Zelmira

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Opera dates
Title: Zelmira
Title page of the libretto, Naples 1822

Title page of the libretto, Naples 1822

Shape: Opera in two acts
Original language: Italian
Music: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto : Andrea Leone Tottola
Literary source: Pierre-Laurent Buirette de Belloy : Zelmire
Premiere: February 16, 1822
Place of premiere: Teatro San Carlo , Naples
Playing time: approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: Lesbos in antiquity
people
  • Polidoro, King of Lesbos ( bass )
  • Zelmira, his daughter ( soprano )
  • Ilo, Prince of Troy, Zelmira's husband ( tenor )
  • Antenore, Prince of Mytilene Usurper (tenor)
  • Emma, confidante of Zelmiras ( old )
  • Leucippo, follower of Antenores (bass)
  • Eacide, follower of Ilos (tenor)
  • High Priest Jupiter (Bass)
  • Little son of Zelmira and Ilos (silent role)
  • Priests, virgins, people of Lesbos, warriors of Mytilene, entourage of Ilo ( chorus )

Zelmira is an opera (original name: "dramma per musica") in two acts by Gioachino Rossini (music) with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola based on Pierre-Laurent Buirette de Belloy's tragedy Zelmire from 1762. It premiered on February 16, 1822 in Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

action

King Polidoro successfully ruled the island of Lesbos for many years and won the trust of his people. His daughter Zelmira is married to the Trojan prince Ilo. The two have a young son, the designated heir to the throne of Lesbos. Ilo has to leave Lesbos to defend his homeland, Troy. In his absence, Lesvos is invaded by Azor, king of Mytilene . He had once asked for Zelmira's hand, but was turned down by her father. Azor therefore has a particular hatred of Polidoro. Zelmira brings her aged father to safety in the mausoleum of her ancestors. To mislead Azor, she feigns treason and tells him that Polidoro has fled to the Ceres Temple. Azor has the temple ravaged, but is shortly afterwards murdered by the supporters of his rival Antenore. Everyone believes that Polidoro perished in the temple.

At this point the action of the opera begins. Antenore, supported by his friend Leucippo, succeeds Azor as King of Mytilene and also takes control of Lesbos. Ilo returns to Lesbos after defeating his enemies. Zelmira is the victim of two defamations. First, she is accused of causing her father's death through treason. Towards the end of the first act, she prevents Leucippos from attempting to murder Ilo, is herself accused of perpetration and arrested. In the second act, Antenore and Leucippo release Zelmira to watch them and find out where Polidoros is. This happens as expected. Zelmira and Polidoro are thrown into the dungeon, where Antenore and Leucippo try to kill them. Ilo and his people save her at the last second.

“Polydor ruled the island of Lesbos, and in his old age was perfectly delighted by the love of his people and the tenderness of his daughter Zelmira, as well as her husband Ilo, a valiant Trojan prince; but the latter was soon compelled to leave Lesbos in order to fight an enemy who threatened his states. Azor, lord of Mitilene, used his absence to take revenge on Polydor, who had previously refused Zelmiren's hand. With a terrible army he attacked the kingdom of his enemy, spreading terror and destruction; but nothing could satisfy his thirst for vengeance than the death of Polydor, which he pursued everywhere in vain. Zelmiren had succeeded in hiding her beloved father in a tomb, which kept the ashes of the kings of Lesbos, and in order to avoid any trace of his refuge, she appeared with apparent cruelty before the usurper, and angry at her father that he was her in order to have robbed his property, she seemed to wish him dead herself, and confided in the enemy that Polydor had taken refuge in the temple of Ceres. Azor immediately had this holy place set ablaze, but he himself was murdered in the dark of night by Antenor's confidante, for he, supported by Leucippus, strove for the throne of Mitilene, which he won for himself together with the rule of Lesbos by this act. - In the meantime Ilo had conquered his enemies and came back to Lesbos at the happy hour, for with his brave warriors, the people newly encouraged by his presence, and his firm loyalty to the rightful regent, he was quickly victorious, drove out the usurper, and reinstated King Polydor. The incident is partly drawn from Mr. Belloy's tragedy: "Zelmire". "

- Text book of the Munich performance of 1822

The following table of contents essentially follows the libretto of the first Neapolitan version from 1822. Deviations are indicated.

first act

Wide plain by the sea outside the city walls of Lesbos

On the right is the entrance to the tombs of the kings of Lesbos, partly shaded by ancient cypress trees. Dawn.

Scene 1 (M1). After the murder of their King Azor, the Mytilinian warriors wander around in dismay, puzzling over who was responsible for the crime (introduction: “Oh sciagura!”). Leucippo calls for revenge. (M2) Antenore is also horrified and swears revenge on the murderer (Cavatine Antenore “Che vidi! Amici!”). Leucippo convinces the warriors to appoint Antenore as Azor's successor. Then he sends her to look for the perpetrator. In the following conversation between Antenore and Leucippo, their true intentions come to light. Antenore's rule over Lesbos is not yet secured, however, as Polidoro's heir and his mother Zelmira are still alive. To discredit Zelmira, they proclaim that as a traitor she was responsible for the death of her father.

Scene 2 (M3). Zelmira's confidante Emma is also convinced of her guilt. To convince her of the opposite, Zelmira leads her to the tomb where Polidoro has placed her for his safety.

Stage design of the mausoleum (lithograph by Pasquale Canna)

Large underground hall with massive columns

You can see precious urns and the majestic tombs of the late kings of Lesbos. The descent is via a large white marble staircase. A few burning lamps and a few rays of daylight penetrating through a higher opening give this lofty burial place a dim light. The new day is already beginning.

Scene 3 (M4). Polidoro laments his loneliness in the mausoleum (Cavatine: "Ah! Già trascorse il dì").

Scene 4 (M5). Zelmira and Emma visit Polidoro at his refuge. Everyone is happy to see you again (trio: “Soave conforto”). Emma asks her friend's forgiveness for her false suspicions. When noise and warlike music can be heard from outside, Zelmira tells her father about the murder of Azor. Zelmira and Emma rush off to find out the reason for the unrest.

Space. On one side the temple of Jupiter

Scene 5 (M6). After successfully defending his homeland, Prince Ilo has returned to Lesbos. He moves in with his warriors to the sounds of a festive march (choir of warriors: "S'intessano agli allori"). Ilo is looking forward to seeing his wife Zelmira and his little son (Cavatine: "Terra amica"). He has not yet heard of the events on Lesbos. He sends his confidante Eacide to the palace with some men to inform Polidoro of his return.

Scene 6 (M7). Zelmira does not greet her husband as cheerfully as he expected. He becomes suspicious and worries about his son (duet: “A che quei tronchi accenti?”). Zelmira assures him that everything is fine. She doesn't manage to tell him what happened and only answers his questions evasively. Emma and other young women join them and warn Zelmira against Antenore's vengeance. She should flee as quickly as possible. Ilo still doesn't find out the reason for her behavior. All withdraw in different directions.

Scene 7 (M8). Antenore is sure of victory with Leucippo. They plan to use kind words to lull Ilo to safety and then to murder him. Zelmira should then follow him into death. Ilo has since learned of the supposed death of Polidoro and is returning to the square. Leucippo and Antenore tell him that Zelmira had entered into a love affair with Azor and had betrayed him, her father and her fatherland (Cavatine Antenore: "Mentre qual fiera ingorda"). A group of priests offer Antenore the crown of Lesbos. Ilo withdraws, shaken. Antenore, on the other hand, triumphs. He leaves with Leucippo and the priests.

Scene 8 (M9). Zelmira asks Emma to look after her son. She is supposed to keep it hidden until the danger is over (Duettino: “Perché mi guardi e piangi”).

Magnificent throne room in the palace (Paris 1826)

Magnificent throne room in the palace

Scene 9. The royal guards of Lesbos and Mytilini, the nobles of the two kingdoms and maidens adorned with garlands of flowers appear for a solemn march. Antenore appears in royal robes with Leucippo and the priests of Jupiter. Pages at the end of the procession wear golden bowls with the crown and scepter. The march is accompanied by choral singing (finale: “Sì fausto momento”). Once at the throne, the high priest crowns Antenore. Leucippo hands him the scepter. Antenore leaves at the head of his retinue.

Scene 10 (M10). Desperate Ilo enters the hall in search of his son. He collapses on a chair, exhausted. Leucippo followed him secretly. He sees the perfect opportunity for a murder and draws his dagger. Zelmira steps into the hall from the opposite side, recognizes the situation and snatches the dagger from him. However, Leucippo does not let himself be upset. He shakes Ilo awake and claims that he just stopped Zelmira from killing him. Ilo believes him.

Scene 11 (M11). Antenore arrives with his warriors. After Leucippo explains the situation to him, he orders Zelmira to be arrested. The choir demands her death.

Second act

Magnificent hall as in the first act

Scene 1 (N1, M1). Leucippo brings Antenore a letter from Zelmira to her husband, which had been intercepted by his men. In it Zelmira assures him of her innocence and begs him to save her and her father. Leucippo and Antenore realize that Polidoro is still alive. To find out where he is, they want to release Zelmira and watch her steps.

Broad level as in the first act

Scene 2 (M2). Emma appears with the maidens from Zelmira's entourage to fetch Zelmira's son and bring him to safety. They look around carefully and call for the boy (choir: “Pian piano inoltrisi”). After they find him, Emma asks two of her companions to take him to a cave and guard him there. She begs heaven for protection (Cavatine: "Ciel pietoso, ciel clemente"). A noise startles her - but it was just the wind. Everyone goes.

Scene 3 (N2, M3). Ilo stands lost in thought in front of the entrance to the mausoleum. Despite her betrayal, he still loves her. He's also worried about his son. Polidoro steps out of the tomb, worried about his daughter. Ilo is relieved to find him alive. Polidoro tells him the truth about Zelmira: She is innocent of the acts accused of her (duet: "In estasi di gioia"). Ilo offers him protection on his ships, but Polidoro prefers the tomb, to which he is now returning. Meanwhile, Ilo rushes to the bank to initiate the rescue of Zelmira.

Scene 4 (N3, M4a). Zelmira was released and is now under the secret surveillance of Antenores and Leucippos. Emma tells her about an encounter with Ilo, who lets her know that he will soon reunite her with her father. Zelmira assumes that he is with the ships. Antenore and Leucippo, who have heard everything, step out of their hiding place and accuse them of lying. You now know that Polidoro was not in the temple, but was brought to safety from her. When they want to kill the priest Forba because of his alleged complicity, Zelmira assures that she has put Polidoro alone in the crypt. She realizes with horror that she has involuntarily disclosed his hiding place. Leucippo leaves with some warriors to get him.

Scene 5 (N4, M4b). Polidoro is led out of the crypt by the soldiers. It is now in the hands of Antenore and Leucippus. In vain Zelmira begs both of them to take their own life for that of their father (quintet: “Ne 'lacci miei cadesti”).

Scene 6 (N6, M5). Priests bring the urn with the ashes of Azor. They are followed by the warriors of Mytilene and the women. When Antenore blames Zelmira for his death, the soldiers demand her death. Emma and the women plead in vain for mercy. The warriors lead Polidoro and Zelmira to the dungeon. (M6) After Antenore and Leucippo have followed them, Emma sends the women to the bank to call Ilo for help. But it is already on the way.

Scene 7 (N7, M7). Emma teaches Ilo what happened.

Terrifying underground dungeon

Scene 8 (N9, M8). Polidoro collapsed on a rock. Zelmira finally manages to wake him up. She hopes Ilo will rescue her. Before that, however, Antenore and Leucippo come with the intention of killing them. Zelmira throws herself in front of her father to protect him and offers to voluntarily cede the throne of Lesbos to Antenore. Polidoro rejects that. The clang of weapons and the sounds of battle announce the approaching Ilos. Zelmira draws a dagger to defend her father. Ilo and his people finally manage to break down the wall of the dungeon. Ilo enters with drawn sword at the head of the Trojan warriors. He is followed by the armed people of Lesbos, the women and Emma with Zelmira's son. Antenore and Leucippo are overwhelmed and put in chains. Ilo, Zelmira and their son embrace while the soldiers Antenore and Leucippo take their deserved punishment. Zelmira expresses her joy and relief (Rondò: "Riedi al soglio"). Everyone celebrates the happy ending.

layout

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

  • Two flutes / piccolo flutes, two oboes / cor anglais, two clarinets, two bassoons
  • Four horns, two trumpets, three trombones
  • Timpani, bass drum , cymbals
  • harp
  • Strings
  • On stage: Banda

Music numbers

The opera contains the following musical numbers:

first act

  • No. 1. Introduction: "Oh sciagura!" (Scene 1)
    • Cavatine (Antenore) “Che vidi! amici! "(Scene 1)
  • No. 2. Cavatine (Polidoro): “Ah! già trascorse il dì "(scene 3)
  • No. 3. Trio (Polidoro, Zelmira, Emma): "Soave conforto" (scene 4)
  • No. 4. Choir of warriors: "S'intessano agli allori" (scene 5)
    • Cavatine (Ilo): "Terra amica" (scene 5)
  • No. 5. Duet (Ilo, Zelmira): "A che quei tronchi accenti?" (Scene 6)
  • No. 6. Cavatine (Antenore): "Mentre qual fiera ingorda" (scene 7)
  • No. 7. Duettino (Zelmira, Emma): "Perché mi guardi e piangi" (scene 8)
  • No. 8. Finale (Antenore, Leucippo, Gran Sacerdote, Ilo, Zelmira, Emma): "Sì fausto momento" (scene 9)

Second act

  • No. 8bis. Choir: "Pian piano inoltrisi" (scene 2)
    • Cavatine (Emma): "Ciel pietoso, ciel clemente" (scene 2)
  • No. 9. Duet (Ilo, Polidoro): "In estasi di gioia" (scene 3)
  • No. 10. Quintet (Antenore, Zelmira, Polidoro, Leucippo, Emma): "Ne 'lacci miei cadesti" (scene 5)
  • No. 10bis. Aria (Zelmira): "Da te spero, o ciel clemente" (supplement for Paris, 1826)
  • No. 11. Rondò (Zelmira): "Riedi al soglio" (scene 8)

music

The opera has no overture. It starts immediately with the introduction in D minor and leads straight to the plot. The entire work has an intense chromaticism. Minor keys are preferred.

Music numbers worth mentioning are:

  • In the Cavatine des Antenore “Che vidi! amici! ”(No. 1, first act, scene 1) is above all the combative cabaletta“ Sort! Secondami! ”“ Vocal irresistible ”.
  • The Cavatine of Polidoro “Ah! già trascorse il dì “(No. 2, first act, scene 3) shows impressive solemnity.
  • The cavatine of the Ilo “Terra amica” (No. 4, first act, scene 5) with the cabaletta “Cara! deh attendimi! ”demonstrates the virtuoso skills of the tenor in a typical Rossinian way.
  • The duet Ilo / Zelmira “A che quei tronchi accenti?” (No. 5, first act, scene 6) depicts the couple's anxiety in nervous coloratura.
  • The duet Zelmira / Emma "Perché mi guardi e piangi" (No. 7, first act, scene 8) is a lament in F minor , which is only accompanied by cor anglais and harp and an "oasis of tenderness amid the surrounding frenzy" .
  • Charles Osborne considers the duet Ilo / Polidoro “In estasi di gioia” (No. 9, second act, scene 3) to be the most beautiful of the opera.
  • The quintet “Ne 'lacci miei cadesti” (No. 10, second act, scene 5) is alternately lively and touching.

Work history

Title page of the libretto, Munich 1822

From April to July 1822 Domenico Barbaja , the new impresario of the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, organized a Rossini cycle, for the opening of which he designated the new opera Zelmira . It was first performed there on April 13, 1822. Barbaja also directed the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, where he had the work performed in advance from February 16, 1822 - as a rehearsal for the Viennese performance. The libretto was by Andrea Leone Tottola . It is based on the French tragedy Zelmire by Pierre-Laurent Buirette de Belloy from 1762. The Rossini biographer Herbert Weinstock described the text as “a shamefulness, no better than the original French Zelmire, the Radiciotti rightly 'a collection of false Ideas, platitudes and artificially constructed situations 'called'. Nevertheless, Rossini went to the composition with great care, of which u. a. "Harmonic diversity, contrapuntal accuracy [and] varied modulation [s]" testify.

The soprano Isabella Colbran (Zelmira), the contralto Anna Maria Cecconi (Emma), the tenors Giovanni David (Ilo), Andrea Nozzari (Antenore) and Gaetano Chizzola (Eacide) sang at the premiere on February 16, 1822 in the Teatro San Carlo the basses Antonio Ambrosi (Polidoro), Michele Benedetti (Leucippo) and Massimo Orlandini (high priest). The opera was well received by both the public and the press and played in Naples until March 6th. However, the “shabby costumes” and the credibility of the portrayals by Antonio Ambrosi and Giovanni David were criticized. King Ferdinand was present at the last performance and gave Rossini and the singers “flattering tokens of gratitude”.

Three weeks after the premiere in Naples, Rossini and the four singers Colbran, David, Nozzari and Ambrosi set off for Vienna. There was a stop in Castenaso near Bologna, where Rossini and Colbran married on March 16, 1822.

At the performances in Vienna from April 13, 1822, in addition to the four main actors, Fanny Eckerlin (Emma), for whom Rossini added an additional aria, Pio Botticelli (Leucippo), Giovanni Rauscher (Eacide) and a Herr Weinkopf (high priest) sang. The leading actress Isabella Colbran was indisposed and had problems switching to the smaller Vienna theater. Nevertheless, the opera was well received here too. The production came from Rossini himself, and he also rehearsed the work. He left the musical direction of the performance to Joseph Weigl , the first conductor there. Weigl was said to be jealous of Rossini's success. To counter this, he - according to Rossini's memories - rehearsed particularly carefully with the orchestra.

The opera spread quickly. In the same year there were performances in Rovigo and Venice and on November 19, 1822 in the New Royal Court and National Theater in Munich. London, Barcelona, ​​Dresden and Prague followed in 1824, Moscow, Graz, Budapest, Stuttgart and Amsterdam in 1825, Madrid and Paris in 1826. Rossini himself supervised the performance there at the Théâtre-Italien and composed a new Andante for Zelmira for it. In 1835 there was an American performance in New Orleans.

  • Costumes for the performance at the Théâtre-Italien, Paris 1826

  • Polidoro (Mr Zuchelli)

  • Zelmira (Mme Pasta)

  • Ilo (Mr Rubini)

  • Antenore (Mr Bordogni)

  • Emma (Mme Schütz)

  • Leucippo (Mr. Levasseur)

  • Eacide (Mr Trévaux)

  • High Priest (Mr Profeti)

More recently there was a revival in Naples in 1965 under the musical direction of Carlo Franci with Virginia Zeani in the title role. The production was done by Margherita Wallmann .

Recordings

Web links

Commons : Zelmira  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The scene numbers of the Munich version are marked with the letter M in brackets.
  2. ↑ Scene 9 of the first act is missing in the Munich version.
  3. ↑ The first two lines of the first finale are missing from the original Neapolitan libretto. The scene begins there with the words "Di sparga di fiori".
  4. ↑ The scene numbers of the original Neapolitan libretto are marked in brackets with the letter N, which are inconsistent due to the second scene added later and two skipped numbers.
  5. ↑ a b Rossini added the second scene of the second act with the music number “8bis” for the subsequent performance in Vienna. According to the note in the critical edition, it has since been a regular part of the opera.
  6. ↑ Scene 5 of the second act is missing from the original libretto.
  7. ↑ Scene 8 of the second act is missing from the original libretto.
  8. ↑ according to it: Zelmira in the Italian Wikipedia, unfortunately not documented there; Spelling matched with the libretto.
  9. ↑ The first two lines of the first finale are missing from the original libretto. Scene 9 begins with “Di sparga di fiori”

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Zelmira. Notes on the Critical Edition by Helen Greenwald and Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell , accessed February 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Charles Osborne : The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. Amadeus Press, Portland, Oregon, 1994, ISBN 978-0-931340-71-0 .
  3. ^ A b c Richard Osborne: Rossini - life and work. Translated from the English by Grete Wehmeyer. List Verlag, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-471-78305-9 .
  4. ↑ Marcus Chr. Lippe: Rossini's opere serie - On the musical-dramatic conception. Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-515-08586-6 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h Herbert Weinstock : Rossini - A biography. Translated by Kurt Michaelis. Kunzelmann, Adliswil 1981 (1968), ISBN 3-85662-009-0 .
  6. ^ Record of the performance on February 16, 1822 in the Teatro San Carlo in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  7. ^ Wilhelm Keitel , Dominik Neuner : Gioachino Rossini. Albrecht Knaus, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-8135-0364-X .
  8. ^ Data set of the Viennese performance from 1822 in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  9. ^ Zelmira (Gioachino Rossini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna . Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ Manuscripts and performances (1770–1830) by Zelmira in the DFG opera project .
  11. ↑ a b c d e f Gioacchino Rossini. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , volume 20.
  12. ^ Admission by Roberto Abbado (2009) in the discography of Zelmira at Operadis.