Le siège de Corinthe
Encyclopedia
Le siège de Corinthe is an opera
in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French
libretto
by Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet
, based on Maometto II by Cesare della Valle. It was Rossini's first French opera, known also in its Italian version as L'assedio di Corinto.
during the ongoing Greek War of Independence
(1821–1829). The reference to Corinth is an example of allegory
, although Sultan Mehmed II had indeed besieged the city in the 1450s. This same incident - condemned throughout Western Europe
for its cruelty - also inspired a prominent painting by Eugène Delacroix
(Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi), and was mentioned in the writings of Victor Hugo
. Lord Byron
's 1816 poem The Siege of Corinth
has little, if any, connection with the opera.
, but with exactly the same story and characters, in the setting of the Turks' 1470 conquest
of the Venetian
colony of Negroponte
. That original version had premiered in Naples on December 3, 1820—six years before the Missolonghi siege and massacre. The 1820 opera was not well received, neither in Naples
nor in Venice
where Rossini tried out a somewhat revised version in 1823.
But in 1826, two years after settling in Paris
, Rossini tried yet again, with yet another version (including two ballets, as called for by French operatic tradition), transplanted it to Greece with the new title Le siège de Corinthe in a topical nod to the then-raging Greek war for independence from the Ottomans, and translated it into French. This time, Rossini succeeded, and the opera was performed in various countries over the next decade or so.
on 9 October 1826
. It was given as L'assedio di Corinto in Parma
on 26 January 1828
and it reached Vienna
in July 1831. The opera remained popular throughout the 1830s in Europe and then disappeared entirely from the repertory for roughly the next one hundred years. However, the opera's overture remained widely popular and never left the concert orchestra repertory. More recently the overture has been performed and recorded by several contemporary classical orchestras, including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Neville Marriner
.
In 1949 Le siège de Corinthe was finally revived again in a production starring Renata Tebaldi
in Florence
. That production was repeated two years later in Rome. In 1969 La Scala
revived it for the Rossini centennial with the young Beverly Sills
, in her European debut, as Pamyra, Marilyn Horne
as Neocle, and Thomas Schippers
conducting. The opera used a performing edition by noted musicologist and bel canto expert Randolph Mickelson that interpolated arias from the original Neapolitan and Venetian versions and even from other obscure Rossini operas (as of course Rossini himself commonly did). According to The New Yorker
writer Joseph Wechsberg
, that production also rates the distinction of having been the first at La Scala in which the conductor insisted on having a spotlight illuminating his head throughout the entire performance. In 1975, the Metropolitan Opera
used the La Scala version for the United States premiere of the opera. The Met production was conducted by Schippers again and starred Beverly Sills in her Met debut, now opposite Shirley Verrett
, Justino Díaz
and Harry Theyard
.
Since 1975, the only production of the opera in the US has been the October 2006 staging of the French version by the Baltimore Opera, in a mid-19th century re-translation back into Italian, with one aria interpolated from one of the predecessor "Maometto II" versions and one from Rossini's "Ciro in Babilonia" which featured Elizabeth Futral
as Pamira and Viveca Geneaux as Neocle. The last performance was on October 22, 2006.
Outside the US the opera has been staged several times. It was produced in Florence
in 1982 in Calisto Bassi's Italian version, starring Katia Ricciarelli
with contralto
(Martine Dupuy) singing the role of Neocle instead of a tenor
, and under the direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi
. The same production was given in Genoa
, where the original French version was produced in 1992 starring Luciana Serra
.
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 Gioachino Rossini to a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
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 Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet
Alexandre Soumet
Alexandre Soumet was a French poet.-Biography:Alexandre Soumet was born at Castelnaudary, département of Aude. His love of poetry began at a early age. He was an admirer of Klopstock and Schiller, then little known in France...
, based on Maometto II by Cesare della Valle. It was Rossini's first French opera, known also in its Italian version as L'assedio di Corinto.
Composition history
The opera commemorates the siege and ultimate destruction of the town of Missolonghi in 1826 by TurkishOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
during the ongoing Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
(1821–1829). The reference to Corinth is an example of allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
, although Sultan Mehmed II had indeed besieged the city in the 1450s. This same incident - condemned throughout Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
for its cruelty - also inspired a prominent painting by Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
(Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi), and was mentioned in the writings of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
. Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
's 1816 poem The Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth (poem)
The Siege of Corinth is a long dramatic poem by Lord Byron, published January 22, 1816....
has little, if any, connection with the opera.
Revised version of Maometto II
The French version of this late Rossini opera was a partial rewrite of the composer's earlier Italian opera entitled Maometto IIMaometto II
Maometto II is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle, set in the 1470s during the time of the war between the Turks and Venetians. Della Valle based his libretto on his earlier play Anna Erizo...
, but with exactly the same story and characters, in the setting of the Turks' 1470 conquest
Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479)
The First Ottoman–Venetian War was fought between the Republic of Venice and her allies and the Ottoman Empire from 1463 to 1479. Fought shortly after the capture of Constantinople and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottomans, it resulted in the loss of several Venetian holdings in...
of the Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
colony of Negroponte
Lordship of Negroponte
The Lordship of Negroponte was a crusader state established on the island of Euboea after the partition of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth Crusade. Partitioned into three baronies run by a few interrelated Lombard families, the island soon fell under the influence of the Republic of...
. That original version had premiered in Naples on December 3, 1820—six years before the Missolonghi siege and massacre. The 1820 opera was not well received, neither 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...
nor 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...
where Rossini tried out a somewhat revised version in 1823.
But in 1826, two years after settling in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Rossini tried yet again, with yet another version (including two ballets, as called for by French operatic tradition), transplanted it to Greece with the new title Le siège de Corinthe in a topical nod to the then-raging Greek war for independence from the Ottomans, and translated it into French. This time, Rossini succeeded, and the opera was performed in various countries over the next decade or so.
Performance history
The first performance, in French, was at the Salle Le Peletier of the Paris OpéraParis Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
on 9 October 1826
1826 in music
- Published popular music :* "The Old Oaken Bucket" w. Samuel Woodworth m. George F. Kiallmark. Words written in 1817.* "Shenandoah " traditional, US.-Opera:* John Barnett – Before Breakfast...
. It was given as L'assedio di Corinto in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
on 26 January 1828
1828 in music
-Events:*March 9 – The Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire gives its first concert, including music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini.*November 3 – Composer Ferdinand Hérold is awarded the Légion d'honneur.-Popular music:...
and it reached Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in July 1831. The opera remained popular throughout the 1830s in Europe and then disappeared entirely from the repertory for roughly the next one hundred years. However, the opera's overture remained widely popular and never left the concert orchestra repertory. More recently the overture has been performed and recorded by several contemporary classical orchestras, including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Neville Marriner
Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner is an English conductor and violinist.-Biography:Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the...
.
In 1949 Le siège de Corinthe was finally revived again in a production starring Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. That production was repeated two years later in Rome. In 1969 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...
revived it for the Rossini centennial with the young Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist...
, in her European debut, as Pamyra, Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
as Neocle, and Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:...
conducting. The opera used a performing edition by noted musicologist and bel canto expert Randolph Mickelson that interpolated arias from the original Neapolitan and Venetian versions and even from other obscure Rossini operas (as of course Rossini himself commonly did). According to The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
writer Joseph Wechsberg
Joseph Wechsberg
Joseph Wechsberg was a Czech writer, journalist, musician, and gourmet....
, that production also rates the distinction of having been the first at La Scala in which the conductor insisted on having a spotlight illuminating his head throughout the entire performance. In 1975, the 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...
used the La Scala version for the United States premiere of the opera. The Met production was conducted by Schippers again and starred Beverly Sills in her Met debut, now opposite Shirley Verrett
Shirley Verrett
Shirley Verrett was an African-American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato...
, Justino Díaz
Justino Díaz
Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto...
and Harry Theyard
Harry Theyard
Harry Theyard , tenor, is a native of New Orleans and is a 1957 graduate of Loyola University of the South, where he studied under Dorothy Hulse, who was also the teacher of Audrey Schuh and Charles Anthony...
.
Since 1975, the only production of the opera in the US has been the October 2006 staging of the French version by the Baltimore Opera, in a mid-19th century re-translation back into Italian, with one aria interpolated from one of the predecessor "Maometto II" versions and one from Rossini's "Ciro in Babilonia" which featured Elizabeth Futral
Elizabeth Futral
Elizabeth Futral is an American coloratura soprano who has won acclaim throughout the United States as well as in Europe, South America, and Japan....
as Pamira and Viveca Geneaux as Neocle. The last performance was on October 22, 2006.
Outside the US the opera has been staged several times. It was produced in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1982 in Calisto Bassi's Italian version, starring Katia Ricciarelli
Katia Ricciarelli
-Biography:Born at Rovigo, Veneto, to a very poor family, she struggled during her younger years when she studied music.She studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice, won several vocal competitions in 1968, and made her professional debut as Mimì in La bohème in Mantua in 1969,...
with 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...
(Martine Dupuy) singing the role of Neocle instead of a 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...
, and under the direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi
Pier Luigi Pizzi
Pier Luigi Pizzi is an Italian opera director, set designer, and costume designer.-Biography:Pizzi was born in Milan, Italy, and earned a degree in architecture at the Politecnico of Milan...
. The same production was given in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, where the original French version was produced in 1992 starring Luciana Serra
Luciana Serra
Luciana Serra is an Italian soprano.-Debuts:Serra made her international debut in 1966 at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, but did not achieve general acclaim until the late 1970s, when she took on coloratura roles in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini's La sonnambula...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 9, 1826 (Conductor: François Antoine Habeneck François Antoine Habeneck François Antoine Habeneck was a French violinist and conductor.- Early life :Habeneck was born at Mézières, the son of a musician in a French regimental band. During his early youth, Habeneck was taught by his father, and at the age of ten played concertos in public... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Cléomène, Governor of Corinth | 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... |
Louis Nourrit |
| Pamira, his daughter | 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... |
Laure Cinti-Damoreau Laure Cinti-Damoreau Laura Cinti-Damoreau was a French soprano particularly associated with Rossini roles.- Life and career :... |
| Néoclès, a young Greek officer | tenor | Adolphe Nourrit Adolphe Nourrit Adolphe Nourrit was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini.... |
| Mahomet II | bass | Henri-Étienne Dérivis |
| Adraste | tenor | Bonel |
| Hiéros | bass | Alexandre-Aimé Prévost |
| Ismène | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Frémont |
| Omar | tenor | Ferdinand Prévôt Ferdinand Prévôt Ferdinand Prévôt was an French operatic baritone. His surname is also found spelt as Prevot or Prévost.... |
Act 1
Act 2
Maometto's tentRecordings
| Year | Cast: Cléomène, Pamira, Néoclès, Maometto |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Franco Bonisolli Franco Bonisolli Franco Bonisolli was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, notably as Manrico and Calaf.-Life and career:... , Beverly Sills Beverly Sills Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist... , Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... , Justino Díaz Justino Díaz Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto... |
Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:... , Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of a performance of the version prepared by Thomas Schippers and Randolph Mickelson at La Scala, 14 April) |
Audio CD: Arkadia Cat: CD 573; Legato Classics Cat: LCD 135-2; Celestial Audio Cat: CA 034 |
| 1975 | Harry Theyard, Beverly Sills Beverly Sills Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist... , Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett Shirley Verrett was an African-American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato... , Justino Díaz Justino Díaz Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto... |
Thomas Schippers, 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 given in Italian in a version prepared by Thomas Schippers for La Scala, under the title ‘’L'Assedio de Corinthe’’) |
Audio CD: Bensar Cat: OL 41975 |
| 1992 | Dano Raffanti, Luciana Serra, Maurizio Comencini, Marcello Lippi |
Paolo Olmi, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: Nuova Era Cat: 7140-7142 & Cat: NE 7372/3 |
| 2000 | Stephen Mark Brown, Ruth Ann Swenson Ruth Ann Swenson Ruth Ann Swenson is an American soprano who is renowned for her brilliance in coloratura roles.Born in Bronxville, New York and raised in Commack, New York on Long Island, Swenson studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and briefly at Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut... , Giuseppe Filianoti, Michele Pertusi |
Maurizio Benini, Opéra National de Lyon Opéra National de Lyon Opéra National de Lyon is an opera company in Lyon, France which performs in the Nouvel Opéra, a modernized version in 1993 of the original 1831 opera house.The inaugural performance of François-Adrien Boïeldieu's La Dame blanche was given on 1 July 1831... Orchestra and the Prague Chamber Chorus (Recording of a performance in French at the Rossini Opera Festival Rossini Opera Festival The Rossini Opera Festival is an opera festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini.... , Pesaro, 5 August) |
Audio CD: House of Opera Cat: CD 597; Charles Handelman, Live Opera Cat: (unnumbered) |