Zelmira
| Zelmira | |
|---|---|
de Belloy | |
| Premiere | 16 February 1822 , Naples |
Zelmira (Italian pronunciation:
Performance history
The first performance of Zelmira was in Naples at the Teatro di San Carlo on 16 February 1822. This was followed by a successful premiere in Vienna on 13 April 1822, as part of a three-month-long Rossini Festival for which Rossini wrote some additional music. Performances in several Italian cities were followed by the London premiere on 24 January 1824, with Rossini conducting and Isabella Colbran (now his wife) in the title role. It was seen in Paris in 1826. There was one presentation in the US in New Orleans "around" 1835.[2]
Over 100 years were to pass before the opera was presented in Naples in 1965, but "to no great acclaim".
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 16 February 1822 (Conductor: Nicola Festa) |
|---|---|---|
| Polidoro, King of Lesbos | bass
|
Antonio Ambrosi |
| Zelmira, his daughter | soprano | Isabella Colbran |
| Emma, her confidant | contralto | Anna Maria Cecconi |
| Ilo, Prince of Troy and husband of Zelmira | tenor | Giovanni David |
| Antenore, a usurper from Mytilene | baritenor | Andrea Nozzari |
| Leucippo, his confidant, a general | bass-baritone | Michele Benedetti |
| Eacide, a follower of Prince Ilo | tenor | Gaetano Chizzola |
| High priest of Jupiter | bass
|
Massimo Orlandini |
| Priests, populace, Mytilene army, Ilo's followers, Zelmira's young son (silent) | ||
Synopsis
The opera's complicated plot revolves around Zelmira, her father Polidoro, the wise and beloved king of the Isle of Lesbos, and her husband, Prince Ilo. Before the action begins, Ilo had departed the island to defend his homeland. While he was gone, Azor, the lord of Mytilene and a disappointed suitor of Zelmira, had invaded Lesbos with the intention of assassinating King Polidoro and taking over his throne. Zelmira, however, had managed to conceal her father in the royal mausoleum and then told Azor that he was hiding in the temple to
Act 1
The Mytilene warriors are mourning the death of Azor. Antenore, with the help of Leucippo, plots to take over the throne of Lesbos by trying to incriminate Zelmira in the deaths of Azor and her father. At first, even Emma, Zelmira's confidante, believes the accusations. Fearing for the safety of her young son, Zelmira reveals to Emma that her father is still alive and asks her to take the child into hiding. Prince Ilo returns to the island. Zelmira is afraid to tell him of the accusations against her or to defend herself. Instead, Prince Ilo hears only Antenore's version of the story. Antenore is crowned King of Lesbos. Leucippo attempts to murder Ilo, but is stopped by Zelmira. Found with the dagger in her hand, Zelmira is now also accused of attempting to murder her husband and is imprisoned.
Act 2
Leucippo intercepts a letter from Zelmira to Ilo in which she tells him that her father is still alive and that the accusations against her are false. He and Antenore temporarily free her from prison and trick her into revealing her father's hiding place. Both father and daughter are recaptured and await their deaths at the hands of the plotters. Meanwhile, Prince Ilo is distraught at what he believes to be the death of Polidoro and the unhappy end to his marriage. Emma appears and tells Prince Ilo the truth about Zelmira. He and his men rescue Zelmira and Polidoro. Zelmira is happily reunited with her husband and child, while both Antenore and Leucippo are led off in chains.[4]
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Zelmira, Ilo, Emma, Antenore, Polidoro |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Virginia Zeani, Nicola Tagger, Anna Rota, Gastone Limarilli, Paolo Washington |
Carlo Franci, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro San Carlo (Recording of a performance at Naples, 10 April) |
Audio CD: Great Opera Performances Cat: G.O.P. 780; Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD 1455 |
| 1989 | Cecilia Gasdia, William Matteuzzi, Bernarda Fink, Chris Merritt, Jose Garcia |
Claudio Scimone, I Solisti Veneti |
Audio CD: Erato Cat: 45419 |
| 2003 | Elizabeth Futral, Antonino Siragusa, Manuela Custer, Bruce Ford, Marco Vinco |
Maurizio Benini, Scottish Chamber Orchestra |
Audio CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC 27 |
| 2009 | Kate Aldrich, Juan Diego Flórez, Marianna Pizzolato, Gregory Kunde, Alex Esposito |
Roberto Abbado, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, (Recording of a performance at the Rossini Opera Festival in the Adriatic Arena, Pesaro, August) |
DVD: Decca, Cat: 0440 074 3465 9 |
| 2020 | Silvia Dalla Benetta, Mert Süngü, Marina Comparato, Joshua Stewart, Federico Sacchi |
Gianluigi Gelmetti, Virtuosi Brunensis, Górecki Chamber Choir, Recorded live at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival |
Audio CD: Naxos Records Cat:8660468-70 |
References
Notes
- ^ Stendhal 1970 edition, p. 394
- ^ a b Osborne, Charles 1994, p. 108
- ^ Allison, John (14 August 2009). "Rossini Opera Festival, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ISBN 978-88-6073-184-5.
- ^ Recordings of Zelmira on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
Sources
- ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Greenwald, Helen and ISBN 9788889947005
- Kalmus/Belwin Mills has reprinted a piano-vocal score of apparently French origin with a table of contents. No recitatives are given and whole scenes are omitted.
- ISBN 0931340713
- Osborne, Richard (1990), Rossini, Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1-55553-088-5
- Osborne, Richard (1998), "Zelmira", in ISBN 1-56159-228-5
- Scimone, Claudio, (Trans. John Underwood), Notes on Zelmira in booklet accompanying the 1989 Erato recording.
- Stendhal, (translated and annotated by Richard N. Coe), Life of Rossini, University of Washington Press, 1972 ISBN 0-295-95189-3
External links
- Text of Zelmire by Pierre-Laurent de Belloy
- The New York Times on the 1989 revival of Zelmira at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro.
- The Scotsman on the 2003 concert performance in Edinburgh.
- Chris Mullins, 'Recording review: Zelmira, Opera Rara', Opera Today, 22 December 2004.
- The University of Chicago Center for Italian Opera Studies has a definitive role list from the critical edition by Greenwald and Hansell and some musical analysis.