1935
GERSHWIN, PORGY E BESS: melodramma in tre atti,
su libretto di Dubose Hayward e Ira Gershwin, tratto da Hayward. Teatro Colon,
Buenos Aires. Prima: Dec. 6, 2016. Other performances: 7, 10, 11 and 13. Musical
director: T. Murray. Stage director: C. Crouse Scenography and costume design:
. Mitchell. Lights: K. Rossouw. Choreography: S. Ndaba. Choral director: M. Kernelle.
Chorus of Cape Town Opera. PERSONAGGI: PORGY:
X. Sixaba/L. Kenneth Kula. BESS: N.Yende/P. Sibeko CROWN: M. Mbuyazwe/M. Mndebele.
SPORTING LIFE: L. Moyake/M. Senaoana. CLARA: S. Yakupa/N. Mpofu. JAKE: A. Lodewyk
SERENA: A. Jaftha/T. Mene. MARIA: M. Tini/ F. Mthetwa. Hit: “Summertime and the
livin is easy”.
In atto I,
at Catfish Row, a black tenement -- once, a mansion of the aristocracy -- on
the waterfront of Charleston, South Carolina, in the recent past, i.e. c. 1930),
it’s a summer evening. Jasbo Brown entertains the community with his piano
playing. Clara sings a lullaby to her baby ("Summertime") as the working men prepare for a game of craps ("Roll them Bones"). One of the players, Robbins,
scorns his wife Serena's demands that he not play, retorting that on a Saturday
night, a man has the right to play. Clara's husband, the fisherman Jake, tries
his own lullaby ("A woman is a sometime thing") with little effect.
Little by little, other characters in the opera enter Catfish Row, among them
Mingo, another fisherman, and Jim, a stevedore who, tired of his job, decides to give it up and join Jake
and the other fishermen. Porgy, a disabled beggar, enters on his goat cart to
organize the game. Peter, an elderly honey man returns, singing his vendor's
call. Crown, a strong and brutal stevedore, storms in with his woman, Bess, and
buys cheap whiskey and some "Happy Dust" off the local dope peddler, Sportin' Life. Bess is
shunned by the women of the community, especially the pious Serena and the
matriarchal cookshop owner Maria, but Porgy softly defends her. The game
begins. One by one, the players get crapped out, leaving only Robbins and
Crown, who has become extremely drunk. When Robbins wins, Crown attempts to
prevent him from taking his winnings. A brawl ensues, which ends when Crown
stabs Robbins with a cotton hook, killing him. Crown runs, telling Bess to fend
for herself but that he will be back for her when the heat dies down. Sportin'
Life gives her a dose of happy dust and offers to take her with him when he
goes to New York, but she rejects him. He flees, and Bess begins to pound on
doors, but is rejected by all of the residents of Catfish Row, with the
exception of Porgy, who lets her in. At Serena’s room, the following night, the
mourners sing a spiritual to Robbins ("Gone, gone, gone"). To raise
money for his burial, a saucer is placed on his chest for the mourners'
donations ("Overflow"). Bess enters with Porgy and attempts to donate
to the burial fund, but Serena rejects her money until Bess explains that she
is now living with Porgy. A white detective enters and coldly tells Serena that
she must bury her husband the next day, or his body will be given to medical
students (for dissection). He suddenly accuses Peter of Robbins's murder. Peter
denies his guilt and says Crown was the murderer. The Detective orders Peter to
be arrested as a material witness, whom he will force to testify against Crown. Serena
laments her loss in "My Man's Gone Now". The undertaker enters. The saucer holds only fifteen
dollars of the needed twenty-five, but he agrees to bury Robbins as long as
Serena promises to pay him back. Bess, who has been sitting in silence slightly
apart from the rest of those gathered, suddenly begins to sing a gospel song
and the chorus joyfully join in, welcoming her into the community. ("Oh,
the Train is at de Station"). In Act II, at Catfish Row, a month later, in
the morning, Jake and the other fishermen prepare for work ("It take a
long pull to get there"). Clara asks Jake not to go because it is time for
the annual storms, but he tells her that they desperately need the money. This
causes Porgy to sing from his window about his new, happy-go-lucky outlook on
life. ("I got plenty o' nuttin"). Sportin' Life waltzes around
selling "happy dust", but soon incurs the wrath of Maria, who
threatens him. ("I hates yo' struttin' style"). A fraudulent lawyer, Frazier,
arrives and farcically divorces Bess from Crown. When he discovers Bess and
Crown were not married, he raises his price from a dollar to a dollar and a
half. Archdale, a white lawyer, enters and informs Porgy that Peter will soon
be released. The bad omen of a buzzard flies over Catfish Row and Porgy demands
that it leave now that he finally has found happiness. ("Buzzard keep on
flyin' over".) As the rest of Catfish Row prepares for the church
picnic on nearby Kittiwah Island, Sportin' Life again offers to take Bess to
New York with him; she refuses. He attempts to give her some "happy
dust" despite her claims that she's given up drugs, but Porgy grabs his
arm and scares him off. Sportin' Life leaves, reminding Bess as he goes that
her men friends come and go, but he will be there all along. Bess and Porgy are
now left alone, and express their love for each other ("Bess, You Is My Woman Now"). The chorus re-enters in high spirits as they
prepare to leave for the picnic ("Oh, I can't sit down"). Bess is
invited to the picnic by Maria, but she demurs as Porgy cannot come (due to his
disability, he cannot get on the boat), but Maria insists. Bess leaves Porgy
behind as they go off to the picnic. Porgy watches the boat leave ("I got
plenty o' nuttin"). At Kittiwah Island, that evening, the chorus
enjoys themselves at the picnic ("I ain't got no shame"). Sportin'
Life presents the chorus his cynical views on the Bible ("It Ain't Necessarily So"), causing Serena to chastise them ("Shame on all
you sinners!"). Everyone gets ready to leave. As Bess, who has lagged
behind, tries to follow them, Crown emerges from the bushes. He reminds her
that Porgy is "temporary" and laughs off her claims that she has been
living decently now. Bess wants to leave Crown forever and attempts to make him
forget about her ("Oh, what you want wid Bess?") but Crown refuses to
give her up. He grabs her and will not let her go to the boat, which leaves
without her, and then forcefully kisses her. He laughs at his conquest as her
resistance begins to fail, and commands her to get into the woods, where his
intentions are only too clear. At Catfish Row, a week later, just before
dawn, Jake leaves to go fishing with his crew, one of whom observes that it
looks as if a storm is coming in. Peter, still unsure of his crime, returns
from prison. Meanwhile, Bess is lying in Porgy's room delirious with fever,
which she has had ever since returning from Kittiwah Island. Serena prays to
remove Bess's affliction ("O, Doctor Jesus"), and promises Porgy that
Bess will be well by five o'clock. As the day passes, a strawberry woman, Peter
(the Honey Man) and a crab man each pass by with their wares ("Vendors'
Trio"). As the clock chimes five, Bess recovers from her fever. Porgy
tells Bess that he knows she has been with Crown, and she admits that Crown has
promised to return for her. Porgy tells her she is free to go if she wants to,
and she tells him that although she wants to stay, she is afraid of Crown's
hold on her. Porgy asks her what would happen if there was no Crown, and Bess
tells Porgy she loves him and begs him to protect her, and he promises that she
will never have to be afraid again ("I Loves You, Porgy"). Clara watches the water, fearful for Jake.
Maria tries to allay her fears, but suddenly the hurricane bell begins to ring.
At Serena’s room, at the dawn of the next day, the residents of Catfish Row
are all gathered in Serena's room for shelter from the hurricane. They drown
out the sound of the storm with prayers and hymns ("Oh, Doctor
Jesus") while Sportin' Life mocks their assumption that the storm is a
signal of Judgment Day. Clara desperately sings her lullaby
("Summertime"). A knock is heard at the door, and the chorus believes
it to be Death ("Oh there's somebody knocking at the door"). Crown
enters dramatically, having swum from Kittiwah Island, seeking Bess. He shows
no fear of God, claiming that after the long struggle from Kittiwah, God and he
are friends. The chorus tries to drown out his blaspheming with more prayer,
and he taunts them by singing a vulgar song. ("A red-headed woman").
Suddenly, Clara sees Jake's boat float past the window, upside-down, and she
runs out to try to save him, handing her baby to Bess. Bess asks that one of
the men go out with her, and Crown taunts Porgy, who cannot go. Crown goes
himself, yelling out as he leaves "Alright, Big Friend! We're on for
another Bout!" The chorus continue to pray as the storm rises. In Atto II, at Catfish Row, the next night, a
group of women mourn Clara, Jake, and all of those who have been killed in the
storm ("Clara, Clara, don't you be downhearted"). When they begin to
mourn for Crown as well, Sportin' Life laughs at them and is told off by Maria.
He insinuates that Crown may not be dead, and observes that when a woman has a
man, maybe she's got him for keeps, but if she has two men,
then it's highly likely she'll end up with none. Bess is heard singing Clara's
lullaby to her baby, whom she is now taking care of. ("Summertime").
Once Catfish Row is dark, Crown stealthily enters to claim Bess, but is
confronted by Porgy. A fight ensues which ends when Porgy kills Crown. Porgy
exclaims to Bess, "You've got a man now. You've got Porgy!" The
next afternoon, the detective enters and talks with Serena and her friends
about the murders of Crown and Robbins. They deny knowledge of Crown's murder,
frustrating the detective. Needing a witness for the coroner's inquest, he next
questions an apprehensive Porgy. Once Porgy admits to knowing Crown, he is
ordered to come and identify Crown's body. Sportin' Life tells Porgy that
corpses bleed in the presence of their murderers, and the detective will use
this to hang Porgy. Porgy refuses to identify the body, but is dragged off
anyway. Bess is distraught, and Sportin' Life puts his plan into action. He
tells her that Porgy will be locked up for a long time, and points out that he
is the only one still here. He offers her happy dust, and though she refuses,
he forces it on her. After she takes a whiff, he paints a seductive picture of
her life with him in New York ("There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New
York"). She regains her strength and rushes inside, slamming the door on
his face, but he leaves a packet of happy dust on her doorstep, and settles
down to wait. A week later, on a
beautiful morning, Porgy is released from jail, where he has been arrested for
contempt of court after refusing to look at Crown's body. He returns to Catfish
Row much richer after playing craps with his cellmates. He gives gifts to the
residents, and pulls out a beautiful red dress for Bess. He does not understand
why everyone seems so uneasy at his return. He sees Clara's baby is now with
Serena and realizes something is wrong. He asks where Bess is. Maria and Serena
tell him that Bess has run off with Sportin' Life to New York ("Oh Bess,
Oh Where's my Bess?"). Porgy calls for his goat cart, and resolves to
leave Catfish Row to find her. He prays for strength, and begins his journey.
("Oh, Lawd, I'm on my way")
1938
DALLAPICCOLA, Volo di notte: melodramma in un atto,
tratto dal romanzo d’Antonio di Saint-Exupery. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires.
Prima: Oct. 23 2016. Other peformances: 25 and 26. Musical director: C.
Baldini. Stage design: M. Znaniecki. Assistant stage director: Z. Dowja. Set
design: L. Scoglio. Costumes: J. Medynska. Lights: B. Palewicz Personnagi. RIVIÈRE:
V. Torres PÉLLERIN: S. Ballerini SIMONA FABIEN: D. Tabernig. OPERADOR DE RADIO:
S. Spina ROBINEAU, UN INSPECTOR: C. Esquivel.
The main character
of the meldramma is an aviator, a
long-distance mail carrier, during the early days of flying. He is caught in a
storm, with no way to land; and the melodrama occurs both within his family, anxious
for his safe return, and among his employers, anxious both for his safe return
and the success of their enterprise.
IL PRIGIONIERO: melodramma in un prologo e un atto, 1944, tratto
dalla “Tortura per la speranza” nei “Nuovi racconti di crueli” di Augusto
Villiers dell’Isola d’Adamo e da Carlo di Coster, “La leggenda di Thyl
Ulenspiegel e da Lamme Goedzak”. Personaggi: Madre del Prigionero: A. Mastrangelo.
PRISIONERO: L. Estévez CARCELERO: F. Chalabe. GRAN INQUISIDOR: F. Chalabe. The melodramma opens
inside a cell in the inquisitor's prison with the prisoner and his mother
speaking. The prisoner speaks of his torture and suffering, and also of how the
gaoler has brought back his hope and faith, and has made him wish to return to
prayer as he did as a child. The gaoler interrupts the conversation with news
that Flanders is in revolt and that the bell of Roelandt could soon ring out
again, trying to bring new hope to the prisoner. As the gaoler leaves with the
words, “There is one who watches over you. Have faith, brother, sleep now, and
hope," he also does not close the cell door completely. Upon noticing
this, the prisoner rushes out.
The action moves out of the cell and follows the prisoner on his
attempt at escape through the underground passages of the prison. While trying
to escape, the prisoner sees but is not seen by a torturer and is passed
unnoticed by two monks too deep in theological discussion to take notice of
him. The prisoner finally believes he can smell fresh air, and when he hears a bell
he believes to be that of Roelandt, he opens a door to what he hopes is
freedom. The
final scene finds the prisoner in a garden at night. He is exuberant at having
escaped and moves towards a great cedar tree that is in the foreground. He
makes as if to hug the tree, only to be embraced by the words and sight of the
grand inquisitor, who is seemingly a part of the tree. The grand inquisitor
asks the prisoner, “why do you want to leave us now, on the very eve of your
salvation?”. At this point, the prisoner comes around to the thought that
perhaps his ultimate salvation is to be gained from the stake. The melodramma
concludes with the prisoner's enigmatic whisper of “freedom?”
1847
VERDI, MACBETTO: melodramma in quattro atti,
su libretto di Piave, tratto da Shakespeare. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Prima:
Sept. 27 2016. Other performances: Oct. 1, 2, 4, 5 y 7. Musical director: S.
Ranzani, stage director: M. Lombardero, light design, D. Siliano, costume
design, L. Gutman, light design: H. Efron, projection design: D. Siliano PERSONAGGI:
. MACBETH (baritono) J. Lagunes/F. Veloz LADY MACBETH (soprano) C. Taigi/M.
Ferracani BANQUO: A. Teliga/H. Pérez Miranda MACDUFF (tenor) G. Manzitti ("Ah,
la paterna mano"). . DAMA DE LADY MACBETH: R. Giordano MALCOLM: G. Weckesser
DOCTOR: I. García. Hits: “Patria oppressa”, “Ah, la paterna mano”.
In Act 1, in Scotland, in the 11th century, at a
heath, groups of witches gather in a wood beside a battlefield,
exchanging stories of the evils they have done. The victorious generals
Macbetto and Banco enter. The witches hail Macbetto as ‘thane of Glamis’, a
title he already holds by inheritance, ‘thane of Cawdor’, and king hereafter.
Banco is greeted as lesser than Macbetto but greater, never a king himself, but
the progenitor of a line of future kings. The witches vanish. Messengers from
the king appear naming Macbetto, thane of Cawdor. Macbetto protests that the
holder of that title is still alive. The messengers reply that the former thane
has been executed as a traitor. Banco mistrusts the witches and is horrified to
find that they have spoken the truth. Macbetto and Banco muse that the first of
the witches' prophecies has been fulfilled. Macbetto ponders how close he is to
the throne, and whether fate will crown him without his taking action, yet
dreams of blood and treachery, while Banco ponders on whether the minions of hell
will sometimes reveal an honest truth in order to lead one to future damnation. At Macbeth's castle, lady Macbeth
reads a letter from Macbetto telling of the encounter with the witches. She is
determined to propel Macbeth to the throne, by fair means or foul (“Vieni, t'affretta”, Come!
Hurry!"). Lady Macbeth is advised that King Duncan
will stay in the castle that night; she is determined to see him killed (Or tutti, sorgete/ "Arise now,
all you ministers of hell"). When Macbetto returns, she urges him to take
the opportunity to kill the King. The King and the nobles arrive and Macbetto
is emboldened to carry out the murder (Mi
si affaccia un pugnal?/"Is this a dagger which I see before
me?") but afterwards is filled with horror. Disgusted at his cowardice,
Lady Macbeth completes the crime, incriminating the sleeping guards by smearing
them with Duncan's blood and planting on them Macbeth's dagger. Macduff
arrives for an appointment with the king, while Banco stands guard, only for
Macduff instead to discover the murder. He rouses the castle while Banco also
bears witness to the fact of Duncan's murder. The chorus calls on God to avenge
the killing (Schiudi, inferno/
"Open wide thy gaping maw, O Hell"). In act II, in a room in the castle. Macbetto is now king: Duncan's son
Malcolm has fled the country, suspicion having conveniently fallen on him for
his father's murder. But Macbeth is still disturbed by the prophecy that Banco,
not he, will found a great royal line. To prevent this he tells his wife that
he will have both Banco and his son murdered as they come to a banquet (“La luce langue”/ "The light
fades"). Lady Macbeth exults in the powers of darkness. Outside the castle, a gang of
murderers lie in wait. Banco is apprehensive (“Come dal ciel precipita”/O, how the darkness falls from
heaven"). Banco is caught, but enables his son Fleanzio to escape. At a dining hall in the castle. Macbetto
receives the guests and Lady Macbeth sings a brindisi
(Si colmi il calice/Fill up the
cup). The assassination is reported to Macbetto but when he returns to the
table the ghost of Banco is sitting in his place. Macbetto raves at the ghost
and the horrified guests believe he has gone mad. Lady Macbeth manages to calm
the situation once - and even mocks it by calling for a toast to the absent
Banco (whose death is not yet public knowledge), only for the ghost to appear a
second time and terrify Macbetto into insanity again. Macduff resolves to leave
the country, saying it is ruled by a cursed hand and only the wicked may
remain: the other guests are terrified by Macbeth's talk of ghosts, phantoms
and witches. The banquet ends abruptly with their hurried, frightened
departure. In Act III, the witches' cave. The witches gather around a cauldron
in a dark cave. Macbeth enters and they conjure up three apparitions for him.
The first advises him to beware of Macduff. The second tells him that he cannot
be harmed by a man 'born of woman'. The third that he cannot be conquered till
Birnam Wood marches against him (O
lieto augurio/O, happy augury! No wood has ever moved by magic power). Macbetto
is then shown the ghost of Banco and his descendants, eight future Kings of
Scotland, verifying the original prophecy (Fuggi regal fantasima/Begone, royal phantom that reminds me of
Banco). Macbetto collapses, but regains consciousness in the castle. The act
ends with Macbeth recovering and resolving to assert his authority: Vada in fiamme, e in polve cada/Macduff's
lofty stronghold shall be set fire). A herald announces the arrival of the
Queen (Duet: Vi trovo alfin!/I've
found you at last). Macbetto tells his wife about his encounter with the
witches and they resolve to track down and kill Banco's son, as well as Macduff
and his family (whom they do not yet know has already fled the country).
(Duet: Ora di morte e di vendetta /
"Hour of death and of vengeance"). In Act 4, near the
border between England and Scotland. Scottish refugees stand near the
English border (Patria oppressa/Down-trodden
country"): While each version uses the same libretto, the music of this
chorus is different. It begins with a less ominous, much shorter orchestral
introduction and is sung straight through by the entire chorus. In a revised
version: the music is divided into sections for the male and female members,
then it unites them towards the end. The revised version is 2 minutes longer
than the original.In the distance lies Birnam Wood. Macduff is determined to
avenge the deaths of his wife and children at the hands of the tyrant (Ah, la paterna mano/Ah, the paternal
hand). He is joined by Malcolm, the son of King Duncan, and the English army.
Malcolm orders each soldier to cut a branch from a tree in Birnam Wood and
carry it as they attack Macbeth's army. They are determined to liberate
Scotland from tyranny (La patria
tradita/Our country betrayed). At
Macbeth's castle, a doctor and a servant observe the Queen as she walks
in her sleep, wringing her hands and attempting to clean them of blood (Una macchia è qui tuttora/ Yet here's
a spot). She raves about the deaths of both Duncan and Banco, and even about
the deaths of Macduff's family, and that all the perfumes of Arabia would not
clean the blood off her hands: all are things that the horrified witnesses
would never dare to repeat to any living man. Scene 3: The battlefield. Macbeth has learned that an army of
Scottish rebels backed by England is advancing against him, but is reassured by
remembering the words of the apparitions, that no man born of woman can harm
him. However in an aria (Pietà,
rispetto, amore/Compassion, honour, love) he contemplates the fact that
he is already hated and feared: there will be no compassion, honour and love
for him in his old age even if he wins this battle, nor kind words on a royal
tomb, only curses and hatred. He receives the news of the Queen's death with
indifference. Rallying his troops he learns that Birnam Wood has indeed come to
his castle. Battle is joined. Macduff
pursues and fights Macbeth who falls. He tells Macbeth that he was not
"born of woman" but "ripped" from his mother's womb.
Fighting continues. Mortally wounded, Macbeth, in a final aria, Mal per me che m'affidai/
"Trusting in the prophecies of Hell" - proclaims that trusting in
these prophecies has caused his downfall. He dies on stage, while Macduff's men
proclaim Malcolm to be the new King. Macduff pursues and fights Macbeth who
falls wounded. He tells Macbeth that he was not "born of woman" but
"untimely ripped" from his mother's womb. Macbeth responds in anguish
(Cielo/Heaven) and the two
continue fighting, then disappear from view. Macduff returns indicating to his
men that he has killed Macbeth. He then turns to Malcolm, hailing him as King.
The scene ends with a hymn to victory sung by bards, soldiers, and Scottish
women (Salve o re/Hail, oh King).
Malcolm as King, and Macduff as hero, together swear to restore the realm to greatness.
1900
PUCCINI, TOSCA: melodramma in tre atti, su libretto
di Illica e Giacosa, tratto da Sardou. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Estreno: Ag.
20 1016. Other performances: 23, 26, 28, 30 and 31. Musical director: Carlos Vieu.
Set designs, scenography, and lights: R. Oswald. Stage director: A. Lápiz. Assistant
director: C. Prego. Assitant lights:: R. Conde. Assistant costume: A. Lápiz. PERSONAGGI:
FLORIA TOSCA: E. Westbroek/E. Senda: MARIO CAVARADOSSI: M. Álvarez/E. Folger. BARON
SCARPIA: C. Álvarez/F. Veloz SACRISTÁN: L. Gaeta/G. Gibert. Hits: “Recondita
armonia,” “E lucevan le stelle.”
In Act 1, inside the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Cesare
Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and now an escaped political
prisoner, runs into the church and hides in the Attavanti private chapel – his
sister, the Marchesa Attavanti, has left a key to the chapel hidden at the feet
of the statue of the Madonna.
The elderly Sacristan enters and begins cleaning. The Sacristan kneels in
prayer as the Angelus sounds. The painter Mario Cavaradossi arrives to
continue work on his picture of Mary Magdalene. The Sacristan identifies a likeness between the portrait
and a blonde-haired woman who has been visiting the church recently (unknown to
him, it is Angelotti's sister the Marchesa). Cavaradossi describes the
"hidden harmony" ("Recondita armonia") in the contrast between the blonde beauty of his
painting and his dark-haired lover, the singer Floria Tosca. The Sacristan
mumbles his disapproval before leaving.
Angelotti emerges and tells Cavaradossi, an old friend who has
republican sympathies, that he is being pursued by the Chief of Police, Baron
Scarpia. Cavaradossi promises to assist him after nightfall. Tosca's voice is
heard, calling to Cavaradossi. Cavaradossi gives Angelotti his basket of food
and Angelotti hurriedly returns to his hiding place. Tosca enters and
suspiciously asks Cavaradossi what he has been doing – she thinks that he has
been talking to another woman. Cavaradossi reassures her and Tosca tries to
persuade him to take her to his villa that evening: "Non la sospiri, la
nostra casetta" ("Do you not long for our little cottage"). She
then expresses jealousy over the woman in the painting, whom she recognises as
the Marchesa Attavanti. Cavaradossi explains the likeness; he has merely
observed the Marchesa at prayer in the church. He reassures Tosca of his fidelity
and asks her what eyes could be more beautiful than her own: "Qual'occhio
al mondo" ("What eyes in the world"). After Tosca has left,
Angelotti reappears and discusses with the painter his plan to flee disguised
as a woman, using clothes left in the chapel by his sister. Cavaradossi gives
Angelotti a key to his villa, suggesting that he hide in a disused well in the
garden. The sound of a cannon
signals that Angelotti's escape has been discovered. He and Cavaradossi hasten
out of the church. The Sacristan re-enters with choristers, celebrating the
news that Napoleon has apparently been defeated at Marengo. The celebrations
cease abruptly with the entry of Scarpia, his henchman Spoletta and several
police agents. They have heard that Angelotti has sought refuge in the church.
Scarpia orders a search, and the empty food basket and a fan bearing the
Attavanti coat of arms are found in the chapel. Scarpia questions the
Sacristan, and his suspicions are aroused further when he learns that
Cavaradossi has been in the church; Scarpia mistrusts the painter, and believes
him complicit in Angelotti's escape. When Tosca arrives looking for her lover,
Scarpia artfully arouses her jealous instincts by implying a relationship
between the painter and the Marchesa Attavanti. He draws Tosca's attention to
the fan and suggests that someone must have surprised the lovers in the chapel.
Tosca falls for his deceit; enraged, she rushes off to confront Cavaradossi.
Scarpia orders Spoletta and his agents to follow her, assuming she will lead
them to Cavaradossi and Angelotti. He privately gloats as he reveals his
intentions to possess Tosca and execute Cavaradossi. A procession enters the
church singing the Te Deum; exclaiming 'Tosca, you make me forget even God!', Scarpia
joins the chorus in the prayer. In Act
2, Scarpia's apartment in
the Palazzo Farnese, that evening Scarpia, at supper, sends a note to Tosca asking her to come
to his apartment. He has been unable to find Angelotti, but has arrested
Cavaradossi. As Cavaradossi is brought in and questioned, the voice of Tosca,
singing a celebratory cantata in another room in the Palace, can be heard.
Cavaradossi denies knowing anything about Angelotti's escape. Tosca arrives,
just in time to see her lover taken to an antechamber to be tortured. He is
able to speak briefly with her, telling her to say nothing. Tosca is told by
Scarpia that she can save her lover from indescribable pain if she reveals
Angelotti's hiding place. She resists, but hearing Cavaradossi's cries of pain,
eventually tells Scarpia that Angelotti is in the well in the garden of
Cavaradossi's villa. Scarpia
orders the torture of Cavaradossi to cease and the wounded painter is brought
back in. He recovers consciousness and, learning of Tosca's betrayal, is
furious with her. Sciarrone, a police agent, enters with news of Napoleon's
victory at Marengo; Cavaradossi gloats, telling Scarpia that his rule of terror
will soon be at an end, before being dragged away by Scarpia's men. Scarpia,
left with Tosca, proposes a bargain: if she gives herself to him, Cavaradossi
will be freed. She is revolted, and repeatedly rejects his advances. Outside
she hears the drums that announce an execution; as Scarpia awaits her decision,
she prays to God for help, asking why He has abandoned her: "Vissi d'arte"
("I lived for art"). Scarpia remains adamant despite her pleas. When
Spoletta brings news that Angelotti has killed himself, and that everything is
in place for Cavaradossi's execution, Tosca, in despair, agrees to submit to
Scarpia in return for Cavaradossi's freedom. Scarpia tells his deputy Spoletta
to arrange a mock execution, both recalling that it will be "as we did
with Count Palmieri". Following
Spoletta's departure, Tosca imposes the further condition that Scarpia provide
a safe-conduct out of Rome for herself and her lover. While he is signing the
document, Tosca quietly takes a knife from the supper table. As Scarpia
triumphantly embraces her, she stabs him, crying "this is Tosca's
kiss!". As Scarpia falls dead, she declares that she now forgives him. She
removes the safe-conduct from his pocket, lights candles in a gesture of piety
and places a crucifix on the body before leaving. In Act 3, at the upper
parts of the Castel Sant'Angelo, early the following morning, a
shepherd boy sings (in Romanesco dialect) "Io de' sospiri" ("I give you sighs")
as church bells sound for matins. Cavaradossi is led in by guards and informed that he has
one hour to live. He refuses to see a priest, but asks permission to write a
letter to Tosca. He begins to write, but is soon overwhelmed by memories:
"E lucevan le stelle" ("And the stars shone"). Tosca enters and
shows him the safe-conduct. She tells him that she has killed Scarpia and that
the imminent execution is a sham: Cavaradossi must feign death, but afterwards
they can leave Rome together, before Scarpia's body is discovered. Cavaradossi
is amazed at the courage shown by one so gentle and tender: "O dolci
mani" ("Oh sweet hands"). The pair ecstatically plan the life
they will live away from Rome. Tosca then anxiously instructs Cavaradossi on
how to play his part in the mock execution convincingly. She tells him that he
will be shot with blanks by the firing squad and instructs him to fall down as
if dead. He agrees to act "like Tosca in the theatre". Cavaradossi is led away, and Tosca
watches with increasing impatience as the execution is prepared. The men fire,
Cavaradossi falls, and Tosca exclaims "Ecco un artista!" ("What
an actor!"). When the soldiers have all left, she hurries towards
Cavaradossi, only to find that he is really dead; Scarpia has betrayed her.
Heartbroken, she clasps his lifeless body and weeps. The voices of Spoletta,
Sciarrone and soldiers are heard, indicating that Scarpia's body has been
found, and that Tosca is known to have killed him. As Spoletta, Sciarrone and
the soldiers rush in, Tosca rises, evades their clutches, and runs to the
parapet. Crying "O Scarpia, Avanti a Dio!" (O Scarpia, we meet before
God), she hurls herself over the edge to her death.
1964
ZIMMERMANN, I SOLDATI: melodramma
in quattro atti di Zimmermann tratto da Lenz. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires.
Prima: July 12, 2016. Other perforamnces: 15, 17, 19 and 20. Musical director: B.
Brönnimann. Assistant musical director: H. Kussel. Stage director: P. Maritano.
Set designs: E. Bordolini . Costume design: S. Nunzio. Video design: E.
Szwarcer. PERSONAGGI: MARIE: S. Elmark.
CHARLOTTE: J. Riley CONDESA DE LA ROCHE: N. Nadelmann. DESPORTES: T. Randle STOLZIUS:
L. Melrose. WESENER: F. Olsen . HIJO DEL CONDE: S. Ballerini. EISENHARDT: H. Iturralde.
MADRE DE STOLZIUS: E. Fuentes. MADRE DE WESSENER: V. Dupuy. CAPT. PIRZEL: I. Maier. OFICIALES: C. Ullán, S.
Bürgi, N. Aufer CAPT. MARY: A. Meerapfel. CAPT. HAUDY: L. Garay. CONDE OBRIST: C.
Marco.
In Act I, Marie has moved from Armentières to Lille with her
father Wesener, a fancy goods merchant. She writes a letter to the mother of
her fiancé, Stolzius, a young draper in Armentières, while her sister Charlotte
does needlework. Charlotte’s aria: Herz, kleines Ding, uns zu quälen. An
argument breaks out between the sisters, Charlotte being scornful of Marie's
love for Stolzius. Stolzius has been lovesick since Marie's departure for
Lille, but he is encouraged when his mother brings him a letter. Desportes is a
French-serving nobleman from Hainaut,
and one of Wesener's customers. He courts the commoner Marie and wins her
affection. Her father, however, forbids her to go with him to the theatre: for
a commoner to accompany an officer in public would damage the family name. At
the trenches in Armentières, officers discuss with Padre Eisenhardt the
relative merits of comedy. Captain Haudy, one of the officers, holds the view
that it has more value than a sermon. Eisenhardt maintains that comedy
undermines the soldiers' sense of what is right – their loose morals have
already brought misery to countless young women. Haudy counters with the
argument, "once a whore, always a whore". No, replies Eisenhardt, a
whore would never be a whore if she were not forced to become one. Wesener
advises his daughter to be cautious in her dealings with Desportes, although he
secretly harbours the hope that she may marry the young aristocrat. In the
meantime, he says, it would not be wise to give up Stolzius altogether. As
stormclouds gather, Marie grows anxious at what lies ahead and the dilemma
builds in her heart. In Act 2, the
officers discuss politics and Stolzius, and philosophize, at the Armentières
café, owned by Madame Roux. When the Colonel and Eisenhardt leave, a jazzy
dance begins (Rondeau à la marche), led by the Andalusian waitress: O Angst!
Tausendfach Leben ... Götter wir sind! After five couplets, this screeches
to a halt upon the return of the Colonel and Eisenhardt with Haudy. Stolzius
arrives, and the officers make insinuating remarks about Marie's relationship
with Desportes. Tumult. Marie has received a reproachful letter
from Stolzius. She is reading it in tears when Desportes enters. He scornfully
dictates to her a brusque reply. His flattery finally has the desired effect:
his spot with Marie is won. In the room next door, Wesener's aged mother sings
the folk song Rösel aus Hennegay with its prophetic line, Some day
your cross will come to you. On a partitioned stage appear, on one side,
Marie and Desportes as a couple engrossed in love play, and on the other,
Stolzius and his mother, who is trying to convince her son that having broken
off his engagement, the "soldier's whore" Marie was not worthy of
him. But Stolzius defends her and swears revenge on Desportes.. Act 3[edit].
Scene 1 (Rondino): A
conversation between Eisenhardt and Captain Pirzel, whose odd behaviour is
portrayed as the result of the monotony of military service, reveals that
Captain Mary, a friend of Desportes, is to be transferred from Armentières to
Lille.. In order to move closer to Marie, Stolzius offers Captain Mary his
services as a batman.. Scene 3 (Ricercari
II): Desportes has left Marie. When she starts accepting gifts from Captain
Mary, her sister Charlotte labels her a "soldier's girl". Marie
claims she only behaved in this way in order to get news of Desportes. Captain
Mary invites Marie and Charlotte for a drive; neither of them recognizes the
identity of his batman Stolzius. Gräfin de la Roche reproaches her son, the
Young Count, for his behaviour toward Marie. She advises him to leave town and,
in order to protect Marie from the advances of other officers, she declares
herself willing to take the girl into her own house as a companion. The Gräfin
goes to find Marie at Wesener's house. In Charlotte's presence, she makes her
offer, persuading Marie it is the only way she can now save her honour. Ach,
ihr Wünsche junger Jahre. In Act 4,
what the future holds in store for Marie is a living nightmare. Having turned
down the Gräfin's offer in order to try to renew her contact with Desportes,
she is now subjected by Desportes to the attentions of his young gamekeeper,
who makes a brutal sexual assault. Dishonored and discredited, Marie wanders
aimlessly while the Gräfin, the Young Count, Wesener, Charlotte, Pirzel, and
Eisenhardt all search for her. In Scene
2, Captain Mary and Desportes are eating their evening meal. Stolzius,
who is serving them, overhears their conversation and learns of Marie's fate.
He hands Desportes a bowl of poisoned soup and, before drinking some of the
soup himself, triumphantly reveals his identity to the dying Desportes. Stolzius
dies. As Eisenhardt sings the Pater noster, Marie, now sunk to the
level of a street beggar, encounters her father and asks him for alms. Wesener
does not recognize her, but, out of concern for his daughter, gives her money.
He then joins an endless procession of enslaved and fallen soldiers, in which
the drunken officers also take part. The procession builds to a vision of Hell:
one human is raped by another, the individual by the collective conscience and,
in this instance, by the power of the army.
1689
PURCELL, “ENEA E DIDONE, versione di Attilio
Cremonesi, melodramma in un prologo e tre atti, su libretto di Nahum Tate,
tratto dal Canto IV dell’Eneide di Virgilio. DIDO Y ENEAS, Teatro Colon, Buenos
Aires. Estreno: Junio 7, 2016. Otras funciones: 8, 10, 11 y 12. Musical
director: C. Moulds. Choreography: S. Waltz.Set designs: T. Schenk y S. Waltz. Light
designs: T. Reuther. Costume designs: C. Birkle. Orchestra: Academy for Old
Music, Berlino. Chorus: Vocal consort, Berlino.
PERSONAGGI: DIDONE: A. Ugolin
(voz)/Y. Schnell (danza). ENEA: R. Willcox (voz)/V. Puodziunas (danza) BELINDA:
D. York (voz)/S. Queliz (danza)
In Act I,
at Dido’s court, Dido is with her
attendants. Belinda is trying to cheer up Dido, but Dido is full of sorrow,
saying 'Peace and I are strangers grown'. Belinda believes the source of this
grief to be the Trojan Aeneas, and suggests that Carthage's troubles could be resolved
by a marriage between the two. Dido and Belinda talk for a time—Dido fears that
her love will make her a weak monarch, but Belinda and the Second Woman
reassure her that "The hero loves as well." Aeneas enters the court,
and is at first received coldly by Dido, but she eventually accepts his
proposal of marriage. In Act II, at the cave of the sorceress, the
Sorceress/Sorcerer is plotting the destruction of Carthage and its queen, and
summons companions to help with evil plans. The plan is to send her
"trusted elf" disguised as Mercury, someone to whom Aeneas will
surely listen, to tempt him to leave Dido and sail to Italy. This would leave
Dido heartbroken, and she would surely die. The chorus join in with terrible
laughter, and the Enchantresses decide to conjure up a storm to make Dido and
her train leave the grove and return to the palace. When the spell is prepared,
the witches vanish in a thunderclap. At a grove during the middle of a
hunt, Dido and Aeneas are accompanied by their train. They stop at the grove to
take in its beauty. A lot of action is going on, with attendants carrying goods
from the hunt and a picnic possibly taking place, and Dido and Aeneas are
together within the activity. This is all stopped when Dido hears distant
thunder, prompting Belinda to tell the servants to prepare for a return to
shelter as soon as possible. As every other character leaves the stage, Aeneas
is stopped by the Sorceress's elf, who is disguised as Mercury. This pretend
Mercury brings the command of Jove that Aeneas is to wait no longer in
beginning his task of creating a new Troy on Latin soil. Aeneas consents to the
wishes of what he believes are the gods, but is heart-broken that he will have
to leave Dido. He then goes off-stage to prepare for his departure from
Carthage. In Act III, at the harbor at Carthage, preparations are being
made for the departure of the Trojan fleet. The sailors sing a song, which is
followed shortly by the Sorceress and her companions' sudden appearance. The
group is pleased at how well their plan has worked, and the Sorceress sings a
solo describing her further plans for the destruction of Aeneas "on the
ocean". All the characters begin to clear the stage after a dance in three
sections, and then disperse. At the palace Dido and Belinda enter,
shocked at Aeneas’ disappearance. Dido is distraught and Belinda comforts her.
Suddenly Aeneas returns, but Dido is full of fear before Aeneas speaks, and his
words only serve to confirm her suspicions. She derides his reasons for
leaving, and even when Aeneas says he will defy the gods and not leave
Carthage, Dido rejects him for having once thought of leaving her. After Dido
forces Aeneas to leave, she states that "Death must come when he is
gone." The opera and Dido's life both slowly come to a conclusion, as the
Queen of Carthage sings her last aria, "When I am laid
in Earth", also known as "Dido's
Lament." The chorus and orchestra then conclude the opera once Dido is
dead by ordering the "cupids to scatter roses on her tomb, soft and gentle
as her heart. Keep here your watch, and never never never part."
1805
BEETHOVEN, FIDELIO: melodramma in due atti, su libretto
di Giuseppe Sonnleithner, tratto da Bouilly. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Prima:
maggio 17, 2016. Other performances: 20, 21, 22 and 24. Musical director: F.
Rettig.Stage director, stage design and costume design: Eugenio Zanetti. Assistant
set and costume: S. Sabas. Light: E. Sirlin. PERSONAGGI: FLORESTÁN: Z.
Todorovich/E. Folger. LEONORA (FIDELIO): E. Matos/C. Filipcic. PIZARRO: H. Miranda/L.
Estévez. DON FERNANDO: H. Iturralde/A. Meerapfel. ROCCO: M. Hemm/L. Debevec. MARCELINA:
J. Livieri/O. Favaro. JAQUINO: S. Bürgi/A. Quiroga.
In Act I, in Seville, in the late 18th
century, at a Spanish state miles a few miles from Seville, two years prior to
the opening scene, the nobleman Florestan has exposed or attempted to expose
certain crimes of the nobleman Pizarro. In revenge, Pizarro has secretly
imprisoned Florestan in the prison over which he is governor. The jailer of the
prison, Rocco, has a daughter, Marzelline, and a servant Jaquino. Florestan's
wife, Leonore, came to Rocco's door dressed as a boy seeking employment named
Fidelio, and Rocco hired her. On orders, Rocco has been giving Florestan
diminishing rations until he is nearly starved to death. Jaquino and Marzelline
are alone in Rocco's house. Jaquino asks Marzelline when she will agree to
marry him, but she says that she will never marry him now that she has fallen
in love with Fidelio. She is unaware that Fidelio is actually Leonore in
disguise. ("Jetzt,
Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein"
[Now, darling, now we are alone]). Jaquino leaves, and Marzelline expresses her
desire to become Fidelio's wife ("O wär ich schon mit dir vereint" [If only I were already united with thee]). Rocco
enters, looking for Fidelio. Fidelio enters carrying a heavy load of newly
repaired chains. Rocco compliments Fidelio, and misinterprets her modest reply
as hidden attraction to his daughter. Marzelline, Leonore, Rocco, and Jaquino
sing a quartet about the love Marzelline has for Fidelio ("Mir ist so
wunderbar" [A wondrous feeling fills
me], also known as the Canon Quartet). Rocco tells Leonore that as soon as the
governor has left for Seville, she and Marzelline can be married. He tells
them, however, that unless they have money, they will not be happy. ("Hat man nicht
auch Gold beineben" [If you don't have money on
you]). Leonore says that she wants something else at least as much as money: to
know why Rocco will not permit her to help him in the dungeons, because he
always comes back out of breath. Rocco says that there is a prison where he can
never take her, and inside is a man who has wasted away for two years because
of his powerful enemies. Marzelline begs her father to keep Leonore away from
such a terrible sight. Instead Rocco and Leonore sing of courage (Gut, Söhnchen,
gut/All right, sonny, all right), and
soon Marzelline joins in their acclamations. All but Rocco leave. A march is
played as Pizarro enters with guards. Rocco gives Pizarro a message with a
warning that the minister plans a surprise visit tomorrow to investigate
accusations that Pizarro is a tyrant. Pizarro exclaims that he cannot let the
minister discover the imprisoned Don Florestan, who has been thought dead.
Instead, Pizarro will murder Florestan (Ha, welch ein Augenblick/Hah!
What a moment). Pizarro orders that a trumpet be sounded at the minister's
arrival. He offers Rocco money to kill Florestan, but Rocco refuses ("Jetzt, Alter,
jetzt hat es Eile!" [Now, old man, we must
hurry!]), and instead Pizarro orders him to dig a grave in the ruined well in
the dungeons. When the grave is ready, Rocco should sound the alarm. Pizarro
will then come disguised into the dungeon, and kill Florestan himself. Leonore
has seen Pizarro plotting. She is agitated, but thoughts of her husband calm
her down ("Abscheulicher!
Wo eilst du hin? ... Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern" [Scum! Where are you off to so fast? ... Come, hope,
let the last star]). Jaquino begs Marzelline to marry him, but she refuses.
Leonore, hoping to find Florestan, asks Rocco to let the poor prisoners roam in
the garden and enjoy the beautiful weather. Marzelline also begs him, and Rocco
agrees to distract Pizarro while the prisoners are set free. The prisoners,
overjoyed at their freedom, sing joyfully ("O welche Lust" [O what a joy]), but, remembering that they could be
caught, are soon quiet. Rocco reenters and tells Leonore of his success with
Pizarro: Pizarro will allow the marriage, and Leonore will be permitted to join
Rocco on his rounds in the dungeon ("Nun sprecht, wie ging's?" [Speak, how did it go?]). They prepare to go to the
cell of a prisoner who, says Rocco, must be killed and buried within the hour.
Leonore is so shaken that Rocco tries to persuade her to stay behind, but she
insists on coming. As they prepare to leave, Jaquino and Marzelline rush in and
tell Rocco to run: Pizarro has learned that the prisoners are free, and he is
furious ("Ach, Vater,
Vater, eilt!" [O, father, father, hurry!]).
Before they can move, Pizarro enters and demands an explanation. Rocco pretends
that they are celebrating the King's naming day, and suggests quietly that
Pizarro save his anger for the prisoner in the dungeons below. Pizarro tells
him to hurry and dig the grave, then announces that the prisoners will be shut
in again. Rocco, Leonore, Jacquino, and Marzelline reluctantly usher the prisoners
back to their cells. (Leb wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht/Adieu,
warm sunshine). In Act II, Florestan is
alone in his cell, deep inside the dungeons. He sings first of his trust in
God, then has a vision of Leonore coming to save him (Gott! Welch Dunkel hier/God! What darkness here. In des Lebens Frühlingstagen/In the spring days of life. He collapses and falls asleep.
Rocco and Leonore come to dig his grave and find him asleep. As they dig Rocco
urges Leonore to hurry ("Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewölbe!" [How cold it is in this underground chamber] ...
"Nur hurtig
fort, nur frisch gegraben/Come get to work and dig). This is
the Gravedigging Duet. Florestan awakes and Leonore recognizes him. When
Florestan learns at last that he is in Pizarro's prison, he asks that a message
be sent to his wife, Leonore Florestan, but Rocco says it is impossible.
Florestan begs for a drop to drink, and Rocco tells Leonore to give him one.
Florestan does not recognize Leonore but tells her she will be rewarded in
Heaven ("Euch werde Lohn
in bessern Welten" [You shall be rewarded in
better worlds]). She begs Rocco to be allowed to give Florestan a crust of
bread, and he agrees. Florestan eats. Rocco obeys his orders and sounds the
alarm for Pizarro, who appears and asks if all is ready. Rocco says that it is
and tells Leonore to leave, but instead she hides. Pizarro reveals his identity
to Florestan, who accuses him of murder ("Er sterbe! Doch er soll erst wissen" [Let him die! But first he should know]). As Pizarro
brandishes a dagger, Leonore leaps between him and Florestan and reveals her
identity. Pizarro raises his dagger to kill her but she pulls a gun and
threatens to shoot him. Just then the trumpet is heard, announcing the arrival
of the minister. Jaquino enters, followed by soldiers, to announce that the
minister is waiting at the gate. Rocco tells the soldiers to escort Governor
Pizarro upstairs. Florestan and Leonore sing to their victory as Pizarro
declares he will have revenge, and Rocco expresses his fear of what is to come
(Es schlägt der
Rache Stunde/Revenge's bell tolls). Together,
Florestan and Leonore sing a love duet ("O namenlose Freude!/O unnamed joy). Here overture "Leonore No. 3" is
sometimes played. The prisoners and townsfolk sing to the day and hour of
justice which has come (Heil sei dem Tag, Hail to the day). The minister, Don
Fernando, announces that tyranny has ended. Rocco enters, with Leonore and
Florestan, and he asks Don Fernando to help them ("Wohlan, so helfet! Helft den Armen!" [So help! Help the poor ones!]). Rocco explains how
Leonore disguised herself as Fidelio to save her husband. Marzelline is
shocked. Rocco describes Pizarro's murder plot, and Pizarro is led away to
prison. Florestan is released from his chains by Leonore, and the crowd sings
the praises of Leonore, the loyal savior of her husband ("Wer ein holdes
Weib errungen" Who has got a good wife).
1787
MOZART, DON GIOVANNI: melodramma in due atti, su libretto di Lorenzo da Ponte. di Mozart, libretto
di Lorenzo da Ponte. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. Prima: Apr. 5, 2016. Otras
funciones: 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12. Conductor: M. Piollet. Stage director: E. Sagi. Stage
design: D. Bianco. Costume design: R. Schussheim. Light design: R. Conde. PERSONAGGI:
DON GIOVANNI: E. Schrott/H. Miranda. DONNA ANNA: P. Almerares/D. Tabernig. DONNA
ELVIRA: M. Bayo/M. Ferracani. DON OTTAVIO ("Dalla sua pace"): D.
Korchak/S. Bürgi. LEPORELLO: S. Orfila/L. Debevec. ZERLINA: J. Livieri/M. Pavón..
MASETTO: M. Salvo . IL COMMENDATORE: L. Debevec. Hit: “Dalla sua pace la mia
dipende.”
In Act I, Don Giovanni, n arrogant, and sexually promiscuous
nobleman, abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast, until he encounters
something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit. The overture begins with a
thundering D minor cadence, followed by a short misterioso sequence which leads
into a light-hearted D majorallegro. In the The
garden of the Commendatore Leporello, Don Giovanni's servant, complains
of his lot (Notte e giorno
faticar/Night and day I slave away). He is
keeping watch while Don Giovanni has entered the Commendatore's house in an
attempt to rape or seduce the Commendatore's daughter, Donna Anna. Don Giovanni
enters the garden from inside the house, pursued by Donna Anna. Giovanni is
masked and Donna Anna insists on knowing his true identity (Trio: "Non sperar, se
non m'uccidi, Ch'io ti lasci fuggir mai!"
– "Do not hope, unless you kill me, that I shall ever let you run
away!"); before he can break free from her grasp she cries for help. The
Commendatore appears and forces Giovanni to fight a duel while Donna Anna flees
to seek help. Giovanni kills the Commendatore with his sword and escapes with
Leporello. Anna, returning with her fiancé, Don Ottavio, is horrified to see
her father lying dead in a pool of his own blood. She makes Ottavio swear
vengeance against the unknown murderer. (Duet: "Ah, vendicar, se il puoi, giura quel
sangue ognor!" – "Ah, swear to avenge
that blood if you can!"). Scene 2 – A public square outside Don Giovanni's palace Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Don Giovanni, Salzburg Festival 2014 Giovanni and Leporello arrive and hear a woman (Elvira)
singing of having been abandoned by her lover, on whom she is seeking revenge
("Ah, chi mi dice
mai/Ah, who could ever tell me).
Giovanni starts to flirt with her, but it turns out he is the former lover she
is seeking. The two recognize each other and she reproaches him bitterly. He
shoves Leporello forward, ordering him to tell Elvira the truth, and then
hurries away. Leporello tells Elvira that Don Giovanni is not worth her
feelings for him. He is unfaithful to everyone; his conquests include 640 women
and girls in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, but in Spain,
1,003 ("Madamina, il catalogo è questo/My dear lady, this is the catalogue). In a frequently cut
recitative, Elvira vows vengeance. Scene 3 – The open country A marriage procession with Masetto and Zerlina
enters. Don Giovanni and Leporello arrive soon after. Giovanni is immediately
attracted to Zerlina, and he attempts to remove the jealous Masetto by offering
to host a wedding celebration at his castle. On realizing that Giovanni means
to remain behind with Zerlina, Masetto becomes angry ("Ho capito!
Signor, sì" – "I understand! Yes, my
lord!") but is forced to leave. Don Giovanni and Zerlina are soon alone
and he immediately begins his seductive arts (Là ci darem la mano/There we will entwine our hands). Elvira arrives and
thwarts the seduction ("Ah, fuggi il traditor"
– "Flee from the traitor!"). She leaves with Zerlina. Ottavio and
Anna enter, plotting vengeance on the still unknown murderer of Anna's father.
Anna, unaware that she is speaking to her attacker, pleads for Giovanni's help.
Giovanni, relieved that he is unrecognised, readily promises it, and asks who
has disturbed her peace. Before she can answer, Elvira returns and tells Anna
and Ottavio that Giovanni is a false-hearted seducer. Giovanni tries to
convince Ottavio and Anna that Elvira is insane (Non ti fidar, o misera/Don't trust him, oh sad one). As Giovanni leaves, Anna
suddenly recognizes him as her father's murderer and tells Ottavio the story of
his intrusion, claiming that she was deceived at first because she was
expecting a night visit from Ottavio himself, but managed to fight Giovanni off
after discovering the imposture, leading to the events we have already
witnessed (long recitative exchange between Anna and Ottavio, leading to Anna's
aria: "Or sai chi l'onore Rapire a me volse" – "Now you know who
wanted to rob me of my honour"). Ottavio, not yet convinced (Anna having
only recognised Giovanni's voice, not seen his face), resolves to keep an eye
on his friend (Dalla sua pace
la mia dipende/On her peace my peace depends).
Leporello informs Giovanni that all the guests of the peasant wedding are in
Giovanni's house and that he distracted Masetto from his jealousy, but that
Zerlina, returning with Elvira, made a scene and spoiled everything. However,
Don Giovanni remains cheerful and tells Leporello to organize a party and
invite every girl he can find. (Fin ch'han dal vino calda la testa/Till they are tipsy"). They hasten to his palace. In a garden outside Don Giovanni's palace
Zerlina follows the jealous Masetto and tries to pacify him ("Batti, batti o
bel Masetto" – "Beat, O beat me,
handsome Masetto"), but just as she manages to persuade him of her
innocence, Don Giovanni's voice from offstage startles and frightens her.
Masetto hides, resolving to see for himself what Zerlina will do when Giovanni
arrives. Zerlina tries to hide from Don Giovanni, but he finds her and attempts
to continue the seduction, until he stumbles upon Masetto's hiding place.
Confused but quickly recovering, Giovanni reproaches Masetto for leaving
Zerlina alone, and returns her temporarily to him. Giovanni then leads both
offstage to his ballroom. Three masked guests – the disguised Ottavio, Anna,
and Elvira – enter the garden. From a balcony, Leporello invites them to his
master's party. They accept the invitation and Leporello leaves the balcony.
Alone, Ottavio and Anna pray for protection, Elvira for vengeance (Protegga il
giusto cielo/May the just heavens protect us).. At
Don Giovanni's ballroom As the
merriment, featuring three separate chamber orchestras on stage, proceeds,
Leporello distracts Masetto by dancing with him, while Don Giovanni leads
Zerlina offstage to a private room. When Zerlina screams for help, Don Giovanni
tries to fool the onlookers by dragging Leporello into the room and threatening
to kill him for assaulting Zerlina. But Ottavio produces a pistol, and the
three guests unmask and declare that they know all. But despite being denounced
on all sides, Don Giovanni escapes – for the moment. In Act 2, outside Elvira's
house Leporello threatens to leave Giovanni, but his master calms him
with a peace offering of money (Eh via buffone/Go on, fool). Wanting to seduce
Elvira's maid, and believing that she will trust him better if he appears in
lower-class clothes, Giovanni persuades Leporello to exchange cloak and hat
with him. Elvira comes to her window (Ah taci, ingiusto core/Ah, be quiet
unjust heart). Seeing an opportunity for a game, Giovanni hides and sends
Leporello out in the open wearing Giovanni's cloak and hat. From his hiding
place Giovanni sings a promise of repentance, expressing a desire to return to
her and threatening to kill himself if she does not take him back, while
Leporello poses as Giovanni and tries to keep from laughing. Elvira is
convinced and descends to the street. Leporello, continuing to pose as
Giovanni, leads her away to keep her occupied while Giovanni serenades her maid with his mandolin. (Deh vieni alla finestra/Ah,
come to the window). Before Giovanni can complete his seduction of the maid,
Masetto and his friends arrive, searching for Giovanni with the intent of
killing him. Giovanni (still disguised as Leporello) convinces the posse that
he also hates Giovanni, and joins the hunt. After cunningly dispersing Masetto's
friends (Metà di voi qua vadano/Half of you go this way), Giovanni takes
Masetto's weapons away, beats him up, and runs off, laughing. Zerlina arrives
and consoles the bruised and battered Masetto (Vedrai carino/You'll see, dear
one). In a dark courtyard, Leporello
abandons Elvira (Sola, sola in buio loco/All alone in this dark place). As he
tries to escape, Ottavio arrives with Anna, consoling her in her grief. Just as
Leporello is about to slip through the door, which he has difficulty finding,
Zerlina and Masetto open it and, seeing him dressed as Giovanni, catch him
before he can escape. When Anna and Ottavio notice what is going on, all move
to surround Leporello, threatening him with death. Elvira tries to protect the
man who she thinks is Giovanni, claiming that he is her husband and begging for
pity. The other four are resolved to punish the traitor, but Leporello removes
his cloak to reveal his true identity. He begs for mercy and, seeing an
opportunity, runs off (Leporello aria: "Ah pietà signori miei" –
"Ah, have mercy, my lords"). Given the circumstances, Ottavio is now
convinced that Giovanni was the murderer of Donna Anna's father (the deceased
Commendatore) and swears vengeance ("Il mio tesoro" – "My
treasure" – though in the Vienna version this was cut) Elvira is still furious at Giovanni for
betraying her, but she also feels sorry for him. (Mi tradì quell'alma ingrate/That
ungrateful wretch betrayed me"). In the graveyard scene of act 2, Prague, probably 1790s, the
earliest known set design for the opera Scene 3, a graveyard with the statue of the Commendatore. Leporello tells
Don Giovanni of his brush with danger, and Giovanni taunts him, saying that he
took advantage of his disguise as Leporello by trying to seduce one of
Leporello's girlfriends. But the servant is not amused, suggesting it could
have been his wife, and Don Giovanni laughs aloud at his servant's protests.
The voice of the statue warns Giovanni that his laughter will not last beyond
sunrise. At the command of his master, Leporello reads the inscription upon the
statue's base: Here am I waiting for revenge against the scoundrel who killed
me (Dell'empio che mi trasse al passo
estremo qui attendo la vendetta). The servant trembles, but the
unabashed Giovanni orders him to invite the statue to dinner, threatening to
kill him if he does not. Leporello makes several attempts to invite the statue
to dinner but for fear cannot complete the task (O, statua gentilissima/Oh most
noble statue). It falls upon Don Giovanni himself to complete the invitation,
thereby sealing his own doom. Much to his surprise, the statue nods its head
and responds affirmatively. Scene 4 – Donna Anna's room Ottavio pressures Anna to marry him, but she
thinks it inappropriate so soon after her father's death. He accuses her of
being cruel, and she assures him that she loves him, and is faithful ("Non
mi dir" – "Tell me not"). Don Giovanni confronts the stone guest
in a painting by Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard, ca 1830–35 (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg). In Don
Giovanni's chambers, Giovanni revels in the luxury of a great meal,
served by Leporello, and musical entertainment during which the orchestra plays
then-contemporary late-18th-century operatic music: "O quanto in sì bel
giubilo" from Vicente Martín y Soler's Una cosa rara (1786),
"Come un agnello" from Giuseppe Sarti's Fra i due litiganti il terzo
gode (1782) and finally, Non più andrai from Mozart's own The Marriage of Figaro (1786).[20] (Finale "Già la mensa preparata" –
"Already the table is prepared"). Elvira appears, saying that she no
longer feels resentment for Giovanni, only pity. (L'ultima prova dell'amor mio/The
final proof of my love). Surprised by her lack of hatred, Giovanni asks what it
is that she wants, and she begs him to change his life. Giovanni taunts her and
then turns away, praising wine and women as the "support and glory of
humankind" (sostegno e gloria
d'umanità). Hurt and angry, Elvira gives up and leaves. A moment later,
her scream is heard from outside the walls of the palace, and she returns only
to flee through another door. Giovanni orders Leporello to see what has upset
her; upon peering outside, the servant also cries out, and runs back into the
room, stammering that the statue has appeared as promised. An ominous knocking
sounds at the door. Leporello, paralyzed by fear, cannot answer it, so Giovanni
opens it himself, revealing the statue of the Commendatore. With the D minor
cadences from the overture now accompanying the bass voice (Don Giovanni, a
cenar teco m'invitasti/Don Giovanni! You invited me to dine with you), the
Commendatore offers a last chance to repent, but Giovanni adamantly refuses.
The statue disappears and Don Giovanni cries out in pain and terror as he is
surrounded by a chorus of demons, who carry him down to Hell. Leporello,
watching from under the table, also cries out in fear. Donna Anna, Don Ottavio,
Donna Elvira, Zerlina, and Masetto arrive, searching for the villain. They find
instead Leporello hiding under the table, shaken by the supernatural horror he
has witnessed. Giovanni is dead. Anna and Ottavio will marry when Anna's year
of mourning is over; Elvira will spend the rest of her life in a convent;
Zerlina and Masetto will finally go home for dinner; and Leporello will go to
the tavern to find a better master. The concluding ensemble delivers the moral
of the opera – "Such is the end of the evildoer: the death of a sinner
always reflects his life" (Questo è il fin di chi fa mal, e de' perfidi la
morte alla vita è sempre ugual"). In the past, the final ensemble was
sometimes omitted by conductors (such as Mahler) who claimed that the opera should end when the title
character dies. However, this approach has not survived, and today's conductors
almost always include the finale in its entirety. The return to D major and the
innocent simplicity of the last few bars conclude the opera.
1971
GINASTERA, “BEATRICE CENCI:
melodramma in due atti su libretto di William Shand e Alberto Girri, tratto da
Shelley. Teatro Colon, Buenos
Aires. Estreno: Marzo 15, 1016. Other performances: 18 y 20. Conductor: G.Scarabino.
Stage director: A. Tantanian. Set designs and costumes: Oria Puppo. Lights:
David Seldes. Projections: Maxi Vecco. Personaggi:
BEATRIX CENCI: Mónica EÑO DE ILUMINACIÓN Ferracani/Daniela Tabernig. CONDE
FRANCISCO CENCI: Víctor Torres/Leonardo Estévez.. LUCREZIA: Alejandra
Malvino/Maria Luján Mirabelli ORSINO: Gustavo López Manzitti/Fernando Chalabe. BERNARDO: Florencia Machado/Rocío Arbizu ANDREA:
Mario De Salvo/Emiliano Bulacios.
The setting is the Palazzo Cenci
Palace, Roma, in the late 16th century. Count Francesco Cenci has
arranged for a masked ball to celebrate the death of his two sons at Salamanca.
The people despise the Count, and his daughter Beatrice and his second wife
Lucrezia live in fear of him. Beatrice wants to escape by having her former
suitor, Orsino, communicate a letter to the Pope Clemente VIII. Orsino, who has
taken holy orders, destroys the letter. At the ball, the guests are repelled at
the idea of the Count celebrating the deaths of his own sons. They leave, to
the terror of Beatrice, who does not want to be alone in her father's company.
Orsino enters and covers his destruction of Beatrice's letter by saying that
Clemente VIII has rejected her plea. Left alone, the Count rapes his daughter. When
in exile after reporting her father's act, Beatrice’s older brother Giacomo
convinces Beatrice to kill her father. Beatrice then hires two assassins for
the task, Olimpio and Marzio. Lucrezia gives his father a sleeping potion. The
assassins kill the Count and conceal his body. Months later, Orsino announces
that the Count’s body has been discovered. One of the assassins has been
killed, and the other has confessed to the murder. Beatrice is arrested for the
crime, and then bound and tortured. Finally, she is executed at the scaffold.
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