Ruggero Leoncavallo: Difference between revisions
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Mattinata - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo (Dedicata a Teresa |
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Mattinata - Parole di Giosu� Carducci |
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Revision as of 16:51, 30 May 2008
Ruggero (Ruggiero) Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857- August 9, 1919) was an Italian opera composer. His opera, Pagliacci, was and remains one of the most popular works in the operatic repertory, currently appearing as number 14 on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.[1]
Biography
The son of a police magistrate, Leoncavallo was born in Naples on April 23, 1857 and educated at the city's Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella. (The date March 8, 1857 or 1858, given for his birth in some older histories of music, is incorrect.[2]). After some years spent teaching and in ineffective attempts to obtain the production of more than one opera, he saw the enormous success of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana in 1890, and he wasted no time in producing his own verismo hit, Pagliacci. (According to Leoncavallo, the plot of this work had a real-life origin: he claimed it derived from a murder trial over which his father had presided.)
Pagliacci was performed in Milan in 1892 with immediate success; today it is the only work by Leoncavallo in the standard operatic repertory.[3] Its most famous aria Vesti la giubba ("Put on the trappings" or, in the better-known older translation, "On with the motley") was recorded by Enrico Caruso and laid claim to being the world's first record to sell a million copies (although this is probably a total of Caruso's various versions made in 1902, 1904 and 1907)
The next year his I Medici was also produced in Milan, but neither it nor Chatterton (1896)—both early works—obtained any favour, and it was not until La bohème was performed in 1897 in Venice that his talent obtained public confirmation. (Its two tenor arias are still occasionally performed, especially in Italy, yet it was outshone by Puccini's opera of the same name and on the same subject (albeit a better libretto), which was premiered in 1896.) Subsequent operas by Leoncavallo were Zazà (1900) (the opera of Geraldine Farrar's famous farewell performance at the Met, and Der Roland Von Berlin (1904). He had a brief success with Zingari which premiered in Italian in London in 1912. (Zingari had a long run at the Hippodrome Theatre). Zingari even reached the United States but soon after disappeared from the repertoire.[4]
After a series of operettas (whose titles, below, perhaps suggest much of their depth), Leoncavallo tried for one last 'serious' effort (Edipo Re), but he died before he could finish the orchestration which was completed by Giovanni Pennacchio. From the 1970's the opera has had a surprisingly high number of revivals, both as concert performances (Amsterdam 1977 and Vienna 1998) as well as a fully staged production in Turin in 2002.[5] In Edipo Re (a short one act work) the composer uses exactly the same melody for the final scene Miei poveri fior, per voi non più sole...(with the blinded Edipo) as he had for the Act IV Soprano aria from Der Roland von Berlin. It has been assumed (see The New Grove Dictionary of Opera) that Leoncavallo left the opera more or less complete (except for the orchestration), but Pennacchio may have had to do more and may have 'filled in the gaps' using Leoncavallo's earlier music.[6]
Little or nothing from Leoncavallo's 'other' operas is heard today, but the baritone arias from Zazà were great concert and recording favourites among baritones and Zazà as a whole is sometimes revived, as is his La bohème. The tenor arias from La bohème remain recording favourites.
Leoncavallo also composed songs, most famously Mattinata, which he wrote for the Gramophone Company (which became HMV) with Caruso in mind. In April 1904 Leoncavallo accompanied the tenor at the piano as the tenor sang and recorded the song.
He was the librettist for most of his own operas. Many considered him the greatest Italian librettist of his time after Boito. Among Leoncavallo's libretti for other composers is his contribution to the libretto for Puccini's Manon Lescaut.
Ruggero Leoncavallo died in Montecatini, Tuscany, on August 19, 1919.
Operas
- Pagliacci – May 21 1892, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan.
- I Medici – November 9 1893, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan). (The first part of the uncompleted trilogy, Crepusculum.)
- Chatterton – March 10 1896, Teatro Argentina, Rome. (Revison of a work written in 1876.)
- La bohème – May 6 1897, Teatro La Fenice, Venice.
- Zazà – November 10 1900, Teatro Lirico, Milan.
- Der Roland von Berlin – December 13 1904, Städtische Oper, Berlin.
- Maia – January 15 1910, Teatro Costanzi, Rome.
- Zingari – September 16 1912, Hippodrome, London.
- Mimi Pinson – 1913, Teatro Massimo, Palermo. (Revision of La bohème.)
- Edipo Re – December 13 1920, Chicago Opera. (Produced after the composer's death, orchestration not by Leoncavallo, completed by Giovanni Pennacchio)
Operettas
- La jeunesse de Figaro – 1906, USA.
- Malbrouck – January 19 1910, Teatro Nazionale, Rome.
- La reginetta delle rose – June 24 1912, Teatro Costanzi, Rome.
- Are You There? – November 1 1913, Prince of Wales Theatre, London.
- La candidata – February 6 1915, Teatro Nazionale, Rome.
- Prestami tua moglie – September 2 1916, Casino delle Terme, Montecatini. (English title: Lend me your wife.)
- Goffredo Mameli – April 27 1916, Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa. (Note that the Fondazione Leoncavallo classes this as an opera rather than an operetta.[7])
- A chi la giarrettiera? – October 16 1919, Teatro Adriano, Rome. (English title: Whose Garter Is This?.)
- Il primo bacio – 29 April 1923 Salone di cura, Montecatini. Produced after the composer's death.
- La maschera nuda – 26 June 1925 Teatro Politeama, Naples. Produced after the composer's death.
Other Works (selected)
- La Nuit de Mai -Poème Symphonique after Alfred de Musset, Paris 1886 (In French). (Has been performed and recorded 1990)
- Séraphitus Séraphita - Poema Sinfonico after H. de Balzac, Teatro alla Scala, Milan 1894
Songs
A Ninon - Parole di Alfred De Musset Addio - Parole di Victor Hugo Addio Suzon - Parole di Alfred De Musset Album Spagnolo - Sevillana/Tango Gitano/Playeras ancienne/ Granadinas Amore - Parole del Baron de Vaux Anelito d'amore - Parole di M. Arensberg Aprile - Parole di Annie Vivanti Ave Maria - Dedicata al Sommo Pontefice Pio X Barcarola Veneziana Berceuse Bohemienne Brezza di mare Canta Pierrot Canzone d'amore - Parole di Angelo Nessi Canzone d'autunno - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Canzonetta di stile antico - Parole di Matthert Caraban - Fox Trot per Orchestra C'e nel tuo sguardo - Parole di R. Cotugno C'est bien toi - Parole di Alfred De Musset C'est le renouveau, ma Suzon - Parole di Doremi C'est l'heure mysterieuse C'etai un reve - Parole di E. Collet Chanson Serenade Chitarretta - Parole di M. Von Borch Cortege de Pulcinella Dance ancienne Declaration - Parole di Armand Silvestre Delivrance (Inno alla Francia) - Parole di Gustave Rivette Dolce Notte Donna vorrei morire - Parole di Lorenzo Stecchetti Era d'inverno - Parole di Lorenzo Stecchetti Et nuc et semper - Parole di Fr. Copp�e Foglie d'autunno - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Fox Trot Gagliarda - Pianoforte Gavotta Gondola - Barcarola per pianoforte Hue! Dia! Hymne a la Lyre - Parole di Armand Silvestre Inno alla Croce Rossa Inno alla Lega Nazionale (Viva Dante) - Coro - Parole di Riccardo Pitteri Invocation a la Muse Je n'ai rien su - Parole di Armand Silvestre Je ne sais pas ton nom - Parole di E. Collet La victoire est a nous - Parole di Paul Choudens Lasciati amar - Per violino, canto e pianoforte - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Le Baiser Ma Suzon - Parole di Emil Cecil Madame Avisez-y - Parole di Malherbe Mai Fleuri - Parole di Dor�mi Mandolinata - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Maniquenne Marcia Nuziale - Pianoforte Marcia Yankee - Pianoforte Marcixce dei Messicani - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Mattinata - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo (Dedicata a Teresa Ar[c]kel) Mattinata - Parole di Giosu� Carducci Melodia Elegiaca Menuet d' Arlequin - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Meriggiata - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Napuletanata - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Ne m'oubliez pas Ninna nanna - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Nuit de decembre - Parole di Alfred De Musset Ottobre - Parole di Lorenzo Stecchetti Pantins vivants - Pianoforte a 4 mani Pensiero - Parole di Lorenzo Stecchetti Pensiero d'autunno Pierrot innamorato - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Prenez garde a mon oiseau - Parole di Emil Cecil Qu'a jamais le soleil se voile - Da un frammento di A. Dumas Rapsodia primaverile - Parole di F. Corder Reverie - Pianoforte Romanesca - Pianoforte Serenade - Pianoforte Serenade valze - Pianoforte Serenata Francese - Parole di E. Collet Serenata Napoletana - Parole di E. Collet Serenatella - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Se c'est aimer - Parole di Emil Cecil Sue les palmirs Sussurravano le mille aure del bosco - Parole di Giovanni Pascoli Tarentella - Pianoforte Valse blonde Tarantella No. 2 - Parole di Ruggero Leoncavallo Tema di Marcia Trionfale per l'eroica armata Italiana di Tripoli Tutto tace Tonight and tomorrow - Parole di Frederic E. Weatherly Valse a la luna - Pianoforte Valse blonde Valse capriccioso Valse Coquette - Pianoforte a 4 mani Valse melanconique - Pianoforte Valse mignonne - Pianoforte Valse passionee - Pianoforte Veux - tu - Parole di Maurice Vaucaire Vieni amore mio Viva l'America - Pianoforte (Dedicato al Presidente T. Roosevelt)
Media
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Notes and references
- ^ Opera America's "The Top 20" list of most-performed operas. Accessed 3 December 2007
- ^ Works referencing the established date, April 23, 1857, include The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), p. 1148; The New Penguin Opera Guide (2001) p. 487; The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Works (2004), p. 201; Sansone, Matteo (1989) The Verismo of Ruggero Leoncavallo: A Source Study of Pagliacci, Music & Letters, Vol. 70, No. 3 (Aug., 1989), pp. 342-362.
- ^ Stanley Sadie and Christina Bashford (eds.), 1992, p. 1148
- ^ See ForumOpera for a review of a modern recording of Zingari and a musical analysis (in French)
- ^ Luraghi, Sylivia Review of the 2002 Turin performance, Opera Japonica
- ^ Chillemi, Carmelo 'Giovanni Pennacchio' (in Italian).
- ^ See Le Opere di Leoncavallo, Fondazione Leoncavallo (in Italian).
- 'Leoncavallo, Ruggero', in Stanley Sadie and Christina Bashford (eds.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 1992, Macmillan, pp. 1148-1149. ISBN 0935859926
- 'Leoncavallo, Ruggero' in Rosenthal, H. and Warrack, J., 1979, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press pp. 278-279.
Further Reading
- Konrad Dryden, 2007, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Life and Works, Scarecrow Press.
External links
- Biography and complete list of compositions - Festival Leoncavallo (in Italian)
- Fondazione Leoncavallo (in German and Italian)
- List of modern recordings of I Medici Festival Di Francoforte, September 10, 2003 (Bruson, Giacomini, et al., Cond.Viotti)
- Zingari in Philadelphia, (Chicago Opera Company, 1912)