Edgar (opera)
| Giacomo Puccini |
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Operas
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Edgar is an operatic dramma lirico in three acts (originally four acts) by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, freely based on the play in verse La Coupe et les lèvres by Alfred de Musset. The first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 21 April 1889.
Edgar, Puccini's second opera, was composed on a commission from the publisher Ricordi after the successful reception of his first stage work, Le Villi. The original version had four acts and was tepidly received. In January 1890, Ricordi published a revised version, including a different ending for act 2. In the autumn of 1891, Puccini revised the work again, cutting the last act and producing a three-act version which would again be revised in 1905.
In this final form the opera had even less success than in its original four-act structure. Some of the music that was cut in 1891 was reused in Tosca and became the beautiful act 3 duet, "Amaro sol per te m'era il morire!". The funeral march from act 3 was played at Puccini's funeral, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
Parallels to Bizet's Carmen are numerous. Both operas feature a confused young man (tenor: Edgar, Don José) who is struggling to choose between the pure chaste love of his home town girl (soprano: Fidelia, Micaëla) and the consuming passion of an exotic gypsy (mezzo-soprano: Tigrana, Carmen).
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[edit] Performance history
The first version was performed in Turin (Teatro Regio) on 25 June 2008, directed by Yoram David. American musicologist Linda Fairtile[1] is working on producing the critical edition of the first version, but the score performed in Turin is based on Puccini's autograph: Fairtile worked on it together with Gabriele Dotto and Claudio Toscani.
The autograph of the acts 1 and 3 of the original version is preserved in the Archivio Ricordi (Milan). The autograph of the acts 2 and 4, which was believed lost till 2008, is in the ownership of Simonetta Puccini.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 21 April 1889 (Conductor: Franco Faccio) |
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| Edgar | tenor | Gregorio Gabrielesco |
| Fidelia | soprano | Aurelia Cattaneo |
| Tigrana | soprano | Romilda Pantaleoni |
| Frank | baritone | Antonio Magini-Coletti |
| Gualtiero, father of Fidelia and Frank | bass | Pio Marini |
| Chorus: Farmers, soldiers, courtiers, monks, children | ||
[edit] Synopsis (three-act version)
- Place: Flanders.
- Time: 1302.
[edit] Act 1
Fidelia gives an awakening Edgar a sprig of almond blossoms, but leaves when she sees Tigrana approaching. Tigrana tries to tempt Edgar to return to their life of debauchery, but fails when Edgar avows he loves Fidelia's purity. Frank, who has always loved Tigrana, enters, but when he cannot win her affections, he berates her, and they argue.
After Tigrana mocks the villagers at prayer, they order her to leave the village. She retreats to Edgar's house, where he defends her from the angry crowd. He announces that he will go with her, and burns down his house before leaving. Frank attempts to stop them, and is wounded in a duel with Edgar. The villagers curse the fleeing lovers.
[edit] Act 2
Edgar has left the wild orgy in Tigrana's house. He is tired of his life of debauchery and longs to return to Fidelia. Tigrana comes to him to entice him back to the party, but, just as she is about to succeed, a platoon of soldiers arrives. Edgar is surprised that Frank is leading them, and asks for forgiveness. Frank grants it happily because the fight actually had broken the hold Tigrana had on him. To escape from Tigrana, Edgar joins the platoon, despite her pleading. Tigrana swears revenge as the men leave her.
[edit] Act 3
A large funeral procession carries the body of Edgar, who has fallen in battle. Frank and the crowd praise Edgar as a hero, but the monk who heard Edgar's dying confession denounces him. He reveals Edgar's sins and debauchery, and the crowd, easily swayed, curses Edgar. Only Fidelia stands up for Edgar and vows that she will meet him in heaven.
After the crowd leaves, Tigrana enters, crying. She is upset that no one will see her weeping for Edgar. Frank and the monk ask her to denounce Edgar, but she resists until they offer her jewels. The crowd returns. The monk claims that Edgar betrayed his country for some gold, and Tigrana reluctantly confirms this. The soldiers try to desecrate the body and discover it is only a suit of armor. The monk reveals that he is Edgar and goes to leave with Fidelia, the only one who remained true to him. The vengeful Tigrana stabs and kills Fidelia. Edgar weeps over the lifeless body as the soldiers capture Tigrana, and the crowd prays.
[edit] Noted arias
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Act 1
Act 2
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Act 3
Act 4
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[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast (Edgar, Fidelia, Tigrana, Frank) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label [2] |
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| 1977 | Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Scotto, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Vicente Sardinero |
Eve Queler, Opera Orchestra of New York, Schola Cantorum of New York (Live recording at Carnegie Hall of April) |
Audio CD: CBS/Sony Classical Cat: M2K 79213 |
| 2006 | Plácido Domingo, Adriana Damato, Marianne Cornetti, Juan Pons |
Alberto Veronesi, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00289 477 6102 |
| 2008 | Jose Cura, Amarilli Nizza, Julia Gertseva, Marco Vratogna |
Yorum David, Orchestra and chorus of Teatro Regio di Torino |
DVD: Arthaus Musik Cat: 101 377 |
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ Dr. Linda Fairtile, Music Librarian of the Parsons Music Library at the University of Richmond, Virginia, author of Giacomo Puccini: A Guide to Research from University of Richmond website
- ^ Recordings of Edgar on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- Sources
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
- Warrack, John and West, Ewan, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera New York: OUP: 1992 ISBN 0-19-869164-5
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Edgar (opera) |
- Edgar: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
- Libretto first version and last version
