Aureliano in Palmira
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| Operas by Gioachino Rossini |
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La cambiale di matrimonio (1810) |
Aureliano in Palmira is an operatic dramma serio in two acts written by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto probably by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, although the libretto has sometimes been attributed to Felice Romani.[1] [2] It premiered at La Scala in Milan on December 26, 1813.
The story was based on the libretto by Gaetano Sertor for Pasquale Anfossi's 1789 opera Zenobia in Palmira. It centers around the rivalry between the Roman Emperor Aurelian and Prince Arsace of Persia over the beautiful Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra.
The Act I duet between Zenobia and Arsace, Se la m'ami, o mia regina ("If you love me, oh my queen"), was greatly admired by Stendhal. Although he had never seen a complete performance of Aureliano in Palmira, he heard the duet in a concert in Paris and described its music as "sublime" and one of the best duets that Rossini had written.[3] Other music from this opera, particularly the overture, was later reused by Rossini in Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra and in The Barber of Seville.[4]
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[edit] Performance history
Aureliano in Palimira was Rossini's second commission from La Scala. It opened the theatre's Carnival season on December 26, 1813 with the famed castrato, Giovanni Battista Velluti as Arsace – the only role that Rossini wrote for the castrato voice. Rossini had originally written the role of Aureliano for Giovanni David, one of the most renowned tenors of the day. However, throat problems during rehearsals led David to withdraw from the production, and Luigi Mari took his place.[5] The popular soprano, Lorenza Correa, sang the role of Queen Zenobia. The orchestra at the premiere was conducted by Alessandro Rolla, with the staging directed by Alessandro Sanquirico.[6]
The opera's opening night proved disappointing to the Milanese critics who praised the production but considered the music inferior to that of Rossini's Tancredi which had premiered in Venice earlier that year. There was also criticism of the three principal singers.[7] Nevertheless, it had a run of 14 performances at La Scala that season and was performed sporadically in various Italian theatres (including the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples) between 1814 and 1831. It was also performed in London in 1826, again with Velluti as Arsace. The opera then fell more or less into obscurity.
Its first modern performance was in September, 1980 at the Teatro Politeama in Genoa conducted by Giacomo Zani, with Paolo Barbacini as Aureliano, Helga Müller-Molinari as Arsace, and Luciana Serra as Zenobia. There was another major revival in 1996 at the "Rossini in Wildbad" Festival conducted by Francesco Corti, with Donald George as Aureliano, Angelo Manzotti as Arsace, and Tatiana Korovina as Zenobia.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, December 26, 1813 (Conductor: Alessandro Rolla ) |
|---|---|---|
| Aureliano, Emperor of Rome | tenor | Luigi Mari |
| Arsace, Prince of Persia | castrato / contralto | Giovanni Battista Velluti |
| Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, Arsace's lover |
soprano | Lorenza Correa |
| Publia, Valeriano's daughter, secretly in love with Arsace |
mezzo-soprano | Lucia Sorrentini |
| Oraspe, Palmyran army general | tenor | Gaetano Pozzi |
| Licinio, a tribune | bass | Pietro Vasoli |
| Il Gran Sacerdote | bass | Vincenzo Botticelli |
| Priests, Palmyran maidens, Palmyran, Persian, and Roman soldiers; shepherds and shepherdesses | ||
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act 1
Queen Zenobia, her lover Arsace, and the priests offer sacrifices in the Temple of Isis and pray for their deliverance from the approaching Roman army. General Oraspe enters to the strains of martial music and announces that Aureliano's Roman army is at the gates of Palmyra. Arsace pledges his Persian troops to defend the city. After a dramatic battle scene on the plains outside the city, the Persians are defeated. The Roman soldiers celebrate their victory. Aureliano arrives and addresses Arsace, now a prisoner. He responds to the Emperor with dignity and affirms his love for Zenobia, saying that he is prepared to die for her.
Inside Palmyra's walls, Zenobia has hidden the kingdom's treasures in the vaults beneath the palace. She decides to make a last stand with her troops to save the city. She asks Aureliano for a truce so that she can speak with him and obtain the liberty of the prisoners, including Arsace. On Aureliano's refusal to free the prisoners, she asks to at least see Arsace for a last time. Zenobia and Arsace weep over their fate. Aureliano enters and promises to free Arsace on condition that he abandons Zenobia. Arsace refuses and is sentenced to death. The Roman and Palmyran armies prepare for a last battle.
[edit] Act 2
Palmyra has now been conquered by the Romans. Aureliano enters Zenobia's palace and offers his love to her, which she refuses. Meanwhile Oraspe frees Arsace who then flees to the hills by the Euphrates river where he is sheltered by a group of shepherds. Arsace's soldiers join him and tell him that Zenobia has been taken prisoner. Arsace sets off to free her and launch a new attack against the Romans with the Palmyran troops.
In the palace, Aureliano proposes to Zenobia that they reign together over Palmyra. Once again Zenobia refuses. Later that night, Arsace and Zenobia meet again in the moonlight and embrace. When they are discovered by the Roman troops, they ask to die. Although he secretly admires their courage and devotion to each other, Aureliano decrees that they will end their days in separate cells. Publia, the daughter of Roman general and secretly in love with Arsace, begs Aureliano to take pity on him.
The final scene takes place in a large chamber of Zenobia's palace. The leaders and priests of the defeated Palmyrans are gathered in supplication before Aureliano. Oraspe, Arsace and Zenobia are led into the chamber in chains. Aureliano, has a change of heart and frees Zenobia and Arsace to reign together over Palmyra provided they both swear fealty to the Roman Empire. This they do, and praise Aureliano for his generous heart. The chorus sings joyfully, "Torni sereno a splendere all'Asia afflitta il dì." ("May the day dawn serene and shining for suffering Asia.")
[edit] Selected recordings
Aureliano in Palmira (Studio recording, 1981, with the same principal cast as the 1980 live performance in Genoa.) 1981
- Performers: Paolo Barbacini, Luciana Serra, Helga Müller-Molinari, Carlo Cava, Anna Maria Pizzoli, Bernardino Trotta, Giancarlo Tosi; Chorus "Gregorio Magno"
- Orchestra: Teatro dell'Opera Giocosa di Genova conducted by Giacomo Zani
- Label: Sarx ANG 97001 (2 CDs)
Aureliano in Palmira (Live recording from the 1996 "Rossini in Wildbad" Festival)
- Performers: Donald George, Angelo Manzotti, Tatiana Korovina, Alexander Alnicolli, Elisabeth Canis, Vincent Ordanneua; Czech Chamber Chorus
- Orchestra: I Virtuosi di Praga conducted by Francesco Corti
- Label: Bongiovanni GB 2201/2-2 (2 CDs)
[edit] References
- ^ Linder, Thomas, (1999) 'Rossini's Aureliano in Palmira A Descriptive Analysis', The Opera Quarterly Vol. 15 (1), pp. 18-32, Oxford University Press
- ^ Osborne, Charles (1994) The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, Amadeus Press, p. 38
- ^ Original French: "Ravi par l'accord parfait des voix délicieuses qui nous faisaient entendre 'Se la m'ami, o mia regina', je me suis supris plusieurs fois à croire que ce duetto est le plus beau che Rossini ait jamais écrit. Ce que je puis assurer c'est qu'il produit l'effet auquel on peut reconnaître la musique sublime: il jette dans une rêverie profonde." in Stendhal, Vie de Rossini, M. Lévy, 1854, pp. 105-106.
- ^ Rockwell, John. "RECORDINGS VIEW; So What Happened To the Rossini Year?", The New York Times, 1992-12-27. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
- ^ Linder, Thomas, (1999) 'Rossini's Aureliano in Palmira A Descriptive Analysis', The Opera Quarterly Vol. 15 (1), pp. 18-32, Oxford University Press
- ^ 'Aureliano in Palmira' in Piero Gelli (ed.) (2005), Dizionario dell'Opera, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, ISBN 888490780
- ^ Review of the opening night in Il Corriere Milanese, December 1813, summarized in the Archivi Teatro Napoli (in Italian). Accessed 25 March 2008
