Ezio (opera)
Encyclopedia
Ezio is an opera
by George Frideric Handel
written for the Royal Academy of Music (1719) to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. Metastasio's libretto was partly inspired by Jean Racine
's play Britannicus. The same libretto had already been set by many other composers first of all Nicola Porpora
who managed to preempt the official Rome premiere of Pietro Auletta
's setting for 26 December 1728 with his own version (of a slightly edited copy of the libretto) for Venice on 20 November, a month earlier. The libretto continued to be set and reset for another 50 years, including two versions of Ezio by Gluck
. Handel's Ezio is considered one of the purest examples of opera seria
with its absence of vocal ensembles.
, London
on 15 January 1732. It received a total of only 5 performances before falling from the repertoire, in what turned out to be Handel's greatest operatic failure. It did not receive another performance in London until 1977, by the Handel Opera Society at Sadler's Wells Theatre. Winton Dean has stated that the failure of the opera related to the artistic incompatibility between the more "classical" nature of the libretto and the more "romantic" nature of the music. In May 2009 it was performed at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
as part of the Schwetzingen Festival
. The performance, staged by Günter Krämer, with Yosemeh Adjei singing Ezio, was also broadcast on the German television network 3sat
on 19 September 2009.
(Ezio in Italian), returned from his victory over Attila.
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...
by George Frideric Handel
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...
written for the Royal Academy of Music (1719) to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. Metastasio's libretto was partly inspired by Jean Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
's play Britannicus. The same libretto had already been set by many other composers first of all 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...
who managed to preempt the official Rome premiere of Pietro Auletta
Pietro Auletta
Pietro Antonio Auletta was an Italian composer mainly known for his operas....
's setting for 26 December 1728 with his own version (of a slightly edited copy of the libretto) for Venice on 20 November, a month earlier. The libretto continued to be set and reset for another 50 years, including two versions of Ezio by Gluck
Ezio (Gluck)
Ezio is an opera set by many composers including first by Nicola Porpora and Pietro Auletta , and notably Hasse's Ezio , Handel's Ezio and Latilla's Ezio .Gluck set Metastasio's libretto first for Prague , then revised it for Vienna...
. Handel's Ezio is considered one of the purest examples of opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
with its absence of vocal ensembles.
Performance history
The opera received its first performance at the King's TheatreHer Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 15 January 1732. It received a total of only 5 performances before falling from the repertoire, in what turned out to be Handel's greatest operatic failure. It did not receive another performance in London until 1977, by the Handel Opera Society at Sadler's Wells Theatre. Winton Dean has stated that the failure of the opera related to the artistic incompatibility between the more "classical" nature of the libretto and the more "romantic" nature of the music. In May 2009 it was performed at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
Schlosstheater Schwetzingen is a theater in Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The historic building, opened in 1753, is part of the Schwetzingen Castle and since 1952 the principal venue of the Schwetzingen Festival. It is also called Hoftheater , Hofoper , and Comoedienhaus...
as part of the Schwetzingen Festival
Schwetzingen Festival
The Schwetzingen Festival is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany....
. The performance, staged by Günter Krämer, with Yosemeh Adjei singing Ezio, was also broadcast on the German television network 3sat
3sat
3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...
on 19 September 2009.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 15 January 1732 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Ezio, Roman general | alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,... 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... |
Senesino Senesino Senesino was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel.-Early life and career:... |
| Fulvia, his lover | 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... |
Anna Maria Strada Anna Maria Strada Anna Maria Strada was an Italian soprano of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas Strada sang.-Career:... |
| Valentiniano, Roman emperor | alto | Anna Bagnolesi |
| Onoria, his sister | alto | Francesca Bertolli |
| Massimo, Fulvia's father | 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... |
Giovanni Battista Pinacci |
| Varo, Prefect of the Praetorian Guard | bass | Antonio Montagnana Antonio Montagnana Antonio Montagnana was an Italian bass of the 18th-century who is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whose operas Montagnana sang in.... |
Synopsis
The protagonist is the fifth-century AD Roman general Flavius AetiusFlavius Aëtius
Flavius Aëtius , dux et patricius, was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. He was an able military commander and the most influential man in the Western Roman Empire for two decades . He managed policy in regard to the attacks of barbarian peoples pressing on the Empire...
(Ezio in Italian), returned from his victory over Attila.
Recordings
- VOXVox RecordsVOX Records is a budget classical record label. The name is Latin for "voice."-History:Vox was founded in 1945, starting out with 78-rpm discs, specializing in licensed pressings of classical recordings made in Europe. It was one of the last major recording companies to adopt stereo recording,...
1995: Manhattan Chamber OrchestraManhattan Chamber OrchestraThe Manhattan Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.The orchestra was founded in 1987 by its artistic director and conductor, Richard Auldon Clark. It performs music of all genres with a special focus on contemporary music by American...
, D'Anna FortunatoD'Anna FortunatoD'Anna Fortunato is a noted American mezzo-soprano. Among her teachers were Phyllis Curtin and Gladys Childs Miller...
, Julianne BairdJulianne BairdJulianne Baird is an American soprano best known for her singing in Baroque works, in both opera and sacred music. She has nearly 100 recordings to her credit and is a well-traveled recitalist and soloist with major symphony orchestras...
, Jennifer Lane, Nathaniel Watson, Frederick Urrey, Raymond Pellerin, Johannes Somary. - Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
, 2009: Il Complesso Barocco; Ann Hallenberg, Karina GauvinKarina GauvinKarina Gauvin is an internationally-recognized Canadian soprano who has made several recordings and is especially recognised for her interpretation of Baroque music. Opera News stated that, "Gauvin knows how to rivet an audience in opera and concert. She has been a queen of Baroque opera for years...
, Sonia PrinaSonia PrinaSonia Prina is an Italian operatic contralto who has had an active career in concerts and operas since the mid 1990s. She is particularly known for her appearances in Baroque operas and for her performances of the Baroque concert repertoire...
, Ancio Zorzi Giustiniani, Vito Priante; Alan Curtis (conductor).
External links
- Complete libretto (in Italian)
- Score of Ezio (ed. Friedrich ChrysanderFriedrich ChrysanderKarl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.Born at Lübtheen, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Chrysander was the son...
, Leipzig 1880)