Temistocle (metastasis)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Temistocle |
First act, scene IX. |
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| Shape: | Opera seria |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | First setting by Antonio Caldara |
| Libretto : | Pietro Metastasio |
| Premiere: | November 4, 1736 |
| Place of premiere: | Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Susa , 461 BC Chr. |
| people | |
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Temistocle is an opera - libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio . It was performed for the first time in the setting by Antonio Caldara on November 4, 1736 to celebrate the name-day of Charles VI. in Vienna. With around 25 settings, it achieved average popularity among Metastasio's libretti.
A German translation of the libretto by Johann Anton Koch appeared in 1772 under the name Themistocles in the fourth volume of his unfinished complete edition Des Herr Abbot Peter Metastasio Kayserl. Royal Court Poet's Dramatic Poems.
action
The libretto is about the former Greek general Temistocle , who seeks asylum from his opponent Serse ( Xerxes I. ) in hostile Persia and gets into a conflict of conscience there.
“The Athenian Themistocles, one of the most famous war heroes of Greece, received the honor and freedom of his fatherland for a long time through his bravery and his advice: But after the famous battle at Salamina, in which he commanded the innumerable army with little and so unequal power Defeated Xerxes and drove him to flight, he came into such great esteem that the ungrateful citizens of Athens, some of whom feared he would become too powerful for them, and some of whom envied him because of his glorious deeds, drove him out of the city into misery he had only recently freed and defended. And because they were considering how very harmful his punishment and vengeance might be to them, they secretly pursued him everywhere and demanded to kill him. The great persistence, even in repugnance, of brave Themistocles could not be made fainthearted by this; as an exiled, persecuted and poor beggar he still did not despair of finding a protector, even if he had to look for him among his enemies: So he went on unrecognized Persia, and presented itself to the angry Xerxes, discovered itself to him, and very generously demanded security and a refuge from him. The enemy king was amazed by the fearlessness and the name of the brave hero, and he was particularly pleased with the trust that Themistocles, as his enemy, had placed in him and, instead of being thrown out of the way, embraced him he promised him protection and assistance, and showered him with riches and benefits and honors.
Despite all the great happiness, Themistocles remained so modest and serene that happiness itself became jealous of it and pursued it anew. Xerxes had an irreconcilable hatred of everything that was called Greek, so he imagined that Themistocles must have such hatred for it after he had been offended by them so much. So he resolved to make war on Greece with all his might and gave Themistocles high command: but the honored patriotically minded citizen had such disgust that he apologized as best as he could and refused it. Xerxes was so infatuated that he wanted to force him to do so by force: Themistocles, who was most likely to be either ungrateful to his great benefactor, or to be a rebel of his fatherland, decided to kill himself with Gifft. But in wanting to carry out such a project, the generous Xerxes was induced by such heroic fidelity not only to prevent him from doing so, but also made peace with Greece, as one can read in Cornelio Nepote and Plutarcho.
The setting is in Susa. "
The following table of contents is based on the libretto of the setting by Giovanni Verocai published in Braunschweig in 1747 .
prehistory
The Greek general Temistocle had defeated the Persians under King Serse. Nevertheless, he was accused by his own people and eventually sought asylum in Persia with his son Neocle. His daughter Aspasia had been sent to Argos for safety, but never got there and was eventually believed dead. She too was able to save herself to Persia and became the confidante of Princess Rossane in the capital Susa .
first act
A pleasant place in the Serses Palace
Temistocle and his son Neocle are unknown in Persian exile. Neocle feels that the gods have treated them unfairly for having been plunged into misery despite their exploits. Temistocle urges him to be patient. When he hears someone coming, he sends them away.
The newcomers are Temistocles, his daughter Aspasia, whom he believed dead, and the Persian prince Sebaste. Sebaste tells Aspasia that Serse has put a bounty on Temistocle and leaves. Temistocle and Aspasia are initially pleasantly surprised to see each other again. But then Aspasia warns him of Serse's intentions. In addition, a Greek envoy had just arrived who could recognize him. Temistocle decides to reveal himself to Serse in order to face the danger.
Princess Rossane, who is in a relationship with Serse, feels neglected by him and accuses Aspasia of having estranged him from her. Aspasia denies that. Sebaste reports to Rossane the arrival of the Greek envoy Lisimaco, who is looking for Temistocle. Lisimaco is Aspasia's former lover and she fears that he has turned away from her and wants to harm her father.
Public audience space with a throne on the side; in the distance the city
Temistocle and Neocle have mingled with the people. Serse and Sebaste enter with their retinue to receive the ambassador. Lisimaco appears with his men and demands that Serse extradite Temistocle. Serse points out that despite the victory, Greece's fate is uncertain and the way to Athens is open. He refuses to give any information about Temistocle. Lisimaco is leaving. Temistocle now emerges. He reveals himself to Serse and asks him for asylum. Serse is impressed by his behavior and offers him his friendship.
A nice grotto
Aspasia tells Rossane that she is Temistocle's daughter and asks for her assistance. Sebaste reports that Serse wants to see Aspasia because his new friend Temistocle told him about her. Rossane's jealousy is fueled. Aspasia, on the other hand, can hardly believe this change in Serse's behavior. She goes. Sebaste has recognized Rossane's jealousy and gives himself hope in her. He reinforces her suspicions by telling her about Serse's love for Aspasia. He secretly plans to take the throne through his intrigues.
Second act
Richly furnished room that Serse assigned Temistocle as an apartment
On the sides are tables with vessels full of gold and jewels.
Temistocle warns his son Neocle not to rely too much on luck. Neocle leaves and Serse comes into the room. As a token of his benevolence, he hands over the cities of Lampsacus ( Lampsakos ) and Miunte ( Myus ) to Temistocle and appoints him commander in chief of the Persian army. Temistocle goes.
Serse enjoys his virtuous behavior for a while. When Rossane arrives, he wants to explain to her that he is no longer interested in a relationship with her. However, he is interrupted by Sebaste, who reports that Lisimaco wants a further conversation about the extradition of Temistocle. After some hesitation, he agrees and leaves. Aspasia comes and asks Rossane if she's finally given up on her jealousy. She is silent about it, but admires Aspasia's beauty, which could excuse a lot.
Lisimaco comes to Aspasia and recognizes in her his beloved, believed to be dead. He explains to her that he is by no means Temistocle's enemy, but only has to obey the orders of the fatherland. The king has since decided to hand Temistocle over to Greece. Aspasia asks him to prove his love by helping them escape. After some hesitation, he agrees. First, however, Aspasia wants to contact Serse directly to save her father.
Elegant, open tent decorated with war symbols with a throne on the right side
In the background you can see a large plain on which the Persian army is positioned.
Serse and Sebaste appear with the greats of the empire and the people. Sebaste confirms to Serse that Aspasia had rejected his marriage proposal. However, Serse believes that she would like to consult with her father beforehand. He sits on the throne. One of the satraps brings the regimental staff on a golden basin and stands next to Serse. Temistocle and Lisimaco now appear with the Greeks. Serse hands Temistocle the regimental staff, and Lisimaco realizes that the king is by no means hostile to it. Temistocle swears his loyalty to Serse. In response to Lisico's allegations, Serse explains that he only promised to send Temistocle to Greece. He now wants to keep this promise. He orders Temistocle to move to Greece and devastate Thebes, Sparta, Corinth, Argos and Athens. Lisimaco leaves the tent. Temistocle, however, asks Serse to reconsider his order, as he loves the country of his birth. Serse accuses Temistocle of ingratitude and has him taken away.
Serse explains to Rossane that he now regards Temistocle and Aspasia as his enemies. Rossane therefore makes hope again. But Aspasia asks Serse for mercy for her father. She declares that she only rejected his application out of shame and promises him her love if he releases her father again. Serse declares that she will forgive him if she can get him to obey his orders. After Serse leaves, Aspasia also begs Rossane's forgiveness. However, this reacts angrily. Aspasia goes. Sebaste seizes the opportunity and suggests that Rossane venture a revolt and conquer the throne together. He has already gathered a crowd of faithful. Rossane agrees and looks forward to her revenge.
Third act
The room where Temistocle is being held
Sebaste asks Temistocle about his decision. He replies that he is ready and that the altar should be prepared for the oath of allegiance. Sebaste should meanwhile prevent Lisimaco from leaving. After Sebaste leaves, Neocle and Aspasia arrive. Temistocle explains to them that although he owes Serse gratitude, he owes allegiance to Greece. Since the two contradict each other, he intends to kill himself and take poison in front of Serse's eyes. He advises his children to always keep an eye on honor and loathing crime, but not punishment. Neocle and Aspasia are horrified.
Serses room
Rossane, who is still in love with Serse, comes to him with a letter and exposes Sebastian's conspiracy. After she has left, Sebaste comes and as a reward for his services demands that he be in command of the troops destined for the war in Egypt. Serse shows him the treacherous letter and leaves. Sebaste resolves to flee, but fears having to keep his crime in view.
The magnificent temple of the sun with an altar in the middle, on which the holy fire burns and the cup prepared for the oath stands
Enter Serse, Aspasia, Neocle, the Satraps, the Guard, and the People. Rossane, Lisimaco and his Greek entourage join them. Because of their behavior, Serse realizes that Aspasia and Lisimaco love each other. When Serse wants to hug Temistocle as a sign of renewed friendship, Temistocle declares his decision to take poison and pulls it out. He asks Lisimaco to report his loyalty to the fatherland. He then asks Serse to give up his anger, says goodbye to everyone and takes the cup. Serses is impressed. He tears the cup from his hand and swears eternal peace to Greece. Sebaste is also forgiven. He also renounces Aspasia and declares his love for Rossane. Aspasia can get back together with Lisimaco. At the end of the opera, the choir praises generosity and virtue.
history
Due to the used names and events can be assumed that the most important historical source chapter Themistocles - Camillus from parallelae Vitae of Plutarch forms. Further classical sources are the eleventh book of the Bibliotheca by Diodorus , the first book of the Historiae by Thucydides , Justin's excerpt from the second book of Pompeius Trogus ' Historiae Philippicae and the chapter Themistocles from the Vitae of Cornelius Nepos .
The literary models include Pierre Du Ryer's tragedy Thémistocle from 1648 and the libretti Temistocle in bando by Adriano Morselli (set to music by Antonio Giannettini in 1682 ) and Temistocle by Apostolo Zeno (first set to music by Marc'Antonio Ziani in 1701 ). At Zeno the action takes place at the court of Xerxes son and successor Artaxerxes I , as it is also in the Nepos' Vitae . On this point, Metastasio sticks to his main source Plutarch, who calls Xerxes I himself.
After the first well-received setting by Antonio Caldara , the version by Johann Christian Bach , for which the libretto had been adapted by Mattia Verazi , had a great success. It was performed in Mannheim in 1772 with a first-class cast, including the tenor Anton Raaff as Temistocle and the sopranos Dorothea Wendling as Aspasia and Elisabeth Wendling as Rossane. A French arrangement by Étienne Morel de Chédeville was given in 1785 as Tragédie lyrique with the music of François-André Danican Philidor under the name Thémistocle in Fontainebleau Palace .
Settings
The following composers used this libretto for an opera:
| year | composer | premiere | Performance location | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1736 | Antonio Caldara | November 4, 1736, Court Theater | Vienna |
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| 1737 | Giovanni Chinzer | Carnival 1737, Teatro Pubblico | Pisa | ||
| 1737 | Gaetano Latilla | Carnival 1737, Teatro Tordinona | Rome |
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| 1737 | Giuseppe Maria Orlandini | 3rd February 1737, Teatro della Pergola | Florence | ||
| 1737 | Antonio Gaetano Pampani | February 19, 1737, Teatro Sant'Angelo | Venice | Libretto edited by Giovanni Boldini as Artaserse Longimano | |
| 1738 | Giovanni Alberto Ristori | December 19, 1738, Teatro San Carlo | Naples | ||
| 1739 | Francesco Poncini Zilioli | November 1739, Teatro | Casale Monferrato | ||
| 1740 | Andrea Bernasconi | June 6th 1740, Teatro degli Obizzi | Padua | revised Carnival 1741 in the Teatro San Sebastiano in Livorno; on January 11, 1744 at the Teatro San Giovanni Crisostomo in Venice; January 1754 and Carnival 1762 in the New Court Theater in Munich |
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| 1743 | Francesco Maggiore | January 30th 1743, Teatro Bonacossi | Ferrara | ||
| 1743 | Nicola Antonio Porpora | February 22nd 1743, King's Theater on Haymarket | London | not to be confused with his opera of the same name, already composed in 1718, based on a libretto by Apostolo Zeno . | |
| 1744 | Antonio Costantini | Carnival 1744, Teatro Marsigli-Rossi | Bologna |
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| 1746 | Filippo Finazzi | February 16, 1746, Opera am Gänsemarkt | Hamburg | ||
| 1747 | Giovanni Verocai | Winter fair 1747, court theater | Braunschweig |
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| 1757 | anonymous | Carnival 1757, Teatro Pubblico | Pisa | further anonymous performances or pasticci in 1756 in the Teatro de la Santa Cruz in Barcelona and in February 1793 in the Teatro della Pergola in Florence | |
| 1757 | Niccolò Jommelli | December 18, 1757, Teatro San Carlo | Naples | first version; also autumn 1763 in the Teatro di Santa Cecilia in Palermo |
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| 1761 | Gennaro Manna | Carnival 1761, Teatro Ducale | Piacenza | ||
| 1762 | Johann Gottfried Schwanenberger | August 1762, court theater | Braunschweig | ||
| 1762 | Josep Durán | 1762, Teatro de la Santa Cruz | Barcelona | ||
| 1762 | Johann Otto Uhde | 1762 | |||
| 1765 | Niccolò Jommelli | November 4, 1765, Castle Theater | Ludwigsburg | second version | |
| 1766 | Carlo Monza | 1st January 1766, Teatro Regio Ducale | Milan | ||
| 1772 | Johann Christian Bach | November 5, 1772, court theater | Mannheim | Libretto edited by Mattia Verazi |
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| 1776 | Giovanni Gualberto Brunetti | Autumn 1776, Teatro Pubblico | Lucca | ||
| 1777 | Augustin Ullinger | 1777 | Freising | ||
| 1780 | Luigi Guido Beltrami | 1780, Collegio Vescovile | Verona | ||
| 1785 | François-André Danican Philidor | October 13, 1785, Fontainebleau Castle | Fontainebleau | French adaptation of the libretto by Étienne Morel de Chédeville as Thémistocle | |
| 1823 | Giovanni Pacini | 23 August 1823, Teatro del Giglio | Lucca | Libretto arranged in two acts by Pietro Anguillesi ; also on September 4, 1824 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan; Carnival 1836 at the Novissimo Theater in Padua |
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Recordings and performances in recent times
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Johann Christian Bach :
- 2005: Performances in Leipzig and Toulouse. Les Talens Lyriques , directed by: Christophe Rousset , Rickard Söderberg (Temistocle), Ainhoa Garmendia (Aspasia), Marika Schönberg (Rossane), Cecilia Nanneson (Neocle), Raffaela Milanesi (Lisimaco), Metodie Bujor (Serse), René Troilus (Sebaste)
Web links
- Several different versions of the libretto as full text (Italian) on progettometastasio.it.
- Themistocles. A tragedy. German-language play by Franz von Funken based on the libretto by Metastasio, Vienna 1754 as digitized version in the Internet Archive .
Digital copies
- ^ Johann Anton Koch: The abbot Peter Metastasio Kayserl. Royal Court Poet's Dramatic Poems, translated from Italian. Fourth volume. Krauss, Frankfurt and Leipzig in 1772 as digitization at the Munich digitization center .
- ↑ a b Libretto (Italian / German) of the opera by Giovanni Verocai, Braunschweig 1747 as digitized version at the Lower Saxony State and University Library in Göttingen .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Antonio Caldara, Vienna 1736. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Giovanni Chinzer, Pisa 1737 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Gaetano Latilla, Rome 1737. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ↑ Score of the opera by Giovanni Alberto Ristori, Naples 1738 as digitized version with the International Music Score Library Project .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Andrea Bernasconi, Padua 1740. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Andrea Bernasconi, Venice 1744. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / French) of the opera by Andrea Bernasconi, Munich 1754 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / German) of the opera by Andrea Bernasconi, Munich 1754 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / German) of the opera by Andrea Bernasconi, Munich 1762 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Francesco Maggiore, Ferrara 1743. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ↑ Score of the opera by Nicola Porpora, London 1743 as digitized version with the International Music Score Library Project .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Antonio Costantini, Bologna 1744. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the anonymous opera, Pisa 1757 as a digitized version on Google Books .
- ^ Libretto (Italian / Spanish) of the anonymous opera, Barcelona 1756 as a digitized version on Google Books .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the anonymous opera, Florence 1793 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Niccolò Jommelli, Naples 1756 as digitized version in the Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna .
- ^ Score of the opera by Niccolò Jommelli, Naples 1757 as digitized version with the International Music Score Library Project .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Carlo Monza, Milan 1765. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
- ^ Libretto (German) of the opera by Johann Christian Bach, Mannheim 1772 as digitized version at the Munich Digitization Center .
- ^ Libretto (Italian) of the opera by Giovanni Pacini, Milan 1824. Digitized in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Don Neville: Temistocle. 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).
- ↑ Temistocle (Johann Christian Bach) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ a b Thémistocle (François-André Danican Philidor) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Antonio Caldara) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Antonio Caldara) at operabaroque.fr , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ^ Il Temistocle (Giovanni Chinzer) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Gaetano Latilla) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Giuseppe Maria Orlandini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ^ Artaserse Longimano (Antonio Gaetano Pampani) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ^ Temistocle (Giovanni Alberto Ristori) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed December 29, 2014.
- ^ List of the stage works by Giovanni Alberto Ristori based on the MGG at Operone, accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Francesco Poncini Zilioli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Andrea Bernasconi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Il Temistocle (Francesco Maggiore) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle [2] (Nicola Porpora) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Nicola Porpora) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ^ Temistocle (Antonio Costantini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ FINAZZI, Filippo in Dictionnaire Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 48 (1997) at treccani.it , accessed December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle in bando (Giovanni Verocai) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle [PI 1757] (anonymous) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (anonymous) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle [1a ver.] (Niccolò Jommelli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Gennaro Manna) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Il Temistocle (Johann Gottfried Schwanenberger) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temístocles (Josep Durán) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed December 29, 2014.
- ^ Don Neville: Metastasio [Trapassi], Pietro (Antonio Domenico Bonaventura). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Temistocle [2a ver.] (Niccolò Jommelli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ^ Il Temistocle (Carlo Monza) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Johann Christian Bach) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Giovan Gualberto Brunetti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Augustin Ullinger) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Temistocle (Luigi Guido Beltrami) at Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres , Stanford University, accessed December 29, 2014.
- ^ Temistocle (Giovanni Pacini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna , accessed on December 29, 2014.
- ↑ Summer Opera: JC Bach's Temistocle. Review on ionarts.blogspot.com , accessed December 29, 2014.
- ↑ A high point at the beginning: Johann Christian Bach's “Temistocle” performed again (Sebastian Schmideler). Review on leipzig-almanach.de , accessed on December 29, 2014.