Floridante
Encyclopedia
Floridante is an opera seria
in three acts by George Frideric Handel
. The Italian
-language libretto
was by Paolo Antonio Rolli
after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani
dramma per musica La costanza in trionfo of 1696.
The opera was first given at the King's Theatre
in London
on 9 December 1721 and again with revisions on 4 December 1722. It was performed in Hamburg
in 1723 and revived in London with further revisions in 1727 and 1733. The next staging, and the first modern performance, took place at the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon
on 10 May 1962.
The manuscript of the final chorus from the opera was discovered in the 1930s, and filled out the autograph manuscript in the Royal collection at the British Museum
.
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...
in three acts 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...
. The Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
-language 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 by Paolo Antonio Rolli
Paolo Antonio Rolli
Paolo Antonio Rolli was an Italian librettist and poet.He was born in Rome, Italy and like Metastasio was trained by Gian Vincenzo Gravina. He worked in London from 1715 to 1744 where he became Italian tutor to the prince of Wales and the Royal Princesses...
after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani
Marc'Antonio Ziani
Marc'Antonio Ziani was an Italian composer in Vienna.Marc'Antonio was born in Venice. He probably studied with his uncle, the organist Pietro Andrea Ziani. From 1686 to 1691 Ziani was maestro di cappella to Duke Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga in Mantua, but simultaneously developed his career as an...
dramma per musica La costanza in trionfo of 1696.
The opera was first given at the King's Theatre
Her 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...
in 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 9 December 1721 and again with revisions on 4 December 1722. It was performed in 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 1723 and revived in London with further revisions in 1727 and 1733. The next staging, and the first modern performance, took place at the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
on 10 May 1962.
The manuscript of the final chorus from the opera was discovered in the 1930s, and filled out the autograph manuscript in the Royal collection at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 9 December 1721 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Floridante, Prince of Thrace | 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:... |
| Oronte, King of Persia | bass | Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi was an Italian bass singer - though in modern terms a baritone - of the 18th century. He is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whom he worked for in both Italy and London.During the first decade of the century he is known to have... |
| Timante, Prince of Tyre | 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... castrato |
Benedetto Baldassari |
| Rossane, Oronte's daughter | soprano | Maddalena Salvai |
| Elmira | alto | Anastasia Robinson Anastasia Robinson Anastasia Robinson was an English soprano, later contralto, of the Baroque era. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas she sang.-Early life and initial career:... |
| Coralbo, Persian satrap | bass | |
Recordings
- Floridante - Sharon Rostorf-Zamir (Rossane), Roberta InvernizziRoberta InvernizziRoberta Invernizzi is an Italian soprano. She originally studied piano and double bass before turning to singing. She specialises in early music from the baroque and classical period of music....
(Timante), Joyce DiDonatoJoyce DiDonatoJoyce DiDonato is an award-winning American operatic mezzo-soprano particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Handel, Mozart, and Rossini...
(Elmira), Marijana Mijanovic (Floridante), Riccardo Novaro (Coralbo), Vito Priante (Oronte), Il complesso barocco, c. Alan Curtis. Deutsche Grammophon 289 477 6566. - Floridante - Katalin Farkas (Rossane), Mária Zádori (Timante), Anette Markert (Elmira), Drew Minter (Floridante), József Moldvay (Coralbo), István Gáti (Oronte), Capella SavariaCapella SavariaThe Capella Savaria are a Hungarian ensemble that perform chamber music on original instruments .Established in 1981, in Szombathely, they most often perform music from the 17th and 18th centuries, and have performed around Europe, as well as making a number of recordings, and in 1991, they...
, c. Nicholas McGeganNicholas McGeganNicholas McGegan OBE is a British harpsichordist, flautist, conductor and early music expert....
. Hungaroton.