Orlando furioso (Vivaldi)
Encyclopedia
Orlando furioso is an opera
in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi
to an Italian libretto
by Grazio Braccioli, based on the poem of the same name
by Ariosto
. The first performance of the opera was at Teatro San Angelo
, Venice, in 1727.
The opera – more formally, the dramma per musica
– alternates aria
s with recitative
, and is set on an island at an unspecified time. The story line combines several plot lines from Ariosto: the exploits of the hero Orlando
are detailed, as well as the tale of the sorceress Alcina.
In a delightful garden in which two springs are seen, Medoro escapes from a shipwreck into the arms of his beloved Angelica. Alcina magically helps Medoro and he recounts how he was first captured, then shipwrecked. Orlando is jealous of Medoro, but Angelica lies and says Medoro is her brother.
Alcina is attracted to the knight Ruggiero. She uses her magic to make him forget Bradamante and love her instead. Bradamante discovers Ruggiero's "betrayal." She shows him the ring he gave her therefore breaking Alcina's spell. Ruggiero feels guilty by his actions.
Act 2.
In a grove with green secluded spots, Astolfo reflects how he loves Alcina, but is tormented by her unfaithfulness.
Meanwhile, in a mountainous alpine region with a high, precipitous cliff, Angelica and Medoro swear their love and part ways. To rid herself of Orlando, Angelica sends him to fight a monster who guards an elixir of youth.
Orlando enters a cavern and is trapped. Realizing Angelica's faithlessness, he digs his way out.
Angelica and Medoro marry in a countryside at the foot of a hill. They carve their vows on a nearby tree. Orlando finds the tree, and on reading the inscription, becomes furious that he starts destroying the trees.
Act 3.
The place is at the Entrance Hall before the Temple of Hecate. Astolfo believes Orlando dead. With Ruggiero and Bradamante, he plots revenge against Alcina. The secret of Alcina's power lies in an urn, which is locked in the temple of Hecate. They await Alcina's return.
Inside the temple of Hecate, Bradamante disguises herself as a man. Alcina falls in love with her. Orlando, still raving mad about the marriage of Angelica and Medoro, fights with the temple statues, inadvertently destroying Alcina's power.
In a deserted island. Alcina tries to attack the sleeping Orlando, but is prevented by Ruggiero and Bradamante. Astolfo returns to arrest Alcina. Orlando regains his reason and forgives Angelica and Medoro.
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 Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
to an Italian 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 Grazio Braccioli, based on the poem of the same name
Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532...
by Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso . The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions...
. The first performance of the opera was at Teatro San Angelo
Teatro San Angelo
The Teatro San Angelo or Teatro Sant' Angelo was one a theatre in Venice which ran from 1677-1803.It was the last of the major Venetian theatres to be built in the 1650s-60s opera craze following Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in 1654, Teatro San Samuele 1655, Teatro San Salvatore 1661, Teatro San...
, Venice, in 1727.
The opera – more formally, the dramma per musica
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...
– alternates aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s with recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
, and is set on an island at an unspecified time. The story line combines several plot lines from Ariosto: the exploits of the hero Orlando
Roland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
are detailed, as well as the tale of the sorceress Alcina.
Roles
| Role | Character and 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, 1727 (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... : – ) |
|---|---|---|
| Orlando | a knight jealous of Medoro (contralto) | Lucia Lancetti |
| Angelica | beloved of Medoro (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... ) |
Benedetta Serosina |
| Alcina | Enchantress (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... ) |
Anna Girò Anna Girò Anna Girò , or Anna Giraud La Mantovana, was the stage name of Anna Maddalena Teseire, an Italian contralto. She is best known for her collaborations with composer Antonio Vivaldi, who wrote several operatic roles for her.... |
| Bradamante | female warrior, beloved of Ruggiero (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... ) |
Maria Catterina Negri |
| Medoro | Prince betrothed to Angelica (contralto 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... ) |
Casimiro Pignotti |
| Ruggiero | a knight following Orlando (contralto castrato) | Giovanni Andrea Tassi |
| Astolfo | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Gaetano Pinetti |
Synopsis
Act 1.In a delightful garden in which two springs are seen, Medoro escapes from a shipwreck into the arms of his beloved Angelica. Alcina magically helps Medoro and he recounts how he was first captured, then shipwrecked. Orlando is jealous of Medoro, but Angelica lies and says Medoro is her brother.
Alcina is attracted to the knight Ruggiero. She uses her magic to make him forget Bradamante and love her instead. Bradamante discovers Ruggiero's "betrayal." She shows him the ring he gave her therefore breaking Alcina's spell. Ruggiero feels guilty by his actions.
Act 2.
In a grove with green secluded spots, Astolfo reflects how he loves Alcina, but is tormented by her unfaithfulness.
Meanwhile, in a mountainous alpine region with a high, precipitous cliff, Angelica and Medoro swear their love and part ways. To rid herself of Orlando, Angelica sends him to fight a monster who guards an elixir of youth.
Orlando enters a cavern and is trapped. Realizing Angelica's faithlessness, he digs his way out.
Angelica and Medoro marry in a countryside at the foot of a hill. They carve their vows on a nearby tree. Orlando finds the tree, and on reading the inscription, becomes furious that he starts destroying the trees.
Act 3.
The place is at the Entrance Hall before the Temple of Hecate. Astolfo believes Orlando dead. With Ruggiero and Bradamante, he plots revenge against Alcina. The secret of Alcina's power lies in an urn, which is locked in the temple of Hecate. They await Alcina's return.
Inside the temple of Hecate, Bradamante disguises herself as a man. Alcina falls in love with her. Orlando, still raving mad about the marriage of Angelica and Medoro, fights with the temple statues, inadvertently destroying Alcina's power.
In a deserted island. Alcina tries to attack the sleeping Orlando, but is prevented by Ruggiero and Bradamante. Astolfo returns to arrest Alcina. Orlando regains his reason and forgives Angelica and Medoro.
Recordings
- 1978: Marilyn HorneMarilyn HorneMarilyn 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....
, Victoria de los ÁngelesVictoria de los ÁngelesVictoria de los Ángeles was a Spanish Catalan operatic soprano and recitalist whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Her obituary in The Times noted that she must be counted “among the finest singers of the second half...
, Lucia Valentini TerraniLucia Valentini TerraniLucia Valentini Terrani was an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with Rossini roles.-Life and career:...
, Carmen Gonzales, Sesto BruscantiniSesto BruscantiniSesto Bruscantini was an Italian baritone, one of the greatest buffo singers of the post-war era, especially renowned in Mozart and Rossini....
, Nicola ZaccariaNicola ZaccariaNicola Zaccaria , born Nicholas Angelos Zachariou was a Greek bass.-Career:Born in Piraeus, Zaccaria studied at the Athens Conservatory where he enjoyed his debut in 1949, aged 26. He sang at La Scala in 1953 and his position as a mainstay of the bass operatic repertoire was assured thereafter. He...
;
I Solisti VenetiI Solisti VenetiI Solisti Veneti is one of the first rank of small Italian chamber orchestras with modern instruments. Founded in Padua in 1959 by Claudio Scimone, it has made a reputation especially with Italian Baroque music, recording many works by Antonio Vivaldi, Tomaso Albinoni, Francesco Geminiani,...
, Claudio ScimoneClaudio ScimoneClaudio Scimone is an Italian conductor.He was born in Padua, Italy and studied conducting with Dmitri Mitropoulos and Franco Ferrara. He has established an international reputation as a conductor, as well as a composer. He has revived many baroque and renaissance works...
; Erato - 2004: Marie-Nicole LemieuxMarie-Nicole LemieuxMarie-Nicole Lemieux is a Canadian contralto. She first came to the world's attention in 2000 when she became the first Canadian to win first prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium...
, Jennifer LarmoreJennifer LarmoreJennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, noted for coloratura and bel canto.- Career :Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano, well known for her versatility, natural beauty and stage craft...
, Veronica Cangemi, Ann Hallenberg, Philippe JarousskyPhilippe JarousskyPhilippe Jaroussky is a French sopranist countertenor. He began his musical career with the violin, winning an award at the Versailles conservatory and then took up the piano before turning to singing...
, Lorenzo RegazzoLorenzo RegazzoLorenzo Regazzo, born in Venice, Italy, is an opera singer. His voice can be categorised as bass, bass-baritone or basso cantante. He is especially well-known for interpreting Baroque, Classical, and bel canto repertoire...
;
Ensemble Matheus; Jean-Christophe SpinosiJean-Christophe SpinosiJean-Christophe Spinosi is a French conductor and violinist, the founder of Quatuor Matheus , a group that later grew into Ensemble Matheus. He is especially well-known for his interpretation of the instrumental and vocal music of the Baroque, most notably the operas of Vivaldi...
; Naïve OP30393 - 2008: Anne Desler, Nicki Kennedy, Marianna De Liso, Luca Dordolo;
Coro da Camera Italiano; Modo Antiquo, Federico Maria SardelliFederico Maria SardelliFederico Maria Sardelli is an Italian conductor, composer, musicologist and flautist. He is the founder of the baroque orchestra Modo Antiquo and has made more than forty recordings as soloist and conductor, some of them in co-production with the German broadcast company Westdeutscher Rundfunk.A...
. CPO