Amleto
Encyclopedia
Amleto is an opera
in four acts by Franco Faccio
, with libretto
by Arrigo Boito
. It premiered on May 30, 1865 at the Teatro Carlo Felice
of Genova
. It was revised for a La Scala
production given on February 12, 1871.
. The two schoolmates had already collaborated on a Cantata patria in 1860, and Boito's infamous ode saffica col bicchiere alla mano which so infuriated Verdi
, was written and read at banquet in tribute to Faccio.
It is unclear how the choice of Hamlet
came about, but Boito began work even before the premiere of Faccio's first opera I profughi fiamminghi (La Scala 1863), and completed the libretto on July 2, 1862 in Poland.
The opera was premiered on May 30, 1865 at Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice. The cast included some of the finest singers of the day: Mario Tiberini – Amleto, Angiolina Ortolani-Tiberini – Ofelia, Elena Corani – Regina, Antonio Cotogni – Re, Baragiolo – lo Spettro. The conductor was Angelo Mariani
. According to DeRensis the work was accepted at Carlo Felice because of the personal intervention of Boito's Conservatory professor Alberto Mazzucato
, who was friends with Mariani.
The critics were unanimous in their praise, if not of the work itself, then of the promise shown in the young composer.
in Berlin in addition to getting to know Tannhäuser
and Lohengrin
. As his European travels came to an end in 1867, he traveled to Copenhagen on a steamship named Hamlet, and was amused to see other ships named after Shakespeare's tragedy. While in Denmark, he made a special trip to Elsinore and visited the Royal Castle where he had the feeling that at any moment one could imagine seeing the "wandering and troubled shade of the assassinated king."
It was also during these years that Faccio began conducting, which would prove to be his true calling. Amleto, though, was never far from his thoughts, and his friends and family continued to urge him to seek another production. In a letter written on February 27, 1867, his friend the Countess Maffei chided him for missing the opportunity to present Amleto to the Queen of Prussia when he had the chance.
Faccio also continued to compose after the premiere of Amleto, writing among other things, a sinfonia in fa and a quartetto. Sometime in 1870 Giovanni Ricordi
commissioned him to write a third opera, Patria, based on a play by Sardou. Verdi himself intervened on Faccio's behalf to try to secure the rights to the play, but Sardou, hoping that Verdi himself would set the drama to music, refused.
The disastrous premiere of Boito's Mefistofele
at La Scala in 1868 added to the growing necessity of a compositional success by Boito and Faccio, self-appointed representatives of the "art of the future" in Italy. In early 1870 we hear from the Gazzetta Musicale of a possibility (eventually unrealized) of staging Amleto in Florence.
The long awaited revival was eventually slated for the 1870-1871 season at La Scala. According to DeRensis, the performance was made possible for one reason: the Hamlet libretto by Carré and Barbier (written for Thomas) was unanimously judged a profanation.
For the La Scala production Mario Tiberini returned to interpret the role of Amleto. He was again joined by some of the most famous singers of the time: Virginia Pozzi-Branzutti – Ofelia, Bulli-Paoli – La Regina, Bertolasi – Il Re, De Giuli Angeli – lo Spettro. La Scala's conductor, Eugenio Terziani, yielded the baton to Faccio.
According to DeRensis the rehearsals began smoothly and the dress rehearsal was set for January 16, 1871. The very next day, Tiberini got sick and the opera was postponed for more than 2 weeks. Eventually rehearsals began again, and Tiberini got sick again. A second dress rehearsal was given and the La Scala Theater Commission judged Tiberini fit to sing, despite Faccio's protestations. February 12 saw the opening night, and what was to be the last performance of Amleto in history.
Despite good intentions, Tiberini was completely voiceless that night. After the performance, Faccio, so disturbed by this fiasco, immediately withdrew the piece, and refused to have it performed again.
Although Amleto was never produced again in his lifetime, his student Antonio Smareglia noted that it was always very dear to his heart.
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...
in four acts by Franco Faccio
Franco Faccio
Franco Faccio was an Italian composer and conductor.-Biography:Born in Verona, Faccio became known as a conductor of Verdi's music. He studied music at the Milan Conservatory where he was a pupil of Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti...
, with 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...
by Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
. It premiered on May 30, 1865 at the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
of Genova
Génova
Génova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
. It was revised for a La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
production given on February 12, 1871.
Composition and premiere
The history of Amleto is very brief and derives from two sources both by the same author. The only thing known about pre-compositional decisions has to do with the libretto which DeRensis said was written specifically for Faccio by BoitoArrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
. The two schoolmates had already collaborated on a Cantata patria in 1860, and Boito's infamous ode saffica col bicchiere alla mano which so infuriated Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, was written and read at banquet in tribute to Faccio.
It is unclear how the choice of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
came about, but Boito began work even before the premiere of Faccio's first opera I profughi fiamminghi (La Scala 1863), and completed the libretto on July 2, 1862 in Poland.
The opera was premiered on May 30, 1865 at Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice. The cast included some of the finest singers of the day: Mario Tiberini – Amleto, Angiolina Ortolani-Tiberini – Ofelia, Elena Corani – Regina, Antonio Cotogni – Re, Baragiolo – lo Spettro. The conductor was Angelo Mariani
Angelo Mariani (conductor)
Angelo Mariani was an Italian opera conductor and composer. His work as a conductor drew praise from Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gioachino Rossini and Richard Wagner, and he was a longtime personal friend of Verdi's, although they became estranged towards the end of Mariani's life...
. According to DeRensis the work was accepted at Carlo Felice because of the personal intervention of Boito's Conservatory professor Alberto Mazzucato
Alberto Mazzucato
Alberto Mazzucato was an Italian composer, music teacher, and writer.Mazzucato was born in Udine. Trained at the Padua Conservatory, he composed eight operas between 1834 and 1843, of which his most successful was Esmeralda...
, who was friends with Mariani.
The critics were unanimous in their praise, if not of the work itself, then of the promise shown in the young composer.
Interim and La Scala production
After the premiere, Amleto lay dormant for nearly six years while its authors embarked on a number of musical and extra-musical adventures. In 1866 both Boito and Faccio joined the Italian army to fight alongside Garibaldi. In addition to his purely militaristic excursions, Faccio used the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe, perusing Beethoven's autograph of FidelioFidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
in Berlin in addition to getting to know Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
and Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
. As his European travels came to an end in 1867, he traveled to Copenhagen on a steamship named Hamlet, and was amused to see other ships named after Shakespeare's tragedy. While in Denmark, he made a special trip to Elsinore and visited the Royal Castle where he had the feeling that at any moment one could imagine seeing the "wandering and troubled shade of the assassinated king."
It was also during these years that Faccio began conducting, which would prove to be his true calling. Amleto, though, was never far from his thoughts, and his friends and family continued to urge him to seek another production. In a letter written on February 27, 1867, his friend the Countess Maffei chided him for missing the opportunity to present Amleto to the Queen of Prussia when he had the chance.
Faccio also continued to compose after the premiere of Amleto, writing among other things, a sinfonia in fa and a quartetto. Sometime in 1870 Giovanni Ricordi
Giovanni Ricordi
Giovanni Ricordi was an Italian violinist and the founder of the classical music publishing company Casa Ricordi....
commissioned him to write a third opera, Patria, based on a play by Sardou. Verdi himself intervened on Faccio's behalf to try to secure the rights to the play, but Sardou, hoping that Verdi himself would set the drama to music, refused.
The disastrous premiere of Boito's Mefistofele
Mefistofele
Mefistofele is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito.-Composition history:...
at La Scala in 1868 added to the growing necessity of a compositional success by Boito and Faccio, self-appointed representatives of the "art of the future" in Italy. In early 1870 we hear from the Gazzetta Musicale of a possibility (eventually unrealized) of staging Amleto in Florence.
The long awaited revival was eventually slated for the 1870-1871 season at La Scala. According to DeRensis, the performance was made possible for one reason: the Hamlet libretto by Carré and Barbier (written for Thomas) was unanimously judged a profanation.
For the La Scala production Mario Tiberini returned to interpret the role of Amleto. He was again joined by some of the most famous singers of the time: Virginia Pozzi-Branzutti – Ofelia, Bulli-Paoli – La Regina, Bertolasi – Il Re, De Giuli Angeli – lo Spettro. La Scala's conductor, Eugenio Terziani, yielded the baton to Faccio.
According to DeRensis the rehearsals began smoothly and the dress rehearsal was set for January 16, 1871. The very next day, Tiberini got sick and the opera was postponed for more than 2 weeks. Eventually rehearsals began again, and Tiberini got sick again. A second dress rehearsal was given and the La Scala Theater Commission judged Tiberini fit to sing, despite Faccio's protestations. February 12 saw the opening night, and what was to be the last performance of Amleto in history.
Despite good intentions, Tiberini was completely voiceless that night. After the performance, Faccio, so disturbed by this fiasco, immediately withdrew the piece, and refused to have it performed again.
Although Amleto was never produced again in his lifetime, his student Antonio Smareglia noted that it was always very dear to his heart.