L'incontro improvviso
Encyclopedia
L’incontro improvviso is an opera
in three acts by Joseph Haydn
first performed at Eszterháza
on 29 August 1775 to mark the four-day visit of Archduke Ferdinand, Habsburg governor of Milan and his consort Maria Beatrice d'Este
. The opera is designated a dramma giocoso (a comic opera) and is an example of the then Austrian fascination with Turkish subjects.
by Carl Friberth was adapted and translated from the French opera-comique by Louis Hurtaut Dancourt, and previously set by Gluck in 1764 as the La rencontre imprévue
. In keeping with Italian practice, Friberth constructed longer buffo finale texts at the end of Acts I and II.
It is not known if any further performances followed the Eszterháza production, although a German translation was made for Bratislava.
Danish musicologist Jens Peter Larsen discovered the autograph score in Leningrad in 1954, and the opera was subsequently broadcast in Russian in 1956. It was first staged in the UK at the Camden Festival in 1966. The first complete recording was made by Philips in 1980 in association with the Radio Suisse Romande and the European Broadcasting Union, conducted by Antal Dorati. The first performances of the German translation was staged by Jakob Peter-Messer for the opera in Wuppertal in 2010 in cooperation with the Haydn-Institut in Cologne.
The qalandar and dervishes drink wine, smoke tobacco and sing merrily of their life as beggars and tricksters.
A square
Osmin is distracted by the qalandar begging; he has little trouble in persuading the hungry Osmin to become a mendicant dervish.
A room in the seraglio
Rezia has been told that her long-lost love has been sighted in Cairo, and shares the news with Balkis and Dardane in a beautiful trio.
A square
Ali, alone, explains how he fled to Persia and fell in love with Rezia. Though betrothed to another, Rezia eloped with Ali but they were separated and she was captured by pirates. Ali watches as Osmin is taught by the Qalandar the chant "Castagna, castagna". The Qalandar recognises Ali as the Prince of Balsóra. Balkis greets Ali with news that a woman has espied him from a window in the seraglio and wishes to meet him.
A room containing a banquet table
Osmin is enjoying a feast with Ali arrives with Balkis, and Ali gets increasingly angry with Osmin's inebriation.
Dardane tries to charm Ali to test his faithfulness. Rezia enters, taking Ali and Osmin by surprise. The three women tell of the unfortunate travels which brought them to Cairo.
The qalandar's room
Osmin informs the qalandar that Ali's lover is Rezia and solicits his help in letting the couple escape.
A garden
While preparations are made for a banquet before their escape, Rezia and Ali sing a love duet. The mood is shattered when Balkis and Dardane come in to announce that the Sultan has returned unexpectedly from the hunt. Everyone flees via a secret staircase.
News of the Sultan's reward for the recovery of Rezia has reached the qalandar who decides to betray them to win the bounty. Ali disguises himself as a French painter to avoid arrest, but to no avail. The Sultan however forgives them and condemns the treacherous qalandar.
A hall lit by chandeliers
The Sultan pardons Rezia and Ali and gives them his blessing. At the couple's request the qalandar is pardoned, but banished from Cairo.
Act II has two powerful arias for sopranos; Haydn detached Rezia's "Or vicino a te" and published separately in 1783.
The superb first act "Mi sembra un sogno" contrasts a trio for female voices with muted violins, cors anglais and horns is a highlight.
The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 oboes (doubling cors anglais), 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, timpani, percussion, violins I & II, viola, cello, bass and continuo.
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 three acts by Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
first performed at Eszterháza
Eszterháza
Esterháza is a palace in Fertőd, Hungary, built by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. Sometimes called the "Hungarian Versailles", it is Hungary's grandest Rococo edifice.-History:...
on 29 August 1775 to mark the four-day visit of Archduke Ferdinand, Habsburg governor of Milan and his consort Maria Beatrice d'Este
Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Maria Beatrice d’Este was heiress of Modena and Reggio and Duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.-Biography:...
. The opera is designated a dramma giocoso (a comic opera) and is an example of the then Austrian fascination with Turkish subjects.
Composition and Performance History
The librettoLibretto
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 Carl Friberth was adapted and translated from the French opera-comique by Louis Hurtaut Dancourt, and previously set by Gluck in 1764 as the La rencontre imprévue
La rencontre imprévue
Les pèlerins de la Mecque ou La rencontre imprévue Wq. 32 is a comédie mêlée d'ariettes, a form of opéra comique, composed in 1763 by Christoph Willibald Gluck to a libretto by Louis Hurtaut Dancourt after the 1726 play by Alain René Lesage and d'Orneval....
. In keeping with Italian practice, Friberth constructed longer buffo finale texts at the end of Acts I and II.
It is not known if any further performances followed the Eszterháza production, although a German translation was made for Bratislava.
Danish musicologist Jens Peter Larsen discovered the autograph score in Leningrad in 1954, and the opera was subsequently broadcast in Russian in 1956. It was first staged in the UK at the Camden Festival in 1966. The first complete recording was made by Philips in 1980 in association with the Radio Suisse Romande and the European Broadcasting Union, conducted by Antal Dorati. The first performances of the German translation was staged by Jakob Peter-Messer for the opera in Wuppertal in 2010 in cooperation with the Haydn-Institut in Cologne.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere Cast, 29 August 1775 1775 in music - Events :*February 23 – Première of Pierre Beaumarchais's play, The Barber of Seville, which will later provide material for more than one opera.*Wilhelm Hauser becomes organist at the monastery of Lavaldieu and the teacher of Étienne Méhul.... (Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : Joseph Haydn) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali, Prince of Balsóra, in love with Rezia | 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... |
Carl Friberth | |
| Rezia, Princess of Persia, harem favourite of the Sultan of Egypt | 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... |
Magdalena Friberth | |
| Balkis, a slave, confidante of Rezia | soprano | Barbara Dichtler | |
| Dardane, a slave, confidante of Rezia | mezzo | Maria Elisabeth Prandtler | |
| Osmin, Ali’s slave | tenor | Leopold Dichtler | |
| Calandro, A Qalandar or mendicant dervish Qalandariyah The Qalandariyyah , Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain.... |
baritone | Christian Specht | |
| Sultan, of Egypt | bass | Melchior Griesler | |
| Ufficiale (An officer) | tenor | ||
| Male and female slaves, janissaries | |||
Synopsis
Overture (this was printed by Artaria in a set of six in 1782 without trumpets and percussion)Act I
A storehouse of all kinds of merchandise and ediblesThe qalandar and dervishes drink wine, smoke tobacco and sing merrily of their life as beggars and tricksters.
A square
Osmin is distracted by the qalandar begging; he has little trouble in persuading the hungry Osmin to become a mendicant dervish.
A room in the seraglio
Rezia has been told that her long-lost love has been sighted in Cairo, and shares the news with Balkis and Dardane in a beautiful trio.
A square
Ali, alone, explains how he fled to Persia and fell in love with Rezia. Though betrothed to another, Rezia eloped with Ali but they were separated and she was captured by pirates. Ali watches as Osmin is taught by the Qalandar the chant "Castagna, castagna". The Qalandar recognises Ali as the Prince of Balsóra. Balkis greets Ali with news that a woman has espied him from a window in the seraglio and wishes to meet him.
A room containing a banquet table
Osmin is enjoying a feast with Ali arrives with Balkis, and Ali gets increasingly angry with Osmin's inebriation.
Act II
A room with a sofaDardane tries to charm Ali to test his faithfulness. Rezia enters, taking Ali and Osmin by surprise. The three women tell of the unfortunate travels which brought them to Cairo.
The qalandar's room
Osmin informs the qalandar that Ali's lover is Rezia and solicits his help in letting the couple escape.
A garden
While preparations are made for a banquet before their escape, Rezia and Ali sing a love duet. The mood is shattered when Balkis and Dardane come in to announce that the Sultan has returned unexpectedly from the hunt. Everyone flees via a secret staircase.
Act III
Night. The qalandar's storehouseNews of the Sultan's reward for the recovery of Rezia has reached the qalandar who decides to betray them to win the bounty. Ali disguises himself as a French painter to avoid arrest, but to no avail. The Sultan however forgives them and condemns the treacherous qalandar.
A hall lit by chandeliers
The Sultan pardons Rezia and Ali and gives them his blessing. At the couple's request the qalandar is pardoned, but banished from Cairo.
Music
Although not Haydn's greatest success in the operatic field, L’incontro improvviso does include some high-class and varied music. As well as the 'Turkish' music, amusing scenes for Osmin and Calandro, the 'painting' aria in the last act where Ali describes the contents of a picture with orchestral help, and another aria "Senti, al buio pian" for Osmin with orchestral colouring, there is Italian lyricism evident in arias for Ali ("Deh! se in ciel pietade avete") and Rezia ("Or vicina a te").Act II has two powerful arias for sopranos; Haydn detached Rezia's "Or vicino a te" and published separately in 1783.
The superb first act "Mi sembra un sogno" contrasts a trio for female voices with muted violins, cors anglais and horns is a highlight.
The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 oboes (doubling cors anglais), 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, timpani, percussion, violins I & II, viola, cello, bass and continuo.