Lucio Silla
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
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Operas
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Lucio Silla (pronounced /ˈluːtʃoʊ ˈsɪlɒ/, Italian pronunciation: [ˈluːtʃo ˈsiːlla]), K. 135, is an Italian opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra.
It was first performed on 26 December 1772 at the Teatro Regio Ducal in Milan and was regarded as "a moderate success".[1]
Handel's opera Silla (1713) covered the same subject. Other operas with the same title were also composed by Pasquale Anfossi (1774), and Johann Christian Bach (1776).
Performance history
The opera was given its first performance in the UK on 7 March 1967 at Camden Town Hall in London. Its US premiere followed in 1969 with a performance in Baltimore on 19 January.[1] Lucio Silla is not often performed today, although it was given by the Santa Fe Opera in 2005 [2] and in Warsaw in June 2011. It was performed by the Classical Opera Company in London on 8 March 2012, conducted by Ian Page.[3] It is set to be performed in Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona on June 21-28, and July 1-7 2013.[4] In 2013 it was also performed at the Mozartwoche Salzburg in January and the Salzburg Festival in summer.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 26 December 1772 (Conductor: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) |
|---|---|---|
| Lucio Silla (Lucius Cornelius Sulla), dictator of Rome | tenor | Bassano Morgnoni |
| Celia, sister of Lucio Silla | soprano | Daniella Mienci |
| Giunia (Junia), betrothed to Cecilio | soprano | Anna de Amicis-Buonsolazzi |
| Cecilio (Cecilius), Roman senator in exile | soprano castrato | Venanzio Rauzzini |
| Lucio (Lucius) Cinna, friend of Cecilio | soprano | Felicità Suardi |
| Aufidio (Aufidius), tribune and friend of Lucio Silla | tenor | Giuseppe Onofrio |
| Guards, nobles, senators, people (chorus) | ||
Synopsis
The story concerns the Roman dictator Lucio Silla (Lucius Sulla) who lusts after Giunia, the daughter of his enemy Caius Marius. Giunia, on the other hand, loves the exiled senator Cecilio.
Noted arias
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Recordings
- 1962: Carlo Felice Cillario with Fiorenza Cossotto, Dora Gatta, Rena Gary Falachi, Ferrando Ferrari, Luigi Pontiggia, Anna Maria Rota. Orchestra da camera dell'Angelicum di Milano. (Sarx Records, Cat:SXAM 2019-2)
- 1985: Sylvain Cambreling with Anthony Rolfe Johnson,Lelia Cuberli, Anne Murray, Christine Barbaux, Arulan, van Baasbank, Chorus and Orchestra of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels
- 1991 (recorded 1975): Hager with Arleen Augér,Helen Donath,Edith Mathis,Julia Varady,Werner Krenn and Peter Schreier, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra (Philips 422 532-2 PME3, 3 CD; reissue for Philips Complete Mozart Edition of recording originally issued on LP by DG)
- 1991: Nikolaus Harnoncourt with Peter Schreier,Edita Gruberova,Cecilia Bartoli,Dawn Upshaw and Yvonne Kenny, Vienna Concentus Musicus (Teldec 2292-44928-2, 2 CD - score considerably cut including elimination of relatively small role of Aufidio)
- 2006/7: Netolpil with Roberto Saccà, Annick Massis, Monica Bacelli, Veronica Cangemi, Julia Kleiter, Stefano Ferrari, Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro la Fenice
- 2008: Fisher with Simone Nold, Jakob Naeslund Madsen, Kristina Hammarström, Susanne Elmark, Henriette Bonde-Hansen, Danish Radio Sinfonietta, Lothar Odinius & Ars Nova
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Holden, pp. 600-601
- ↑ Santa Fe opera's performance database
- ↑ Operabase.com list of performances
- ↑ Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Sources
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
External links
- Lucio Silla: Score in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
- Lucio Silla: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto
- Libretto (in English translation)
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