Tancredi

For the fictional characters of the series Prison Break, see [[:Sara Tancredi and Frank Tancredi]].

Template:Rossini operas Tancredi is an opera in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi, based on Voltaire's play Tancrède (1759). Though Rossini first composed his opera with a happy ending in mind, he eventually had the poet Luigi Lechi rework the libretto to emulate the original tragic ending by Voltaire. Rossini's opera made its first appearance in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice on February 6 1813, after Il Signor Bruschino premiered in late January, giving the composer less than a month to have completed Tancredi. The overture, borrowed from La Pietra del paragone, is a popular example of Rossini’s characteristic style, and is a regular part of the concert and recording repertoire.

Performance history

This opera is considered by Stendhal, Rossini's earliest biographer, to be Rossini's greatest masterpiece. The title role of Tancredi is so demanding that casting was a big problem. It requires a true contralto or mezzo soprano with strong lower register who possesses great vocal agility and endurance (Tancredi has 2 full arias and 4 duets). The opera premiered in 1813 at La Fenice in Venice with Adelaide Malanotte in the title role. Tancredi was usually performed with the Venice (happy) ending.

The opera was very neglected for a long time until the legendary mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne came along to resurrect it. Ms. Horne insisted on the tragic Ferrara ending citing that it is more consistent with the overall tone of the opera. Indeed, most of the recordings of this opera today uses the Ferrara finish with some including the Venice finale as an extra track.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, February 6, 1813 (Conductor: - )
Tancredi, an exiled Syracusean soldier	contralto or mezzo-soprano	Adelaide Melanotte Montresor
Amenaide, the daughter of a noble family, in love with Tancredi	soprano	Elisabetta Manfredini Guarmani
Argirio, father of Amenaide; head of his family, at war with the family of Orbazzano	tenor	Pietro Todràn
Orbazzano, the head of his noble family, at war with the family of Argirio	bass	Luciano Bianchi
Isaura, friend to Amenaide	contralto	Teresa Marchesi
Ruggiero, Tancredi's squire	mezzo-soprano or tenor	Carolina Sivelli
Knights, nobles, squires, Syracuseans, Saracens; ladies-in-waiting, warriors, pages, guards, etc

Synopsis

Place: the Sicilian city-state of Syracuse

Time: AD 1005

Background

The city of Syracuse is tethered by conflict and war — there is the Byzantine empire, with which it has an unstable truce, and the Saracen armies headed by Solamir. Not only is Syracuse exhausted by external war, but internal war as well; the soldier Tancredi and his family have been stripped of their estates and inheritances, and he himself has been banished since his youth. Two more noble families — headed by Argirio and Orbazzano — have been warring for years. Argirio and his family — his wife and his daughter, Amenaide — have been residing as guests of the Byzantine court, where Tancredi presides in exile. Also present in the court is Solamir, the Moorish general, who wishes for the lovely Amenaide’s hand in marriage in hopes that he can create a Saracen-Syracusean alliance. However, Amenaide is secretly in love with Tancredi.

The story

As the opera opens, Argirio and Orbazzano have agreed to stop warring and have come to a truce; the Senate has given him Tancredi’s confiscated estates, and Argirio must give him Amenaide in marriage. Amenaide, horrified by this unjust decision, secretly sends a letter to Tancredi (which does not bear his name, for fear that the letter might be intercepted), begging him to return. The letter is promptly intercepted by Orbazzano's agent near Solamir's camp, and Amenaide is sentenced to death for treachery (they thought she was sending it to Solamir). Tancredi, who has returned incognito and offered his service to Argirio, challenges Orbazzano to a duel and kills him in defence of Amenaide's honor and life (even though he believes she had betrayed him with the letter). Then he leads the Syracusans into battle with Solamir.

In the Ferrara ending, Tancredi wins the battle but is mortally wounded. He learns that Amenaide did not betray him before he dies. While in the Venice ending, he returns from the battle triumphant after having heard Solamir's dying testimony that Amenaide's letter was really meant for Tancredi.

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Tancredi, Amenaide, Argirio, Orbazzano)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1978	Fiorenza Cossotto, Lella Cuberli, Werner Hollweg, Nicola Ghiuselev	Gabriele Ferro, Unk	Audio CD: Warner Fonit
1992	Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Maria Bayo, Raul Gimenez, Ildebrando D'Archangelo	Unk, Schwetzingen Festspiele Orchestra and Chorus	DVD: Arthaus Musik
1995	Ewa Podles, Sumi Jo, Stanford Olsen, Pietro Spagnoli	Unk, Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: Naxos
1996	Vesselina Kasarova, Eva Mei, Ramon Vargas, Harry Peeters	Roberto Abbado, Unk Orchestra and Chorus	Audio CD: RCA Victor
2003	Daniela Barcellona, Mariola Cantarero, Charles Workman, Nicola Ulivieri	Tiziano Mancini, Unk Orchestra and Chorus	DVD: Kicco Classics

See also

• Breeches role

External links

• Full score of the overture to this opera