Almira
Encyclopedia
Almira, Königin von Castilien (HWV 1) or Der in Krohnen erlangte Glückswechsel, is George Frideric Handel
's first opera
.
in the summer of 1703 and played as a violinist in the theatre at the Gänsemarkt, the local market place. On later occasions, he also played the harpsichord
in the orchestra.
His first opera – announced as a Singspiel
although it has no spoken dialogue - had its premiere on 8 January 1705 under the direction of Reinhard Keiser
, so it is presumed that it must have been composed in the months directly preceding this.
The Italian libretto
was written by Giulio Pancieri in Venice
in 1691. Giuseppe Boninventi used it in his opera at the time. The translation used by Handel was made by Christian Feustking. While most of the recited parts and aria
s are sung in German, some remain untranslated.
The first modern performance of Almira took place on the 23 February 1985, in Leipzig
, Städtische Oper.
Thus Almira is an exception amongst Handel's operas, in that 'changed' voices are used for all the male roles.
.
In 1879 Franz Liszt
composed a transcription of the Sarabande and Chaconne
from the opening act of this opera for his English piano student Walter Bache
. Noted by critics as one of the most striking of Liszt's late paraphrases as well as his only setting of a baroque
piece from his late period, this work is said to anticipate Ferruccio Busoni
's late-romantic settings of Bach. Australian Liszt scholar and pianist Leslie Howard
has recorded this work as part of Hyperion Records
' complete Liszt series.
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's first opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
Background
Handel came to the city of HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in the summer of 1703 and played as a violinist in the theatre at the Gänsemarkt, the local market place. On later occasions, he also played the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
in the orchestra.
His first opera – announced as a Singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
although it has no spoken dialogue - had its premiere on 8 January 1705 under the direction of Reinhard Keiser
Reinhard Keiser
Reinhard Keiser was a popular German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas, and in 1745 Johann Adolph Scheibe considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann , but his work was largely forgotten for many...
, so it is presumed that it must have been composed in the months directly preceding this.
The Italian libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was written by Giulio Pancieri in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1691. Giuseppe Boninventi used it in his opera at the time. The translation used by Handel was made by Christian Feustking. While most of the recited parts and aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s are sung in German, some remain untranslated.
Performance history
Almira was a resounding success. The opera was performed twenty times in total until its place was taken by Handel's next opera, Nero, the music of which has not been preserved.The first modern performance of Almira took place on the 23 February 1985, in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Städtische Oper.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 8 January 1705 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Almira, Queen of Castilia | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Conradin |
| Edilia, a Princess | soprano | Barbara Keiser |
| Consalvo, Almira's guardian | bass | Gottfried Grünewald |
| Osman, his son | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Johann Konrad Dreyer |
| Fernando, an orphan | tenor | Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist.Mattheson was born and died in Hamburg. He was a close friend of George Frideric Handel, although he nearly killed him in a sudden quarrel, during a performance of Mattheson's opera Cleopatra in 1704... |
| Raymondo, King of Mauretania | bass | Gottfried Grünewald |
| Bellante, Princess of Aranda | soprano | Rischmüller |
| Tabarco | tenor | Christoph Rauch |
Thus Almira is an exception amongst Handel's operas, in that 'changed' voices are used for all the male roles.
Arrangements
In 1732 the piece was once more performed in a version edited by Georg Philipp TelemannGeorg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
.
In 1879 Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
composed a transcription of the Sarabande and Chaconne
Sarabande and Chaconne from Handel's opera Almira
Franz Liszt composed his transcription of the Sarabande and Chaconne from Handel's opera Almira for piano solo in 1879 for his English piano student Walter Bache to play at a Handel festival in England...
from the opening act of this opera for his English piano student Walter Bache
Walter Bache
Walter Bache was an English pianist and conductor noted for his championing the music of Franz Liszt and other music of the New German School in England. He studied privately with Liszt in Italy from 1863 to 1865, one of the few students allowed to do so, and continued to attend Liszt's master...
. Noted by critics as one of the most striking of Liszt's late paraphrases as well as his only setting of a baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
piece from his late period, this work is said to anticipate Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
's late-romantic settings of Bach. Australian Liszt scholar and pianist Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard (musician)
Leslie Howard AM is an Australian pianist and composer. He is best known for being the only pianist to have recorded the complete solo piano works of Franz Liszt, a project which included more than 300 premiere recordings...
has recorded this work as part of Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.-History:The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted", in 1980. Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by...
' complete Liszt series.
Recordings
- 1994: Andrew Lawrence-KingAndrew Lawrence-KingAndrew Lawrence-King is a harpist and early music specialist, and is currently the director of The Harp Consort...
(conductor); Fiori musicali; Ann Monoyios (Almira), Kinda Gerrard (Bellante), David Thomas (Consalvo), Patricia Rosario (Edilia), James MacDougall (Fernando), Douglas Nasrawi (Osman), Olaf Haye (Raymondo), Christian Elsner (Tabarco). Studio recording with German recitatives and Italian arias (CPO 999275)