Il pirata
Encyclopedia
Il pirata is an opera
in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini
to an Italian
libretto by Felice Romani
from a French translation of the tragic play Bertram, or The Castle of St Aldobrando by Charles Maturin
. It premiered at La Scala
on October 27, 1827.
The original play has been compared with Bellini's opera and the influence of Il Pirata on Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
has been noted Also, Bellini's recycling of his own music in this opera has been analyzed, as well as his utilizing "a more self-consciously innovative compositional style" and participating more in work on the libretto, as compared with prior efforts where he was more deferential to the librettists chosen by the Naples opera management and the corresponding texts. In addition, 19th-century commentary has noted the musical influence of Il Pirata on the early Richard Wagner
opera Das Liebesverbot
At night, Itulbo warns the strangers not to reveal that they are the pirates who have been pursued by Ernesto. Meanwhile, Imogene is strangely fascinated by Goffredo's guest, who soon reveals to her who he really is. Gualtiero learns that she had married Ernesto only because he had threatened her father's life, and when he sees that she has borne Ernesto's child, he starts to think of revenge ("Pietosa al padre").
Ernesto and his men celebrate victory over the pirates ("Sì, vincemmo"), but he is annoyed that Imogene is not celebrating, too. He questions Itulbo (who pretends to be the pirates' chief) about Gualtiero's fate, and the act ends with all the principals expressing their conflicting emotions, though Goffredo manages to restrain Gualtiero from giving his identity away.
Despite Itulbo's pleas, Gualtiero meets Imogene again before he leaves. Their acceptance of the situation alternates with passionate declarations of love, and Ernesto, arriving, conceals himself and overhears the end of their duet. He is discovered, and exits with Gualtiero, each determined to fight to the death.
It is Ernesto who is killed. Gualtiero, to the amazement of Ernesto's retainers, gives himself up to justice, and, as he is taken away, he prays that Imogene may forgive him ("Tu vedrai la sventurata"). She appears in a state of anguish and sees visions of her dead husband and her son ("Col sorriso d'innocenza ... Oh sole, ti vela di tenebre oscure"). Meanwhile, the Council of Knights has condemned Gualtiero to death.
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 two acts by Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
to an 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...
libretto by Felice Romani
Felice Romani
Felice Romani was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist between Metastasio and Boito.-Biography:Born Giuseppe Felice Romani to a bourgeois family in Genoa,...
from a French translation of the tragic play Bertram, or The Castle of St Aldobrando by Charles Maturin
Charles Maturin
Charles Robert Maturin, also known as C.R. Maturin was an Irish Protestant clergyman and a writer of gothic plays and novels.-Biography:...
. It premiered at 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...
on October 27, 1827.
The original play has been compared with Bellini's opera and the influence of Il Pirata on Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
has been noted Also, Bellini's recycling of his own music in this opera has been analyzed, as well as his utilizing "a more self-consciously innovative compositional style" and participating more in work on the libretto, as compared with prior efforts where he was more deferential to the librettists chosen by the Naples opera management and the corresponding texts. In addition, 19th-century commentary has noted the musical influence of Il Pirata on the early Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
opera Das Liebesverbot
Das Liebesverbot
Das Liebesverbot is an early opera in two acts by Richard Wagner, with the libretto written by the composer after Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Described as a grosse komische Oper, it was composed in 1834, and Wagner conducted the premiere in 1836 at Magdeburg...
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 27, 1827 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Ernesto, Duke of Caldora | baritone Baritone Baritone 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... |
Antonio Tamburini Antonio Tamburini Antonio Tamburini was an Italian operatic baritone.Born in Faenza, then part of the Papal States, Tamburini studied the orchestral horn with his father and voice with Aldobrando Rossi, before making his debut as a singer, aged 18, in La contessa di colle erbose . He went on to become one of the... |
| Imogene, his wife | 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... |
Henriette Méric-Lalande Henriette Méric-Lalande Henriette Méric-Lalande , was a French operatic soprano, one of the leading sopranos of the early 19th century.She was born at Dunkerque, the daughter and pupil of the conductor Jean-Baptiste Lalande. She made her stage debut in Nantes in 1814. In Paris, Castil-Blaze was impressed by her, and ... |
| Gualtiero, former Count of Montalto | 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 Rubini |
| Itulbo, Gualtiero's lieutenant | tenor | Lorenzo Lombardi |
| Goffredo, a hermit, once tutor to Gualtiero | bass | Pietro Ansilioni |
| Adele, Imogene's companion | soprano | Marietta Sacchi Marietta Sacchi Marietta Sacchi was an Italian operatic soprano who had an active career during the 1820s and 1830s. She mainly performed in comprimario and soubrette roles, and appeared at most of Italy's major opera houses and at His Majesty's Theatre in London... |
| A little boy, son to Imogene and Ernesto | silent | |
| Fishermen and women, pirates, knights, ladies | ||
Act 1
On a stormy sea-shore, fisherfolk watch a shipwreck. Among the survivors is Gualtiero, who is recognised and offered refuge by Goffredo. Gualtiero tells him that he drew strength from his continuing love for Imogene ("Nel furor delle tempeste"), although she is now married to Ernesto. She arrives to offer hospitality to the shipwrecked strangers, but Gualtiero does not reveal himself, and Imogene assumes from what Itulbo tells her that he is dead. She tells Adele that she dreamt that he had been killed by her husband ("Lo sognai ferito, esangue").At night, Itulbo warns the strangers not to reveal that they are the pirates who have been pursued by Ernesto. Meanwhile, Imogene is strangely fascinated by Goffredo's guest, who soon reveals to her who he really is. Gualtiero learns that she had married Ernesto only because he had threatened her father's life, and when he sees that she has borne Ernesto's child, he starts to think of revenge ("Pietosa al padre").
Ernesto and his men celebrate victory over the pirates ("Sì, vincemmo"), but he is annoyed that Imogene is not celebrating, too. He questions Itulbo (who pretends to be the pirates' chief) about Gualtiero's fate, and the act ends with all the principals expressing their conflicting emotions, though Goffredo manages to restrain Gualtiero from giving his identity away.
Act 2
Adele tells Imogene that Gualtiero wishes to see her before he leaves. Ernesto accuses Imogene of being unfaithful to him, but she defends herself by saying that her continuing love for Gualtiero is based solely on her remembrance of their past encounters. Ernesto is inclined to take her word for it, but, when he is told that Gualtiero is being sheltered in his own castle, he is consumed by rage.Despite Itulbo's pleas, Gualtiero meets Imogene again before he leaves. Their acceptance of the situation alternates with passionate declarations of love, and Ernesto, arriving, conceals himself and overhears the end of their duet. He is discovered, and exits with Gualtiero, each determined to fight to the death.
It is Ernesto who is killed. Gualtiero, to the amazement of Ernesto's retainers, gives himself up to justice, and, as he is taken away, he prays that Imogene may forgive him ("Tu vedrai la sventurata"). She appears in a state of anguish and sees visions of her dead husband and her son ("Col sorriso d'innocenza ... Oh sole, ti vela di tenebre oscure"). Meanwhile, the Council of Knights has condemned Gualtiero to death.
Recordings
| Year | Cast (Imogene, Gualtiero, Ernesto, Goffredo) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Maria Callas Maria Callas Maria Callas was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique, a wide-ranging voice and great dramatic gifts... , Pier Miranda Ferraro Pier Miranda Ferraro Pier Miranda Ferraro was an Italian operatic tenor who had an active international opera career from 1951 through 1981. He particularly excelled in the dramatic Italian repertoire with his signature role being the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello... , Constantino Ego, Chester Watson |
Nicola Rescigno Nicola Rescigno Nicola Rescigno was an Italian-American conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory. Opera News said that "Rescigno was a seminal figure in the history of opera in America, a maestro and mentor who shaped the destiny and reputation of two major U.S... , American Opera Society Orchestra and Chorus American Opera Society The American Opera Society was a New York City based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas between 1951 and 1970... Recording of a concert performance by the American Opera Society, January) |
Audio CD: EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases.... Cat: D232361 |
| 1967 | Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi.... , Flavio Labo, Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi roles, especiallyMacbeth and Simon Boccanegra; he was renowned for his extraordinary breath control and smooth legato, and is widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th... , Giuseppe Baratti |
Franco Capuana Franco Capuana Franco Capuana was an Italian conductor.Born in Fano in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino, he was the younger brother of mezzo-soprano Maria Capuana. He became associated with the Teatro di San Carlo in 1930 and La Scala in 1937. In 1940 he conducted the premiere of Ghedini's opera La pulce d'oro... , Orchestra of the Florence May Festival |
Audio CD: Opera d'Oro Cat: B00000FBRF |
| 1970 | Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi.... , Bernabé Marti, Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli was an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi roles, especiallyMacbeth and Simon Boccanegra; he was renowned for his extraordinary breath control and smooth legato, and is widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th... , Ruggero Raimondi Ruggero Raimondi Ruggero Raimondi is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer who has also appeared in motion pictures.-Early training and career:Ruggero Raimondi was born in Bologna, Italy, during World War II... |
Gianandrea Gavazzeni Gianandrea Gavazzeni Gianandrea Gavazzeni was an Italian pianist, conductor , composer and musicologist.Gavazzeni was born in Bergamo. For almost 50 years, starting from 1948, he was principal conductor at La Scala, Milan, in 1966-68 being its music and artistic director.He had his Metropolitan Opera debut on 11... , Radiotelevisione Italiana Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases.... Cat: 7243 567121 (Re-issued 2005) |
| 1994 | Lucia Aliberti Lucia Aliberti Lucia Aliberti is a prominent Sicilian soprano opera singer. She is much appreciated for her performances of the bel canto roles of , Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Vivaldi, Mercadante, etc.A dramatic soprano of vocal agility, Lucia Aliberti was awarded... , Stuart Neill, Roberto Frontali, Kelly Anderson |
Marcello Viotti Marcello Viotti Marcello Viotti was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for opera.Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied cello, piano and singing at the Conservatory of Lausanne. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a mentor to Viotti and encouraged... , Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra |
Audio CD: Berlin Classics Cat: B0000035MR |
| 2003 | Renée Fleming Renée Fleming Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also... , Marcello Giordani Marcello Giordani Marcello Giordani is an Italian operatic tenor who has sung leading roles in opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. He has had a distinguished association with the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he has sung in over 170 performances since his debut there in 1993... , Dwayne Croft Dwayne Croft Dwayne Croft is an American baritone who has sung in more than 300 performances in 25 roles at the Metropolitan Opera.He won the Richard Tucker Award in 1996.... , Tigran Martirossian |
Bruno Campanella Bruno Campanella Bruno Campanella is an Italian conductor and a distinguished interpreter of the Italian Opera.He studied composition under Nino Rota and Luigi Dallapiccola. He had Hans Swarowsky and Thomas Schippers as instructors in conducting.... , Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager... Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of a performance at the MET, 8 February) |
Audio CD: Celestial Audio Cat: CA 309 B0000035MR |