Poliuto
Encyclopedia
Poliuto is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera
, by Gaetano Donizetti
. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian
libretto
after Pierre Corneille
's play Polyeucte
(1641–42). It was composed in 1838 and first performed on 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples
. However, a revised version of the work with a French text had been produced earlier at the Paris Opéra
under the title Les Martyrs on 10 April 1840.
to compose two new works. While in Venice for the premiere of Maria de Rudenz
he had met Adolphe Nourrit
, who for more than a decade had been the principal tenor in Paris. However, Nourrit’s popularity was now in decline and he was in danger of being supplanted in the public's affections by a rising star Gilbert Louis Duprez. Nourrit and Donizetti were in complete agreement that a Grand Opera
in the style of Halevy's La Juive
would exactly suit the tastes of a French audience and provide Nourrit with the ideal vehicle to restore his career.
However, Donizetti's next opera was scheduled to be premiered in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
, whose King Ferdinand II
was a devout Catholic who refused to allow any representation on the stage of scenes of a religious nature. At the last minute, the King forbade the production. The management of the Teatro di San Carlo
were forced to substitute Pia de' Tolomei
, and Donizetti left immediately for Paris vowing never to have any dealings with Naples in the future. The cancellation dealt a crushing blow to Adolphe Nourrit's hopes of reviving his flagging career. On 8 March 1839, he committed suicide by jumping from the window of his apartment in Naples. On reaching Paris, Donizetti revised and expanded the opera to a French text which was eventually produced as Les Martyrs at the Salle Le Peletier of the Paris Opera on 10 April 1840. Poliuto was not performed in its original form until after Donizetti's death.
Armenia has been conquered by the Romans, and they have decreed that Christianity, which has a significant following in the country, must be destroyed and its followers put to death. Poliuto, the principal magistrate of Mytilene, has come to a secret gathering of worshippers to be baptised into the new faith. He confides to his friend Nearco, who is a fellow convert, that he has misgivings regarding his wife’s loyalty to him. She was in love with a Roman general named Severo and only married Poliuto after pressure from her father, Felice, who told her that Severo and been killed in battle.
Poliuto enters the Sanctuary, and immediately his wife, Paolina, appears. She has followed him, suspecting that he has become a Christian convert. She waits for him to reappear from the baptism and, overhearing the service, finds herself strangely moved by its sincerity and power as the Christians pray for their persecutors. Nearco arrives with the news that not only is Severo still alive but that he intends to root out and destroy every Christian in the land. Paolina experiences both great joy and utter despair on learning that her lover has survived, but acknowledging that now they can never be united.
Scene 2: The Great Square of Mytilene
A jubilant crowd hails the arrival of Severo. He is overjoyed to see Paolina again, but his feelings quickly turn to rage and bitterness when he learns of her marriage to Poliuto.
Severo angrily confronts Paolina. She tries to explain that she was tricked by her father and forced into marriage with Poliuto. Nevertheless she now intends to remain faithful to her husband and insists that Severo leaves her. Poliuto has learned of the meeting between the ex-lovers and is convinced of his wife’s infidelity; however his bitter thoughts of revenge are interrupted by the news that Nearco has been arrested by the Romans for his religious beliefs.
Scene 2: The Temple of Jupiter
Nearco is dragged into the temple in chains. The priests demand to know the name of his important new convert to Christianity. When they threaten Nearco with torture, Poliuto proudly reveals himself as the man they seek. Paolina entreats her father to save her husband’s life, and then throws herself at Severo’s feet, begging him to show mercy for the sake of the love she knows he still has for her. Her actions so enrage Poliuto that he breaks free from his captors and smashes the pagan altar. He is quickly overpowered and led away with Nearco.
Poliuto is to be fed to the lions, and Severo and his men arrive to take him to the arena. Severo is horrified when Paolina announces that she too is a Christian and demands to die with her husband. Severo urges her to reconsider, but she remains determined to join Poliuto in martyrdom. They are led away together to face their gruesome fate.
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...
, by Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
. Salvadore Cammarano wrote 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...
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...
after Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
's play Polyeucte
Polyeucte
Polyeucte martyr is a drama in five acts by French writer Pierre Corneille. It was finished in December 1642 and debuted in October 1643. It is based on the life of the martyr Saint Polyeuctus ....
(1641–42). It was composed in 1838 and first performed on 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo, 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...
. However, a revised version of the work with a French text had been produced earlier at the Paris Opéra
Paris 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...
under the title Les Martyrs on 10 April 1840.
Composition history
By January 1838, Donizetti was in negotiations with 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...
to compose two new works. While in Venice for the premiere of Maria de Rudenz
Maria de Rudenz
Maria de Rudenz is a dramma tragico, or tragic opera, in three parts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on "a piece of Gothic horror", La nonne sanglante by Anicet-Bourgeois, Cuvelier and Maillan, and The monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis...
he had met 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....
, who for more than a decade had been the principal tenor in Paris. However, Nourrit’s popularity was now in decline and he was in danger of being supplanted in the public's affections by a rising star Gilbert Louis Duprez. Nourrit and Donizetti were in complete agreement that a Grand Opera
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
in the style of Halevy's La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
would exactly suit the tastes of a French audience and provide Nourrit with the ideal vehicle to restore his career.
However, Donizetti's next opera was scheduled to be premiered in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
, whose King Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...
was a devout Catholic who refused to allow any representation on the stage of scenes of a religious nature. At the last minute, the King forbade the production. The management of the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
were forced to substitute Pia de' Tolomei
Pia de' Tolomei
Pia de' Tolomei is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Bartolomeo Sestini's novella, in its turn after Dante's narrative poem The Divine Comedy part 2: Purgatorio...
, and Donizetti left immediately for Paris vowing never to have any dealings with Naples in the future. The cancellation dealt a crushing blow to Adolphe Nourrit's hopes of reviving his flagging career. On 8 March 1839, he committed suicide by jumping from the window of his apartment in Naples. On reaching Paris, Donizetti revised and expanded the opera to a French text which was eventually produced as Les Martyrs at the Salle Le Peletier of the Paris Opera on 10 April 1840. Poliuto was not performed in its original form until after Donizetti's death.
Roles
| Role (roles in Les martyrs in brackets) | Voice type | Premiere Cast (Les martyrs), 10 April 1840 (Conductor: - ) |
Premiere Cast (Poliuto), 30 November 1848 (Conductor: Antonio Farelli) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poliuto (Polyeucte), Roman convert to Christianity | 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... |
Gilbert Duprez Gilbert Duprez Gilbert Duprez was a French tenor, singing teacher and minor composer who famously pioneered the delivery of the operatic high C from the chest. He also created the role of Edgardo in the popular bel canto-era opera Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835.-Biography:Gilbert-Louis Duprez, to give his full... |
Carlo Baucardé Carlo Baucardé Carlo Baucardé or Boucardé was an Italian operatic tenor who sang leading roles throughout Italy, as well as in London, Madrid, Paris, and New York... |
| Paolina (Pauline) | 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... |
Julie Dorus-Gras Julie Dorus-Gras Julie Dorus-Gras was a Belgian operatic soprano.-Early life and training:She was born Julie-Aimée-Josèphe Van Steenkiste, the daughter of an ex-soldier who was the leader of the theatre orchestra in her native city Valenciennes... |
Eugenia Tadolini Eugenia Tadolini Eugenia Tadolini was an Italian operatic soprano. Admired for the beauty of her voice and stage presence, she was one of Donizetti's favourite singers. During her career she created over 20 leading roles, including the title roles in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix and Maria di Rohan and Verdi's... |
| Severo (Sévère), Roman proconsul | 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... |
Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol was a French operatic tenor and later baritone who sang in the world premieres of many French operas.... |
Filippo Colini Filippo Colini Filippo Colini was an Italian operatic baritone. He is best known today for creating roles in the world premieres of several operas by Giuseppe Verdi, including Giacomo in Giovanna d'Arco , Rolando in La battaglia di Legnano , and Stankar in Stiffelio... |
| Felice (Félix), Paolina's father, governor of Armenia | tenor (Les martyrs: bass) |
Prosper Dérivis Prosper Dérivis Nicolas-Prosper Dérivis was a French operatic bass. He possessed a rich deep voice that had a great carrying power. While he could easily assail heavy dramatic roles, he was also capable of executing difficult coloratura passages and performing more lyrical parts... |
Anafesto Rossi |
| Callistene (Callisthènes), high priest of Jupiter | bass | Jacques-Émil Serda | Marco Arati Marco Arati Marco Arati was an Italian operatic bass active during the 1840s through the 1880s. Although he occasionally appeared at other opera houses in Italy, he was primarily committed to the Teatro di San Carlo where he sang roles for more than four decades... |
| Nearco (Néarque), a Christian, Poliuto's friend | tenor | Pierre François Wartel | Domenico Ceci |
| A Christian | tenor (Les martyrs: bass) |
Molinier | |
| Second Christian (in Les martyrs only) | baritone | Wideman |
Act 1: The Baptism
Scene 1: The Entrance to a Hidden SanctuaryArmenia has been conquered by the Romans, and they have decreed that Christianity, which has a significant following in the country, must be destroyed and its followers put to death. Poliuto, the principal magistrate of Mytilene, has come to a secret gathering of worshippers to be baptised into the new faith. He confides to his friend Nearco, who is a fellow convert, that he has misgivings regarding his wife’s loyalty to him. She was in love with a Roman general named Severo and only married Poliuto after pressure from her father, Felice, who told her that Severo and been killed in battle.
Poliuto enters the Sanctuary, and immediately his wife, Paolina, appears. She has followed him, suspecting that he has become a Christian convert. She waits for him to reappear from the baptism and, overhearing the service, finds herself strangely moved by its sincerity and power as the Christians pray for their persecutors. Nearco arrives with the news that not only is Severo still alive but that he intends to root out and destroy every Christian in the land. Paolina experiences both great joy and utter despair on learning that her lover has survived, but acknowledging that now they can never be united.
Scene 2: The Great Square of Mytilene
A jubilant crowd hails the arrival of Severo. He is overjoyed to see Paolina again, but his feelings quickly turn to rage and bitterness when he learns of her marriage to Poliuto.
Act 2: The Neophyte
Scene 1: The gardens of Felice’s houseSevero angrily confronts Paolina. She tries to explain that she was tricked by her father and forced into marriage with Poliuto. Nevertheless she now intends to remain faithful to her husband and insists that Severo leaves her. Poliuto has learned of the meeting between the ex-lovers and is convinced of his wife’s infidelity; however his bitter thoughts of revenge are interrupted by the news that Nearco has been arrested by the Romans for his religious beliefs.
Scene 2: The Temple of Jupiter
Nearco is dragged into the temple in chains. The priests demand to know the name of his important new convert to Christianity. When they threaten Nearco with torture, Poliuto proudly reveals himself as the man they seek. Paolina entreats her father to save her husband’s life, and then throws herself at Severo’s feet, begging him to show mercy for the sake of the love she knows he still has for her. Her actions so enrage Poliuto that he breaks free from his captors and smashes the pagan altar. He is quickly overpowered and led away with Nearco.
Act 3: Martyrdom
In his prison cell, Poliuto awakes from an uneasy sleep. He has had a dream that Paolina is in truth a loyal and faithful wife. She has persuaded the guards to let her visit him, and he forgives her and they are reconciled. Paolina urges him to save himself by renouncing his Christian beliefs, but he is certain that eternal salvation awaits him after death. Recognising the strength of his faith, Paolina begs him to baptize her, so that she can die with him. At first Poliuto is unwilling to perform the baptism, but when he sees that her conversion is genuine, he agrees.Poliuto is to be fed to the lions, and Severo and his men arrive to take him to the arena. Severo is horrified when Paolina announces that she too is a Christian and demands to die with her husband. Severo urges her to reconsider, but she remains determined to join Poliuto in martyrdom. They are led away together to face their gruesome fate.
Poliuto, 1838
| Year | Cast (Poliuto, Paolina, Severo, Callistene) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 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... , Franco Corelli Franco Corelli Franco Corelli was a famous Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was celebrated universally for his powerhouse voice, electrifying top notes, clear timbre, a... , Ettore Bastianini Ettore Bastianini Ettore Bastianini was an Italian opera singer who was particularly associated with the operas of Verdi. He had a prolific international career between 1945 and 1965 which was cut short by throat cancer. He began his professional career as a bass working in opera houses throughout Italy and in... , Nicola Zaccaria Nicola Zaccaria Nicola 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... |
Antonino Votto Antonino Votto Antonino Votto was an Italian operatic conductor. Votto developed an extensive discography with the Teatro alla Scala in Milan during the 1950s, when EMI produced the bulk of its studio recordings featuring Maria Callas... Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of a performance at La Scala, 7 December) |
Audio CD: EMI CDMB Cat: 5 65448-2 |
| 1986 | José Carreras José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini... , 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,... , Juan Pons Juan Pons Joan Pons Álvarez , is a Spanish dramatic baritone, known internationally as Juan Pons.-Career:With his outstandingly successful international début in 1980 at the Teatro alla Scala of Milan with Falstaff, staged by Giorgio Strehler and conducted by Lorin Maazel, Juan Pons has revealed himself as... , László Polgár |
Oleg Caetani Oleg Caetani Oleg Caetani is a conductor of Ukrainian and Italian descent. He is the son of Igor Markevitch and Donna Topazia Caetani, Markevitch's second wife, who is descended from a Roman family that included the early 14th-century Pope Boniface VIII. Caetani has chosen to use his mother's family name to... Vinenna Symphony Orchestra |
Audio CD: Sony Classical Cat: CSCR 8119-20 |
Les Martyrs, 1840
| Year | Cast (Polyceute, Pauline, Sévère, Néarque |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Mario Di Felici, Leyla Gencer Leyla Gencer Leyla Gencer, or Ayşe Leyla Çeyrekgil was a world-renowned Turkish operatic soprano.Known as "La Diva Turca" and "La Regina" in the opera world, Gencer was a notable bel canto soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a repertoire... , Renato Bruson Renato Bruson Renato Bruson is an Italian operatic baritone. Bruson is widely considered one of the most important Verdi baritones of the late 20th and early 21st century. He was born in Granze near Padua, Italy.-Biography and career:... , Renato Cazzaniga |
Adolfo Camozzo Teatro Donizetti Teatro Donizetti The Teatro Donizetti is an opera house in Bergamo, Italy. Built in the 1780s using a design by architect Giovanni Francesco Lucchini, the theatre was originally referred to as either the Teatro Nuovo or Teatro di Fiera. The first opera to be mounted at the theatre, Giuseppe Sarti's Medonte, re di... di Bergamo Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of a performance at Bergamo, 22 September) |
Audio CD: Myto 3 Cat: MCD 972 154 |
| 1978 | Ottavio Garaventa, Leyla Gencer, Renato Bruson, Oslavio Di Credico |
Gianluigi Gelmetti Teatro La Fenice Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of performance at La Fenice) |
Audio CD: Mondo Musica Cat: MFOH 10061 |