ Gerhard Allroggen: Maria Antonia Walpurgis, Electress of Saxony. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Christine Fischer: Musical role portraits - The operas by Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Saxony (1724–1780) in a ceremonial context. In: Gabriele Baumbach, Cordula Bischoff (ed.): Woman and portrait 1600–1750. Baroque culture of representation at European royal courts. Kassel University Press, Kassel 2003, ISBN 978-3-933146-95-3 , pp. 111-131 ( online, PDF ).
- ^ Moritz Fürstenau : On the history of music and theater at the court in Dresden. Volume 2. Dresden 1862, p. 368 ( Online in the Internet Archive ).
- ^ List of the stage works by Giovanni Ferrandini based on the MGG in Operone.
- ↑ Christine Fischer: Instrumented Visions of Female Power. Maria Antonia Walpurgis' works as a stage for political self-staging (= Swiss contributions to music research. Volume 7). Bärenreiter, Kassel 2007, ISBN 978-3-7618-1829-9 , p. 422 f.
- ↑ CD information on the website of the Batzdorfer Hofkapelle , accessed on July 26, 2016.
- ↑ 27th Days of Early Music in Herne. Festival report in Online Musik Magazin , accessed on July 26, 2016.
- ↑ Review of the performance in the KosmosTheater on operinwien.at , accessed on July 26, 2016.