Didone abbandonata (Sarro)
Encyclopedia
Didone abbandonata is an opera in three acts composed by Domenico Sarro
to a libretto
by Pietro Metastasio, which was based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's
Aeneid
. The opera premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples
.
The title role was sung in the premiere by Marianna Bulgarelli
, famed for her talent as an actress. Bulgarelli was also the patron and mistress of the young Metastasio, who was living in her home while he wrote Didone. He intended it as a showcase for her, and according to contemporary accounts, Bulgarelli had considerable influence on the work, especially in shaping Dido's scenes of jealousy in Act 2. Marianna Bulgarelli and her Aeneas, Nicolo Grimaldi, reprised their roles on 26 December 1724 at the Teatro San Cassiano
in Venice
for the premiere of Tommaso Albinoni's setting of the libretto, and again on 10 May 1725 in Reggio Emilia
for the premiere of Nicola Porpora
's setting.
The premiere of Sarro's Didone was very successful, with contemporary accounts reporting the audience deeply moved. The opera was given a second run later that year at the Teatro San Bartolomeo and played in several other opera houses in Italy. Sarro revised the opera (with a text adapted from Metastasio's by Giovanni Boldini) for its Venice premiere on 24 November 1730 at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
. On that occasion, Nicolo Grimaldi again sang the role of Aeneas, but Didone was sung by Lucia Facchinelli. The revised version was dedicated to Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne
who was in the audience that night. The opera was also performed in Brno
in the autumn of 1734, and its revival at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in 1737 was the theatre's last opera performance before it gave way to the newly built Teatro San Carlo.
Eventually Sarro's opera fell into obscurity and there are no recordings of the complete work. However, on 23 September 2005, a shortened concert version was performed at the Schloss Elisabethenburg
in Meiningen
by the ensemble Les Amis de Philippe conducted by Ludger Rémy
, a live recording of which was broadcast on MDR
radio the following year. Several copies of the manuscript score are held in the San Pietro a Majella conservatory in Naples.
Dido (Didone), Queen of Carthage, had been promised in marriage to King Iarbas (Iarba), but fell in love with the Trojan
warrior Aeneas (Enea), who had been shipwrecked on the shores of her city. Iarbas appears disguised as "Arbace" to warn Dido that Aeneas cannot become King of Carthage. Nevertheless Dido refuses to marry Iarbas. Although Aeneas is now in love with Dido, he asks her sister Selene to tell her of his plans to leave Carthage for Italy. War then breaks out between Aeneas and Iarbas in which the Trojan is triumphant. After his victory, Dido convinces Aeneas to remain in Carthage and become her husband. But when the ghost of Aeneas' father reminds him of his duty to his people, Aeneas realises that he must abandon Dido. Heartbroken, she commits suicide as Aeneas and his men set sail for Italy.
Domenico Sarro
Domenico Natale Sarro, also Sarri was an Italian composer.He studied at the Neapolitan conservatory of S. Onofrio. He composed extensively in the early 18th century. His opera Didone abbandonata, premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples, was the first setting of a major...
to a 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 Pietro Metastasio, which was based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
. The opera premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Background and performance history
Didone abbandonata was Metastasio's first original libretto, and Sarro's opera was the first of what were to be over fifty musical settings of the work. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples on 1 February 1724 along with a two-part comic intermezzo also composed by Sarro to a libretto by Metastasio, L'impresario delle Canarie. Didone abbandonata was Sarro's sixteenth opera composed for the theatres in Naples and is considered an important example of his mature style.The title role was sung in the premiere by Marianna Bulgarelli
Marianna Bulgarelli
Marianna Bulgarelli , also known as Maria Anna Benti, was an Italian soprano of the 18th century.Bulgarelli was born and died in Rome; hence her nickname, "La Romanina." She is best remembered as an early patron of and sympathiser with the youthful Metastasio, whose work she encouraged and helped...
, famed for her talent as an actress. Bulgarelli was also the patron and mistress of the young Metastasio, who was living in her home while he wrote Didone. He intended it as a showcase for her, and according to contemporary accounts, Bulgarelli had considerable influence on the work, especially in shaping Dido's scenes of jealousy in Act 2. Marianna Bulgarelli and her Aeneas, Nicolo Grimaldi, reprised their roles on 26 December 1724 at the Teatro San Cassiano
Teatro San Cassiano
The Teatro San Cassiano or Teatro di San Cassiano in Venice was the first public opera house when it opened in 1637. The theatre takes its name from the neighbourhood where it was located, the parish of San Cassiano near the Rialto. It was a stone building owned by the Venetian Tron family...
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...
for the premiere of Tommaso Albinoni's setting of the libretto, and again on 10 May 1725 in Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
for the premiere of Nicola Porpora
Nicola Porpora
Nicola Porpora was an Italian composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing, whose most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. One of his other students was composer Matteo Capranica.-Biography:Porpora was born in Naples...
's setting.
The premiere of Sarro's Didone was very successful, with contemporary accounts reporting the audience deeply moved. The opera was given a second run later that year at the Teatro San Bartolomeo and played in several other opera houses in Italy. Sarro revised the opera (with a text adapted from Metastasio's by Giovanni Boldini) for its Venice premiere on 24 November 1730 at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
The Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, now known as the Teatro Malibran, is an opera house in Venice. Founded in 1678 by the Grimani family, it was founded primarily to provide entertainment for the aristocracy and to advance the social position of the Grimani family, and was not expected to be a...
. On that occasion, Nicolo Grimaldi again sang the role of Aeneas, but Didone was sung by Lucia Facchinelli. The revised version was dedicated to Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne
Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne
Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne PC was an Irish peer and politician.He was the oldest son of Hon. Frederick Hamilton, oldest son of Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Viscount Boyne, and his wife Sophia Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton. His uncles were Gustavus Hamilton and Henry Hamilton...
who was in the audience that night. The opera was also performed in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
in the autumn of 1734, and its revival at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in 1737 was the theatre's last opera performance before it gave way to the newly built Teatro San Carlo.
Eventually Sarro's opera fell into obscurity and there are no recordings of the complete work. However, on 23 September 2005, a shortened concert version was performed at the Schloss Elisabethenburg
Schloss Elisabethenburg
Schloss Elisabethenburg is a Baroque castle located on the northwestern edge of Meiningen in Germany. Until 1918 it was the residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen...
in Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
by the ensemble Les Amis de Philippe conducted by Ludger Rémy
Ludger Rémy
Ludger Rémy is a German harpsichordist, conductor and musicologist.- Biography :Ludger Rémy studied the harpsichord in Freiburg im Breisgau and continued his studies with Kenneth Gilbert in Paris. He was a teacher at several German academies including the Folkwang Hochschule and the Hochschule für...
, a live recording of which was broadcast on MDR
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
radio the following year. Several copies of the manuscript score are held in the San Pietro a Majella conservatory in Naples.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 1 February 1724 |
|---|---|---|
| Didone, Dido, queen of Carthage, in love with Enea | 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... |
Marianna Bulgarelli Marianna Bulgarelli Marianna Bulgarelli , also known as Maria Anna Benti, was an Italian soprano of the 18th century.Bulgarelli was born and died in Rome; hence her nickname, "La Romanina." She is best remembered as an early patron of and sympathiser with the youthful Metastasio, whose work she encouraged and helped... |
| Enea, Aeneas Aeneas Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of... , a Trojan Troy Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida... hero Hero A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion... |
alto castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's... |
Nicolo Grimaldi |
| Iarba, Iarbas Iarbas In Roman mythology, Iarbas or Hiarbas was the son of Jupiter Hammon and a Garamantian nymph. He became the king of Gaetulia. According to Virgil's Aeneid, he fell in love with the Carthaginian queen Dido, who rejected his advances in favour of Aeneas... king of the Moors Moors The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed... , who appears as "Arbace" |
contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Antonia Margherita Merighi |
| Selene, sister of Dido and secretly in love with Aeneas | soprano | Benedetta Sorosina |
| Araspe, confidant of Iarba and lover of Selene | 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... |
Annibale Pio Fabri Annibale Pio Fabri Annibale Pio Fabri was an Italian composer and singer of the 18th century... |
| Osmida, confidant of Dido | contralto | Caterina Levi |
Synopsis
- Setting: Ancient CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
Dido (Didone), Queen of Carthage, had been promised in marriage to King Iarbas (Iarba), but fell in love with the Trojan
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
warrior Aeneas (Enea), who had been shipwrecked on the shores of her city. Iarbas appears disguised as "Arbace" to warn Dido that Aeneas cannot become King of Carthage. Nevertheless Dido refuses to marry Iarbas. Although Aeneas is now in love with Dido, he asks her sister Selene to tell her of his plans to leave Carthage for Italy. War then breaks out between Aeneas and Iarbas in which the Trojan is triumphant. After his victory, Dido convinces Aeneas to remain in Carthage and become her husband. But when the ghost of Aeneas' father reminds him of his duty to his people, Aeneas realises that he must abandon Dido. Heartbroken, she commits suicide as Aeneas and his men set sail for Italy.
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo, "1 Febbraio 1724", Almanacco Amadeus, 2005. Accessed 28 December 2009.
- Freeman, Daniel E., The opera theater of Count Franz Anton von Sporck in Prague, Pendragon Press, 1992. ISBN 0945193173
- Gelli, Piero (ed.), "Didone abbandonata", Dizionario dell'Opera, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, ISBN 8860731844. Accessed online 26 December 2009.
- Heslin, P.J., The Transvestite Achilles: Gender and Genre in Statius' Achilleid, Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0521851459
- Markstrom, Kurt Sven, The operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano, Pendragon Press, 2007. ISBN 1576470946
- Metastasio, Pietro, et al. Opere del Signor abate Pietro Metastasio: Con dissertazioni, osservazioni e citazione Volume 1, Giovanni Franchelli, 1791
- Selfridge-Field, Eleanor, A new chronology of Venetian opera and related genres, 1660-1760, Stanford University Press, 2007. ISBN 0804744378