Il Xerse
Il Xerse (English: Xerxes; French: Xerxès) is an Italian opera by Francesco Cavalli (specifically, a dramma per musica) about Xerxes I. The libretto was written by Nicolò Minato and was later set by both Giovanni Bononcini (Xerse, 1694) and George Frideric Handel (Serse, 1738). Minato's plot outline is loosely based on Book 7 of Herodotus's Histories. The opera, consisting of a prologue and three acts, was first performed at Venice on 12 January 1655, at the Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo.[1] It was dedicated to the Ferrarese nobleman Marchese Cornelio Bentivoglio.[2]
Background
The premiere at Venice was probably conducted by Cavalli from the keyboard.[2] The opera was highly popular in Italy, not least due to Cavalli's setting of "Ombra mai fu" (later more famously set by Handel): nine different revivals were given across Italy while Cavalli lived.[1]
In 1660 Cavalli was persuaded to travel to France to produce a new opera for the wedding of Louis XIV in Paris. He soon became entangled in court intrigue which ensured that the projected opera, Ercole amante, was not ready in time and had to be replaced by a revival of Xerse at the last minute. Xerse was given with ballets by Cavalli's rival Jean-Baptiste Lully, who had become the official court composer in France. The whole spectacle lasted eight or nine hours and the French audience had little appreciation for an opera in a foreign language, preferring Lully's dance music.[2]
The opera was performed in many different versions. In its Paris form, apart from having the additional ballet suites, the plot was rewritten to make it more congenial to the court, including the enhancement of Xerse himself to a more kingly role comparable to the status of the King of France - which necessitated a change of the register of the part, originally written for a
Roles
Role | Voice type |
---|---|
Xerse | castrato |
Arsamene | contralto |
Romilda | soprano |
Ariodate | tenor |
Amastre | soprano |
Elviro | contralto |
Adelanta | soprano |
Eumene | soprano |
Aristone | bass |
Periarco | contralto |
Clito | soprano |
Sesostre | tenor |
Spitalce | bass |
Capitano | bass |
Momo | backing singer |
Apollo | backing singer |
Editions
The
A critical edition of the 1655 version by Sara Elisa Stangalino and Hendrik Schulze made in 2019 was the basis for a performance as part of the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca in 2022, conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli and staged by Leo Muscato with the Italian countertenor Carlo Vistoli in the title role.
Another new edition of the original version was prepared by Marcio da Silva for a concert performance at the Cockpit Theatre, London in 2021.[12][13]
Recordings
- 1985: Xerse, René Jacobs (Xerse), Judith Nelson (Amastre), Jeffrey Gall (Arsamene), Isabelle Poulenard (Romilda), Jill Feldman (Adelanta), Guy de Mey, Dominique Visse, Concerto Vocale, conducted by René Jacobs (4 CDs, Harmonia Mundi, 1985)
- 2022: Il Xerse (video), Valle d'Itria Festival, Teatro Verdi, Martina Franca(Blu-ray, Dynamic, 2023)
References
- ^ a b Clinkscale (2001)
- ^ a b c da Silva (2021), p. 12
- ^ da Silva (2021), p. 13
- ^ da Silva (2021), p. 7
- ^ Nestola, Barbara; Stangalino, Sara Elisa; Klaper, Michael; Schulze, Hendrik (eds.). Cavalli, Francesco; Lully, Jean-Baptiste: Xerxès. Dramma per musica in one prologue and three acts. Paris version 1660. Bärenreiter. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- YouTube[short documentary video in French], 25 May 2016.
- ^ "Xersé for Opera de Lille". Studio Warmerdam. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Bernard Schreuders (8 October 2018). "Emmanuelle Haïm 'Xerse, c'est une sorte de Così'". forumopera.com (in French). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Xerse". LesArchivesduSpectacles.net. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Sébastien Foucart. "De Venise à Paris". ConcertoNet.com (in French). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Xerse at Theater an der Wien". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Hall, George (22 February 2021). "Xerse". The Stage. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- YouTube. Recorded at the TheCockpit on 20 February 2021. Duration:2h 33m 15s.
Sources
- Clinkscale, Martha Novak (2001). "Xerse (i)". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- da Silva, Marcio (2021). Programme for Xerse, Cockpit Theatre, London (20 February 2021).
External links
- Il Xerse (Cavalli): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Cavalli: Ombra mai fù on YouTube [video of a concert performance by French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky]