Croesus (opera)
Encyclopedia
Der hochmütige, gestürzte und wieder erhabene Croesus (The Proud, Overthrown and Again Exalted Croesus) is a three-act opera
(described as a "Singe-Spiel") composed by Reinhard Keiser
. The German language
libretto
by Lucas von Bostel was based on Nicolò Minato
's 1678 dramma per musica
Creso, the music for which was composed by the Emperor Leopold I
.
Keiser's Croesus received its first performance at the Theater am Gänsemarkt, Hamburg
, in 1711
(exact date unknown). Later, the composer extensively revised the opera for a new version, which premièred at the same theatre on 6 December 1730
. In the process, he discarded much of the original material, and, in consequence, only the 1730 version has survived in complete form.
The first performance in modern times was given in 1990 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
in Paris (conductor René Clemencic), and first full performance in turn was given in 1999 at the Berlin State Opera
(conductor: René Jacobs). The first British performance was given, in English, by Opera North
on 17 October 2007, at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. It was conducted by Harry Bicket
, designed by Leslie Travers and directed by Tim Albery
. The opera received its North American premiere on 1 March 2008, when Albery's production was performed (in German) by the Minnesota Opera
at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
.
. Time: the 6th century B.C.E.
, place: Lydia
.
Croesus, King of Lydia, is rich and hedonistic, and is insulted when the philosopher Solon tells him that riches do not necessarily bring happiness. His son, Atis, has been born dumb, and relies on Halimacus to interpret his sign-language. Nevertheless, Elmira, who, with her mother, the former Queen of Media, has been rescued by Croesus after their country has been conquered by Cyrus, is in love with Atis and he with her.
Cyrus, keen to expand his empire further, declares war on Croesus, so the latter, with Atis, Halimacus, Elcius and the army depart from Sardis
to take on the invader. Croesus leaves Eliates in charge, to the annoyance of Orsanes. Orsanes desires Elmira, who spurns him; he himself is desired by Clerida, but he spurns her, and Clerida is desired by Eliates, to whom she is indifferent.
Croesus loses the ensuing battle and is captured by the Persians, who are about to put him to death when Atis, who is nearby, suddenly finds that he has the power of speech and shouts at his father's captors. They spare Croesus's life, but take him to Cyrus, who imprisons and taunts him and threatens him with being burnt to death. Meanwhile, Atis and Halimacus hatch a plot. Atis will pretend to be a captured Persian soldier who closely resembles the Prince but, unlike him, can speak. Elcius, a cynical servant, escapes capture, deserts the army and becomes a travelling salesman.
Halimacus returns to Sardis with Atis, who wears Persian uniform and is now called Ermin, with the news that Croesus has been captured. Everyone marvels at Ermin's resemblance to Atis, but they accept that, because he can speak, he cannot be the Prince. Eliates sets about finding a ransom for Croesus.
Orsanes, seeing a way to further his own ambitions, suggests that "Ermin" should pretend to be Atis, and can then declare himself – via Halimacus – unfit to rule because of his speechlessness, and cede the throne to Orsanes. "Ermin" agrees to this, but points out that the real Atis should be returning that night, which could cause a problem. Orsanes has a solution: "Ermin" must kill Atis and dispose of the body before proceeding with the plan. "Ermin" agrees to do this, and next day appears as the dumb Prince.
Everyone still accepts that Atis and Ermin are different people, but Elmira is upset when Ermin gives her a letter in Atis's handwriting in which he says that he is happy for her to take Ermin as a lover. When "Ermin" then reveals who he really is, she is confused and does not believe him, while Orsanes discovers that "Ermin" isn't as stupid as he had thought. Meanwhile, Elcius reappears at the court with his wares and is recognised by Trigesta, who is happy to see him again.
Eliates has raised a ransom, but Cyrus is not interested and prepares to execute Croesus. The Lydian court visit Cyrus to try to save their king, and Atis offers himself as an alternative victim, but Cyrus is implacable. Solon is on hand, however, and he points out that, as Croesus's pride went before a fall, so may Cyrus's.
Cyrus relents, a chastened Croesus is restored to his throne, Elmira and Atis embrace, Orsanes is discomfited, Clerida turns to Eliates and everyone rejoices.
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...
(described as a "Singe-Spiel") composed by 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...
. The German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
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 Lucas von Bostel was based on Nicolò Minato
Nicolò Minato
Count Nicolò Minato was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 until his death....
's 1678 dramma per musica
Dramma per musica
Dramma per musica is a term which was used by dramatists in Italy and elsewhere between the late-17th and mid-19th centuries...
Creso, the music for which was composed by the Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
.
Keiser's Croesus received its first performance at the Theater am Gänsemarkt, Hamburg
Hamburg
-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 1711
1711 in music
-Events:*Invention of the tuning fork by John Shore.*The King's Theatre premieres the first of at least 25 operas by George Frideric Handel that will appear by the year 1739....
(exact date unknown). Later, the composer extensively revised the opera for a new version, which premièred at the same theatre on 6 December 1730
1730 in music
-Events:*The Beggar's Opera by John Gay is so popular that a deck of playing cards based on the characters is printed.*Antonio Vivaldi and his family arrive in Prague.*André Campra becomes Inspector General of the Paris Opera....
. In the process, he discarded much of the original material, and, in consequence, only the 1730 version has survived in complete form.
The first performance in modern times was given in 1990 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. Despite its name, the theatre is not on the Champs-Élysées but nearby in another part of the 8th arrondissement of Paris....
in Paris (conductor René Clemencic), and first full performance in turn was given in 1999 at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
(conductor: René Jacobs). The first British performance was given, in English, by Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
on 17 October 2007, at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. It was conducted by Harry Bicket
Harry Bicket
Harry Bicket is a British conductor, harpsichordist and organist.Bicket was educated at Radley College, Christ Church, Oxford, where he was organ scholar, and the Royal College of Music...
, designed by Leslie Travers and directed by Tim Albery
Tim Albery
Tim Bronson Reginald Albery is an English stage director, best known for his productions of opera.-Life and career:Albery was born in Harpenden, the son of the impresario Donald Albery and grandson of the producer Sir Bronson Albery...
. The opera received its North American premiere on 1 March 2008, when Albery's production was performed (in German) by the Minnesota Opera
Minnesota Opera
The Minnesota Opera is a performance organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded in 1963 by the Walker Art Center, and is known for premiering such diverse works as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Frankenstein by Libby Larsen...
at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota and hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers. It serves as a home to several local arts organizations, including the Minnesota Opera, The Saint...
.
Roles
- CroesusCroesusCroesus was the king of Lydia from 560 to 547 BC until his defeat by the Persians. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Hellenes, providing a fixed point in their calendar. "By the fifth century at least," J.A.S...
, King of LydiaLydiaLydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
(tenorTenorThe 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...
) - Atis (AtysAtys son of CroesusAtys was the son of Croesus, father of Pythius, a king of Lydia. According to book one of the Histories by Herodotus, his father had a dream, in this dream he saw his son Atys being killed by a spear. As a result Croesus, seeking to prevent or stave off the foreseen fate, had his son married...
), his son (sopranistSopranistA sopranist is a male singer who is able to sing in the vocal tessitura of a soprano usually through the use of falsetto vocal production. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor...
) - Halimacus, Atis's confidant (countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
) - Orsanes, a member of Croesus's court (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) - Eliates, a member of Croesus's court (tenor)
- Clerida, a member of Croesus's court (soprano)
- Elmira, daughter of the exiled queen of the MedesMedesThe MedesThe Medes...
(soprano) - Cyrus the GreatCyrus the GreatCyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
, King of Persia (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
) - SolonSolonSolon was an Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in archaic Athens...
, a philosopher (baritone) - Elcius, a servant in Croesus's court (tenor)
- Trigesta, Elmira's attendant (soprano)
- A Persian captain (baritone)
Synopsis
The story is loosely based on two incidents from HerodotusHerodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
. Time: the 6th century B.C.E.
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
, place: Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
.
Croesus, King of Lydia, is rich and hedonistic, and is insulted when the philosopher Solon tells him that riches do not necessarily bring happiness. His son, Atis, has been born dumb, and relies on Halimacus to interpret his sign-language. Nevertheless, Elmira, who, with her mother, the former Queen of Media, has been rescued by Croesus after their country has been conquered by Cyrus, is in love with Atis and he with her.
Cyrus, keen to expand his empire further, declares war on Croesus, so the latter, with Atis, Halimacus, Elcius and the army depart from Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
to take on the invader. Croesus leaves Eliates in charge, to the annoyance of Orsanes. Orsanes desires Elmira, who spurns him; he himself is desired by Clerida, but he spurns her, and Clerida is desired by Eliates, to whom she is indifferent.
Croesus loses the ensuing battle and is captured by the Persians, who are about to put him to death when Atis, who is nearby, suddenly finds that he has the power of speech and shouts at his father's captors. They spare Croesus's life, but take him to Cyrus, who imprisons and taunts him and threatens him with being burnt to death. Meanwhile, Atis and Halimacus hatch a plot. Atis will pretend to be a captured Persian soldier who closely resembles the Prince but, unlike him, can speak. Elcius, a cynical servant, escapes capture, deserts the army and becomes a travelling salesman.
Halimacus returns to Sardis with Atis, who wears Persian uniform and is now called Ermin, with the news that Croesus has been captured. Everyone marvels at Ermin's resemblance to Atis, but they accept that, because he can speak, he cannot be the Prince. Eliates sets about finding a ransom for Croesus.
Orsanes, seeing a way to further his own ambitions, suggests that "Ermin" should pretend to be Atis, and can then declare himself – via Halimacus – unfit to rule because of his speechlessness, and cede the throne to Orsanes. "Ermin" agrees to this, but points out that the real Atis should be returning that night, which could cause a problem. Orsanes has a solution: "Ermin" must kill Atis and dispose of the body before proceeding with the plan. "Ermin" agrees to do this, and next day appears as the dumb Prince.
Everyone still accepts that Atis and Ermin are different people, but Elmira is upset when Ermin gives her a letter in Atis's handwriting in which he says that he is happy for her to take Ermin as a lover. When "Ermin" then reveals who he really is, she is confused and does not believe him, while Orsanes discovers that "Ermin" isn't as stupid as he had thought. Meanwhile, Elcius reappears at the court with his wares and is recognised by Trigesta, who is happy to see him again.
Eliates has raised a ransom, but Cyrus is not interested and prepares to execute Croesus. The Lydian court visit Cyrus to try to save their king, and Atis offers himself as an alternative victim, but Cyrus is implacable. Solon is on hand, however, and he points out that, as Croesus's pride went before a fall, so may Cyrus's.
Cyrus relents, a chastened Croesus is restored to his throne, Elmira and Atis embrace, Orsanes is discomfited, Clerida turns to Eliates and everyone rejoices.