Griselda (Vivaldi)
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Operas
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Griselda is a dramma per musica in three acts that was composed by Antonio Vivaldi. The opera uses a revised version of the 1701 Italian libretto by Apostolo Zeno that was based on Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron (X, 10, "The Patient Griselda").[1] The celebrated Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni was hired to adapt the libretto for Vivaldi. The opera was first performed in Venice at the Teatro San Samuele on 18 May 1735.[2]
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[edit] Composition history
Michael Talbot notes that "the particular fame of this opera arises from the fact that it involved a collaboration with Goldoni", although one which was initially fraught with problems,[3] but he goes on to note that the two men eventually worked out an amiable compromise in the revision of an old libretto to fit the vocal limitations of the first Griselda, Anna Girò.
[edit] Performance history
The opera was not given its UK premiere until 23 July 1983 as part of the Buxton Festival, while in the US, it was not presented until 2000.[4] Today, Griselda is rarely performed, but it features as one of the 2011 festival season presentations of the Santa Fe Opera. Pinchgut Opera (Sydney) will stage four performances November–December 2011 in the City Recital Hall.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 18 May 1735[5] |
|---|---|---|
| Griselda, wife of Gualtiero | contralto | Anna Giro |
| Gualtiero, King of Thessaly | tenor | Gregorio Balbi |
| Roberto, brother of Corrado | soprano (originally castrato) | Gaetano Valletti |
| Corrado, Prince of Puglia | contralto | Elisabetta Gasparin |
| Costanza, missing daughter of Griselda and Gualtiero | soprano | Margherita Giacomazzi |
| Ottone, a Sicilian nobleman | soprano (originally castrato) | Lorenzo Saletti |
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act One
Years before the action begins, Gualtiero, King of Sicily, had married a poor shepherdess, Griselda. The marriage was deeply unpopular with the king's subjects and when a daughter, Costanza, was born, the king had to pretend to have her killed while secretly sending her to be brought up by Prince Corrado of Apulia. Now, faced with another rebellion from the Sicilians, Gualtiero is forced to renounce Griselda and promises to take a new wife. The proposed bride is in fact Costanza, who is unaware of her true parentage. She is in love with Corrado's younger brother, Roberto, and the thought of being forced to marry Gualtiero drives her to despair.
[edit] Act Two
Griselda returns to her home in the countryside where she is pursued by the courtier Ottone, who is in love with her. She angrily rejects his advances. Gualtiero and his followers go out hunting and come across Griselda's cottage. Gualtiero foils an attempt by Ottone to kidnap Griselda and allows her back to the court, but only as Costanza's slave.
[edit] Act Three
Ottone still resolutely pursues Griselda and Gualtiero promises him her hand as soon as he himself has married Costanza. Griselda declares she would rather die and, moved by her faithfulness, Gualtiero takes her back as his wife. He reveals the true identity of Costanza and allows her to marry Roberto.
[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast (Griselda, Gualtiero, Roberto, Costanza, Ottone, Corrado) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Marie-Nicole Lemieux Steffano Ferrari Philippe Jaroussky Verónica Cangemi Simone Kermes Iestyn Davies |
Jean-Christophe Spinosi Ensemble Matheus |
Audio CD: naïve |
| 2006 | Marion Newman Giles Tomkins Lynne McMurtry Carla Huhtanen Colin Ainsworth Nedecky |
Kevin Mallon Aradia Ensemble |
Audio CD: Naxos Cat: 8.660211-13[2] |
Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Eric Cross: "Griselda (iv)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed November 21, 2008), (subscription access)
- ^ a b Dominic McHugh, "Vivaldi: Griselda", review of the 2008 Naxos recording on musicalcriticism.com Retrieved 14 May 2011
- ^ Holden, p. 1018
- ^ Michael Talbot, "Griselda" in Holden, p. 1017
- ^ Cast of the first production on italianopera.org Retrieved 14 May 2011
[edit] References
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
