| Josef Mysliveček |
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Operas
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Farnace is an 18th-century Italian opera in 3 acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček. It was composed to a libretto by the Italian poet Antonio Maria Lucchini that is best known from a setting by Antonio Vivaldi first produced at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice for the carnival operatic season of 1727. For a performance in the 1760s, it would only be expected that a libretto of such age would be abbreviated and altered to suit contemporary operatic taste; this libretto was unusually old, even older than all but one of the librettos by Metastasio that continued by be set in the 1760s. The cuts and changes in the text made for the 1767 performance of Mysliveček's opera are not attributable.[1] Indeed, they are quite extensive; not a single one of Lucchini's original aria texts was re-set by Mysliveček.
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The opera was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on 4 November 1767, the nameday of king Charles III of Spain, the former ruler of the Kingdom of Naples whose birthday and nameday were still celebrated with operatic productions under the rule of his son Ferdinand. It was commissioned in the wake of the success of the composer's opera Il Bellerofonte, which had been given earlier the same year, and is known to have been successful, in spite of a less distinguihed. It was repeated in Prague in December 1768 after the composer's triumphant return to his native city.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 4 November 1767, Teatro San Carlo, Naples |
|---|---|---|
| Farnace, King of Pontus | soprano castrato | Carlo Reina |
| Tamiri, Queen of Pontus, wife of Farnace | soprano | Antonia Maria Girelli Aguilar |
| Selinda, sister of Farnace | soprano | Clemenza Bardetti |
| Atridate, prefect of the Roman legions | tenor | Ercole Ciprandi |
| Pompeo, Roman pro-consul in Asia | soprano castrato | Giuseppe Compagnucci |
| Gilade, prince of the blood and captain of the armies of Atridate | soprano castrato | Girolamo Speciali |
18th-century Italian operas in serious style are almost always set in a distant or legendary past and are built around historical, pseudo-historical, or mythological characters. The main character of Lucchini's Farnace is based on the life of king Pharnaces II of Pontus, a ruler in Asia Minor during the 1st century BC. whose conflicts with the Roman Republic eventually led to his death. Lucchini's drama portrays Farnace's defeat in battle. In order to avoid seeing his entire family falling into the hands of the enemy, Farnace commands his wife Tamiri to kill their son and then herself, although this never happens. Selinda, Farnace's sister, is taken captive by the Roman Atridate, who falls in love with her, as does the army captain Gilades. Selinda plays them off one another in an attempt to save her brother. Her efforts succeed and everyone is spared.
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Pompeo, "Accendi il tuo furore"
Act I, scene 3 - Aria of Atridate, "Non rammentarmi al core"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Farnace, "Ti parli in seno amore"
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Tamiri, "Figlio, sposo, ah già nel petto"
Act I, scene 9 - Aria of Selinda, "Dai rai d'un bel sembiante"
Act I, scene 14 - Aria of Farnace, "Se parto, ben mio"
Act I, scene 15 - Accompanied recitative for Tamiri, "Sarete paghi, o Dei!"
Act I, scene 15 - Aria of Tamiri, "Non sdegnarti, o sposo amato"
Act II, scene 2 - Aria of Selinda, "Non mi spaventa quel tuo furore"
Act II, scene 3 - Aria of Atridate, "Del mio paterno affetto"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Gilade, "Nel suo leggiadro viso"
Act II, scene 5 - Aria of Farnace, "Figlio, mi sento, o Dio"
Act II, scene 8 - Aria of Tamiri, "Se delirar mi fate"
Act II, scene 9 - Aria of Pompeo, "Sol pugnando in mezzo all'armi"
Act II, scene 11 - Aria of Farnace, "Se asperso il suol rimira"
Act III, scene 2 - Aria of Selinda, "Non vi fidate"
Act III, scene 3 - Aria of Pompeo, "Parti dagli occhi miei"
Act III, scene 4 - Aria of Atribate, "Tu mi bramasti oppresso"
Act III, scene 5 - Duet for Tamiri and Farnace, "Tergi quel cara ciglio"
Act III, scene 7 - Chorus, "Chi serba con alma forte"
Complete score in manuscript available for viewing and downloading at http://www.internetculturale.it (Subcategory: Digital Contents)