Siroe (Hasse)
| Siroe | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Teatro Malvezzi, Bologna |
Siroe, or Siroe re di Persia ( of 1728).
Performance history
Siroe was first performed on 2 May 1733 at the
Teatro Malvezzi in Bologna. It was produced again in Naples at the Teatro di San Carlo
on 4 November 1747.
Hasse was asked to reset the opera for the
Elector of Saxony and this version was first performed on 3 August 1763 at the Opernhaus am Zwinger in Dresden.[1]
Siroe received its modern-day premiere in an uncut version by Ensemble Serse in September 2008 in a performance which, including two fifteen-minute intervals, lasted just under five hours. Siroe was revived in an abridged form for the 2011
St George's Hanover Square Church in London on 15 April 2011 in a performance which lasted two and a half hours.[2][3] In 2018 the Nederlandse Reisopera staged performances in the Netherlands of a version lasting about 3 hours.[4]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 2 May 1733[5][2] Conductor: Hasse |
|---|---|---|
| Cosroe, King of Persia | tenor | Filippo Giorgio |
| Siroe, older son of Cosroe | soprano castrato | Farinelli |
| Medarse, younger son of Cosroe | soprano castrato | Caffarelli |
| Emira, daughter of Asbite, King of Cambaya, and Siroe's lover | contralto | Vittoria Tesi |
| Laodice, Cosroe's mistress and Arasse's sister | soprano | Anna Maria Peruzzini |
| Arasse, Cosroe's general and confidante of Siroe | contralto | Elisabetta Uttini |
Synopsis
Medarse wishes to supplant Siroe as Cosroe's heir. Siroe is in love with Emira, daughter of Cosroe's former enemy Asbite, disguised as a man called Idaspe, while Siroe is loved in turn by his father's mistress Laodice. Eventually Cosroe recognizes the loyalty of Siroe and Emira, and makes Siroe the new king.
References
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Siroe, 3 August 1763". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- ^ a b "Il Siroe". ensembleserse.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Reviews". ensembleserse.com. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Announcements". reisopera.nl. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Siroe, 2 May 1733". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
Further reading
- ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Neville, Don (1992), "Siroe re di Persia" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London)
External links
- Siroe, re di Persia (Hasse): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Ensemble Serse review and historical notes, accessed 28 April 2011
