Rodelinda, regina de' Longobardi (HWV 19) is an opera seria

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...

 in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music (1719) by George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

. It was based on a 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 Nicola Francesco Haym

Nicola Francesco Haym

Nicola Francesco Haym was an Italian opera librettist, composer, theatre manager and performer, and numismatist. He is best remembered for adapting texts into libretti for the London operas of George Frideric Handel and Giovanni Bononcini...

, in turn based on an earlier libretto by Antonio Salvi

Antonio Salvi

Antonio Salvi was an Italian physician, court poet and librettist. He was in the service of the ducal court in Florence and the favourite librettist of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici. Salvi was one of the developers of the opera seria.- Life :Salvi was a court physician in Florence for the De'...

 set by Giacomo Antonio Perti

Giacomo Antonio Perti

Giacomo Antonio Perti was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He was mainly active at Bologna, where he was Maestro di Cappella for sixty years...

 in 1710. Salvi's libretto originated with 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 Pertharite

Perctarit

Perctarit was king of the Lombards from 661 to 662 the first time and later from 671 to 688. He was the son and successor of Aripert I. He shared power with his brother Godepert. He was a Catholic, Godepert an Arian. He ruled from Milan, Godepert from Pavia...

, roi des Lombards (1653).

Performance history

It was first performed at the King’s Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre

Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...

 in the Haymarket, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, on 13 February 1725. It was produced with the same singers as Tamerlano

Tamerlano

Tamerlano is an opera in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music , with music by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Agostin Piovene's Tamerlano together with another libretto entitled Bajazet after Nicolas Pradon's Tamerlan, ou La Mort de...

. There were 14 performances and it was repeated on 18 December 1725, and again on 4 May 1731. In 1735 and 1736 it was also performed in the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt

Oper am Gänsemarkt

Oper am Gänsemarkt was a theatre in Hamburg, Germany, built in 1678. It was torn down in 1765...

. The first modern production - in heavily altered form - was in Göttingen

Göttingen

Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...

 on 26 June 1920 where it was the first of a series of modern Handel opera revivals produced by the Handel enthusiast Oskar Hagen.

A UK production was presented at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1998. Directed by Jean-Marie Villégier and conducted by William Christie

William Christie (musician)

William Lincoln Christie is an American-born French conductor and harpsichordist. He is noted as a specialist in baroque repertoire and as the founder of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants....

, this highly-praised production featured Anna Caterina Antonacci

Anna Caterina Antonacci

Anna Caterina Antonacci is an Italian soprano, known for her roles in the bel canto and Baroque repertoire.Born in Ferrara, Antonacci studied in Bologna, and made her debut as Rosina in 1986 at Arezzo. She spans the soprano and mezzo-soprano repertoire...

 in the title role and Andreas Scholl

Andreas Scholl

Andreas Scholl is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range. He is noted as a specialist in Baroque music.-Childhood:...

 as Bertarido. It has been issued on DVD by Warner Music.

The first performance of Rodelinda at 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...

 was on December 2, 2004 in a production by Stephen Wadsworth and conducted by Harry Bicket

Harry Bicket

Harry Bicket is a British conductor, harpsichordist and organist.Bicket was educated at Radley College, Christ Church, Oxford, where he was organ scholar, and the Royal College of Music...

. It featured 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...

 in the title role, David Daniels

David Daniels

-Youth:Daniels was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the son of two singing teachers. He began to sing as a boy soprano, moving to tenor as his voice matured. His father, Perry Daniels, was one of the pre-eminent members of the performing faculty during each summer at Brevard Music Center,...

 as Bertarido, Kobie van Rensburg

Kobie van Rensburg

Kobie van Rensburg is a South African tenor and opera director.- Life :Van Rensburg studied singing with Werner Nel at the Northwest University of South Africa, but also law and international politics at Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education..He made his debut in 1991 at the age...

 as Grimoaldo, Stephanie Blythe

Stephanie Blythe

Stephanie Blythe is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Biography:Blythe graduated from Monticello High School in 1987 and the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1992. She was the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 1999...

 as Eduige, John Relyea

John Relyea

John Relyea is a bass-baritone opera singer and winner of the 2003 Richard Tucker Award.He was born in Toronto, Canada, to Gary Relyea, one of Canada's well-known opera singers, and Anna Tamm-Relyea, also a professional singer....

 as Garibaldo and Bejun Mehta

Bejun Mehta

Bejun Mehta is an American countertenor who performs in operas, recitals, and concerts. He records for Harmonia Mundi.-Early life and family:...

 as Unulfo. It received nine performances that season and five others in May 2006, this time with Andreas Scholl as Bertarido, Christophe Dumaux

Christophe Dumaux

Christophe Dumaux is a French classical countertenor.He initially studied voice and cello at his local conservatory in Châlons-en-Champagne and in 2000 entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris....

 as Unulfo, and conducted by Patrick Summers.

Roles

It is striking that due to the different tones of voice, the singers clearly distinguish between "good" and "evil". So the voices of Grimoaldo (tenor), Garibaldo (bass) and Eduige (alto) deep, which seems more threatening. The voices of Bertarido (alto), Unulfo (alto) and Rodelinda (soprano) are rather high.

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 13 February 1725 (Conductor: - )
Rodelinda, Queen of Lombardy	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...	Francesca Cuzzoni Francesca Cuzzoni Francesca Cuzzoni was an Italian operatic soprano of the Baroque era.-Early career:Cuzzoni was born in Parma. Her father, Angelo, was a professional violinist, and her singing teacher was Francesco Lanzi. She made her debut in her home city in 1714, singing in La virtù coronata, o Il Fernando by...
Bertarido, usurped King of Lombardy	alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...  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...	Senesino Senesino Senesino was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel.-Early life and career:...
Grimoaldo, Duke of Benevento, Bertarido's usurper	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...	Francesco Borosini
Eduige, Bertarido's sister, betrothed to Grimoaldo	alto	Anna Vicenza Dotti
Unulfo, Bertarido's friend and counsellor	alto castrato	Andrea Pacini
Garibaldo, Grimoaldo's counsellor, duke of Turin	bass	Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi was an Italian bass singer - though in modern terms a baritone - of the 18th century. He is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whom he worked for in both Italy and London.During the first decade of the century he is known to have...

Synopsis

Most scenes take place in the palace, two scenes on the cemetery and the final scene takes place outdoors. The time period is one day, the final scene takes place shortly after sunrise. In the original source Rodelinda and Cunicpert are sent into exile, in the opera she remains in Milan and becomes the central figure. The actions around her must therefore all be regarded as fictitious.

Prologue

Grimoaldo has usurped Bertarido in battle, who has fled. It is believed that Bertarido has died in exile, but he sends word to his friend Unulfo that he is alive and in hiding near the palace. Grimoaldo is betrothed to Bertarido's sister Eduige, and though she loves him and he returns her affection, at least at first, she keeps putting off the wedding. Rodelinda and her son, Flavio, are being kept in the palace by Grimoaldo, who has fallen in love with her.

Act 1

Alone, Rodelinda mourns the loss of her husband. Grimoaldo enters and proposes marriage to her; he offers her her throne back, and confesses his love for her. She angrily rejects him. Eduige tells Grimoaldo that he has become treacherous now that he is king; he answers that he is treacherous for the sake of justice, referring to the fact that she so often refused to marry him and now he, at Garibaldo's instigation, is rejecting her. With Grimoaldo gone, the scheming Garibaldo, who has previously professed to love Eduige, offers to bring her Grimoaldo's head. She declines, but swears that she will be revenged eventually. Alone, Garibaldo details his plan to use Eduige to help him take the throne for himself.

Meanwhile, Bertarido reads the inscription on his own memorial. Along with Unulfo, he watches from hiding as Rodelinda and Flavio lay flowers at the memorial. Garibaldo enters and offers Rodelinda an ultimatum; either she agrees to marry Grimoaldo or Flavio will be killed. Rodelinda agrees, but warns Garibaldo that she will use his head as a step to the throne. Bertarido, still watching, takes Rodelinda's decision as an act of infidelity. Grimoaldo tells Garibaldo not to worry about Rodelinda's threat; under the king's protection, what does he have to fear? Unulfo, meanwhile, tries to comfort Bertarido, but Bertarido is unconvinced.

Act 2

Garibaldo, as part of his plan to take the throne, tells Eduige that it appears she has lost her chance to become queen, and encourages her to take revenge on Grimoaldo. Eduige then turns her bitterness on Rodelinda, pointing out Rodelinda's sudden decision to betray her husband's memory and marry his usurper. Rodelinda reminds Eduige of who's queen. Eduige again vows vengeance on Grimoaldo, though it is clear she still loves him. Eduige departs and Grimoaldo enters, asking Rodelinda if it is true that she's agreed to marry him. She assures him that it is true, but that she has one condition: Grimoaldo must first kill Flavio in front of her. Grimoaldo, horrified, refuses. Once Rodelinda departs, Garibaldo encourages Grimoaldo to carry out the murder and take Rodelinda as his wife, but Grimoaldo again refuses. He says that Rodelinda's act of courage and determination has made him love her all the more, though he has lost all hope of ever winning her over. Unulfo asks Garibaldo how he could give a king such appalling advice, and Garibaldo expounds his Macchiavellian perspective on the use of power. Bertarido, meanwhile, has approached the palace grounds in disguise, where Eduige recognizes him. She agrees to tell Rodelinda that her husband is still alive. Rodelinda and Bertarido meet in secret, but are discovered by an outraged Grimoaldo. He doesn't recognize Bertarido, but vows to kill him anyway, whether he be Rodelinda's real husband or just her lover. The spouses, before being separated again, bid each other a last farewell.

Act 3

Unulfo and Eduige make a plan to spring Bertarido from prison; they'll smuggle him a weapon and the key to the secret passage that runs under the palace. Grimoaldo, meanwhile, is having a crisis of conscience over the impending execution. Bertarido, in his cell, receives his package. Unulfo, who is allowed access to the prison in an official capacity, comes to release Bertarido. Bertarido, however, can't recognize Unulfo in the darkness, and mistakenly wounds him with the sword. Unulfo shrugs the injury off, and the two leave. Eduige and Rodelinda, meanwhile, have come to visit Bertarido. Finding the cell empty and blood on the floor, they despair of his life. Grimoaldo is still struggling with conscience and flees to the palace garden, hoping to find a peaceful spot where he can finally fall asleep; even shepherds, he laments, can find rest under trees and bushes, but he, a king, can find no rest anywhere. He finally falls asleep, but Garibaldo finds him and decides to take advantage of the situation. He is about to kill Grimoaldo with his own sword when Bertarido enters and kills Garibaldo. Grimaoldo, however, he spares. Grimoaldo gladly gives up all claim to the throne and turns to Eduige, telling her that they shall wed and rule together in his own duchy. Reunited at last, the family rejoices.

Noted Arias

• "L'empio rigor del fatto"
• "Di cupido impiego i vanni"
• "Dove sei, amato bene?"
• "Fra tempeste funeste"
• "Pastorello d'un povero armento"
• "Lo farò, diro: spietato"
• "Io t'abraaccio"
• "Vivi Tiranno"

External links

• Score of Rodelinda (Ed. Friedrich Chrysander
  Friedrich Chrysander
  Karl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.Born at Lübtheen, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Chrysander was the son...
  
  , Leipzig 1876) Retrieved 6 September 2011