Attila (opera)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Giuseppe Verdi |
|---|
 |
|
Operas
|
Attila is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the play Attila, König der Hunnen ("Attila, King of the Huns") by Friedrich Ludwig Zacharias Werner. Initially, Verdi had enlisted Francesco Maria Piave to prepare the libretto, after Verdi's own scenario. After finding Piave's work unsatisfactory, Verdi then turned to Solera, but finally returned to Piave for Act III.[1] The opera received its first performance at La Fenice, Venice, on 17 March 1846.
Ezio's aria of heroic resolution "E gettata la mia sorte" is a fine example of a characteristic Verdian genre, and achieved fame in its own time with audiences in the context of the adoption of a liberal constitution by Ferdinand II.[2] Other contemporary comment praised the work as suitable for the "political education of the people", and in contrast criticised the opera as "Teutonic" in nature.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Performance history
After its world premiere in 1846, the opera was first produced in London at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1848, with Sophie Cruvelli, Italo Gardoni, Velletti, Cruzzoni and in New York City in 1850. In the 20th century, it was revived in concert performance during Venice Festival of 1951 with Mancini, Penno, Giangiacomo, Guelfi, and Italo Tajo, under the conductor Carlo Maria Giulini; and at Sadler's Wells in London in 1963 (with an English libretto), with Rae Woodland, Donald Smith, Mossfield, and Donald McIntyre, with Muir Mathieson conducting. There was a Rome revival a year later, then productions in Trieste in (1965), in Buenos Aires in (1966), in Berlin in (1971), and in 1972 Attila was performed at the Edinburgh Festival and in Florence.
On 21 December 1980, the Vienna State Opera presented a new production conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, and staged by Giulio Chazalettes. The cast included Nicolai Ghiaurov as Attila, Piero Cappuccilli as Ezio, Mara Zampieri as Odabella, and Piero Visconti as Foresto.
The Royal Opera House premiered it on 13 October 1990, with Ruggero Raimondi in the title role, Josephine Barstow as Odabella, Giorgio Zancanaro as Ezio, Dennis O'Neill as Foresto, with Edward Downes conducting[3].
In 1997 it was included as part of the Sarasota Opera's "Verdi Cycle" of all of the composer's operas to be performed before 2013, while in 1998 the bass Samuel Ramey appeared in the title role in a production staged by La Scala and filmed for DVD release. In February 2000 a performance was presented by the Opera Orchestra of New York again with Samuel Ramey as Attila.
Most recently, it received a concert performance on 8 September 2007 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with Ildar Abdrazakov, Hasmik Papian, Paolo Gavanelli, Massimiliano Pisapia, and with Jaap van Zweden conducting. A performance was recorded and later broadcast.[4].
The Metropolitan Opera will premiere it on February 23, 2010 under the baton of Riccardo Muti with Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role opposite to Ramón Vargas as Foresto and Violeta Urmana as Odabella.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 17 March 1846[5] (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Attila, King of the Huns | bass | Ignazio Marini |
| Uldino, a Breton slave of Attila's | tenor | Ettore Profili |
| Odabella, daughter of the Lord of Aquileia | soprano | Sophie Loewe |
| Ezio, a Roman General | baritone | Natale Costantini |
| Foresto, a Knight of Aquileia | tenor | Carlo Guasco |
| Leone (Pope Leo I)[6] | bass | Giuseppe Romanelli |
| Captains, Kings and Soldiers of the Huns, Priestesses, Aquileians, Roman Soldiers and populace of Rome | ||
[edit] Synopsis
- Time: Mid-5th Century
- Place: Aquileia, the Adratic lagoons, and near Rome[7]
[edit] Prologue
Scene 1: The ruined city of Aquileia
Attila and his victorious horde are surprised to see a group of women spared as prisoners of war. Their leader, Odabella, asks why the Huns' women remain at home (Allor che i forti corrono / "While your warriors rush to their swords like lions"). Attila, impressed by her courage, offers a boon and she asks for her sword to avenge the death of her father at Attila's own hand (Da te questo or m'è concesso / "O sublime, divine justice by thee is this now granted"). The Roman envoy Ezio asks for an audience and proposes a division of the empire: Avrai tu l'universo, Resti l'Italia a me / "You may have the universe, but let Italy remain mine". Attila denounces him as a traitor to his country.
Scene 2: A swamp, the future site of Venice
A boat bearing Foresto and other survivors arrives; he thinks of the captive Odabella (Ella in poter del barbaro / "She is in the barbarian's power!") but then rouses himself and the others to begin building a new city (Cara patria già madre e reina / "Dear homeland, at once mother and queen of powerful, generous sons").
[edit] Act 1
Scene 1: A wood near Attila's camp
Odabela laments her father and Foresto (Oh! Nel fuggente nuvolo / "O father, is your image not imprinted on the fleeting clouds?...") believing the latter to be dead. When he appears, she is put on the defensive, denying any infidelity and reminding him of the biblical Judith. The couple is reunited: Oh, t'inebria nell'amplesso / "O vast joy without measure")
Scene 2: Attila's tent
Attila awakes and tells Uldino of a dream in which an old man stopped him at the gates of Rome and warned him to turn back (Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima parea / "As my soul seemed to swell"). In the daylight, his courage returns and he orders a march (Oltre quel limite, t'attendo, o spettro / "Beyond that boundary I await you, O ghost!"). However, when a procession of maidens clad in white approaches, singing a Christian hymn, he recognizes the Roman bishop Leo as the old man of his dream, and collapses in terror.
[edit] Act 2
Ezio's camp
Ezio has been recalled, after a peace has been concluded. He contrasts Rome's past glory with the child emperor Valentine (Dagl'immortali vertici / "From the splendid immortal peaks of former glory"). Recognizing the incognito Foresto among the bearers of an invitation to a banquet with Attila, he agrees to join forces (E' gettata la mia sorte / "My lot is cast, I am prepared for any warfare" ). At the banquet, Foresto's plot to have Uldino poison Attila is foiled by Odabella, jealous of her own revenge. A grateful (and unsuspecting) Attila declares she shall be his wife, and places the unmasked Foresto in her custody.
[edit] Act 3
The forest
Uldino informs Foresto about the plans for the wedding of Odabella and Attila; Foresto laments Odabella's apparent betrayal (Che non avrebbe il misero / "What would that wretched man not have offered for Odabella). Ezio arrives with a plan to ambush the Huns; when Odabella comes Foresto accuses her of treachery, but she pleads for his trust. Attila finds the three and recognizes their betrayal. As Roman soldiers approach, Odabella stabs him with the sword he had given her. The three conspirators cry that the people have been avenged.
[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast (Attila, Foresto, Odabella, Ezio) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Boris Christoff, Gastone Limarilli, Margherita Roberti, Giangiacomo Guelfi |
Bruno Bartoletti, Orchestra e Coro di Teatro Comunale |
Audio CD: Opera D'Oro |
| 1972 | Ruggero Raimondi, Carlo Bergonzi, Christina Deutekom, Sherill Milnes |
Lamberto Gardelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers and Finchley Children's Music Group |
Audio CD: Philips Cat: 412-875-2 |
| 1980 | Nicolai Ghiaurov, Piero Visconti, Mara Zampieri, Piero Cappuccilli |
Giuseppe Sinopoli, Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus (live recording) |
Audio CD: Orfeo Cat: C 601 032 I |
| 1991 | Samuel Ramey, Neil Shicoff, Cheryl Studer, Giorgio Zancanaro |
Riccardo Muti, Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Cat: |
| 1991 | Samuel Ramey, Kaludi Kaludov, Cheryl Studer, Giorgio Zancanaro |
Riccardo Muti, Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus |
DVD: Image Entertainment Cat: 4360PUDVD |
| ? | Yevgeny Nesterenko, Lajos Miller, Sylvia Sass, János B. Nagy |
Lamberto Gardelli, Hungarian State Orchestra Hungarian Radio and Television Chorus |
Audio CD: Hungaroton Cat: |
| 2001 | Ferruccio Furlanetto, Carlo Ventre, Dimitra Theodossiou, Alberto Gazale |
Donato Renzetti, Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: Dynamic Cat: CDS 372/1-2 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Fregosi, William (2002). "Attila. Giuseppe Verdi". The Opera Quarterly 6 (2): 117–119. http://oq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/18/1/117. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
- ^ a b Stamatov, Peter, "Interpretive Activism and the Political Uses of Verdi's Operas in the 1840s" (June 2002). American Sociological Review, 67 (3): pp. 345-366.
- ^ The ROH Database
- ^ Operabase list of recent performances of Attila.
- ^ List of singers taken from Budden, Julian: The Operas of Verdi (Cassell), vol 1, p. 244.
- ^ Described in the score as Saint Leo.
- ^ Budden, Julian: The Operas of Verdi (Cassell), vol 1, p. 244.
[edit] References
- Kobbé, Gustav (1976). The Complete Opera Book. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 531–534.
[edit] External links
- Attila: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
- Libretto
- Aria database
