Oceàna is an opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 in three acts composed by Antonio Smareglia

Antonio Smareglia

Antonio Smareglia was an Austro-Hungarian opera composer of Italian ethnicity.-Life:Antonio Smareglia was born in the town of Pola , in a house on Via Nettuno which still stands and in which there is now a small museum of his life and work...

 to a libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...

 in Italian by Silvio Benco. It premiered at La Scala

La Scala

La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...

 on 22 January 1903 in a performance conducted by Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...

.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 22 January 1903 (Conductor: Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...  )
Ers, a sea spirit	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...	Rodolfo Angelini-Fornari
Init, god of the waters	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...	Giovanni Zenatello Giovanni Zenatello Giovanni Zenatello was an Italian opera singer. Born in Verona, he enjoyed an international career as a dramatic tenor of the first rank. Otello became his most famous operatic role but he sang a wide repertoire. In 1904, he created the part of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.-Career:Zenatello...
Nersa	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Amelia Karola
Vadar, in love with Nersa	baritone	Nestore della Torre
Uls, a sea spirit disguised as an old man	bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...	Oreste Luppi
Hareb, Vadar's brother	baritone	Michele Wigley

Synopsis

Setting: a village in Roman Syria

Syria (Roman province)

Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...

A beautiful young woman, Nersa, is being wooed by the elderly Vadar. Nersa is fascinated when Ers, a sea spirit, tells her mysterious tales of life in the sea and of Init, the god of the waters. When her village decides to punish her for trying to leave, Uls (another sea spirit disguised as an old man) suggests that her punishment should be to spend three days and nights alone on the seashore. While she is there, Init appears, accompanied by his water nymph

Nymph

A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...

s and siren

Siren

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...

s, and courts Nersa, naming her Oceàna. Vadar and his brother, Hareb, arrive in a boat. Init orders the sirens to drive the men insane. As Hareb starts to go mad, Nersa reluctantly says farewell to the sea and returns to the village with Vadar. Although she agrees to marry Vadar, she still dreams of Init. On the day of Nersa and Vadar's wedding, Init appears and convinces Nersa to flee with him. Vadar discovers them in an embrace and decides to free Nersa from her promise of marriage, asking only that the god cure Hareb of his insanity and instead make Vadar insane. For Vadar, life has no meaning without his beloved Nersa.

Recording

The 13 minute overture

Overture

Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...

to Oceàna can be heard on:

• Antonio Smareglia: Ouvertures e Intermezzi - Orchestra Sinfonica Lituana di Vilnjus, Silvano Frontalini (conductor). Label: Bongiovanni 2142