Salvator Rosa (opera)
Encyclopedia
Salvator Rosa is an opera seria
in four acts composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes
to a libretto
in Italian by Antonio Ghislanzoni
. It premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice
in Genoa
on 21 March 1874. The plot is based on Eugène de Mirecourt's 1851 adventure novel, Masaniello, in turn loosely based on the lives of the Italian painter and poet, Salvator Rosa
and Masaniello
, a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the 1647 revolt
against the Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples
.
, had originally wanted to call the opera Masaniello, after Eugène de Mirecourt's novel on which it is based. However, Auber
's 1828, La muette de portici
set in the same historical period, was already known in Italy by that name. Instead, Ghislanzoni made Salvator Rosa
(a secondary character in de Mirecourt's novel) the chief protagonist. The central love affair between Isabella and Masaniello
in the novel became one between Salvator Rosa and Isabella in the opera. Like many fictional works based on the life of Salvator Rosa, de Mirecourt's novel derived from an 1824 biography of the painter by Lady Morgan
, The Life and Times of Salvator Rosa, which perpetuated the legends that Rosa had been imprisoned by bandits when he was a young man and that he returned to Naples in 1647 to aid Masaniello in his revolt against Spanish rule
. It is the latter legend which forms the basis of Ghislanzoni's libretto.
Salvator Rosa premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice
on 21 March 1874 in a performance conducted by Giovanni Rossi with Guglielmo Anastasi in the title role, Leone Giraldoni
as Masaniello, Romilda Pantaleoni
as Isabella, and the French bass François-Marcel Junca as her father, the Duke of Arcos. Following the Genoa premiere, the opera was performed in Italy at the Teatro Regio di Torino (1875), the Teatro Riccardi in Bergamo
(1876), and the Teatro Regio di Parma
(1882). In Latin America, it was first performed in Uruguay
at the Teatro Solis in 1876, but it was another six years before the opera was performed in Brazil
, Gomes' native country. The Brazilian premiere took place in the city of Belém
on 29 July 1882. Although largely forgotten now apart from its great aria for bass
, "Di sposo, di padre", the opera's rare 20th century revivals include those in Rio de Janiero at the Theatro Municipal in 1946 (attended by Gomes' daughter and broadcast on Brazilian radio), São Paulo
at the Theatro Municipal
in 1977, and at New York City's Amato Opera
in 1987. The opera was revived again in 2000 with the Dorset Opera, Fernando del Valle
in the title role, and 2004 at the Festival della Valle d'Itria
in Martina Franca
.
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
in four acts composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes
Antônio Carlos Gomes
Antônio Carlos Gomes was the first New World composer whose work was accepted by Europe.-Life:He was born in Campinas, Brazil, son of Maestro Manuel José Gomes and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso....
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 Antonio Ghislanzoni
Antonio Ghislanzoni
Antonio Ghislanzoni was an Italian journalist, poet, and novelist who wrote librettos for Verdi, among other composers, of which the best known are Aida and the revised version of La forza del destino....
. It premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
on 21 March 1874. The plot is based on Eugène de Mirecourt's 1851 adventure novel, Masaniello, in turn loosely based on the lives of the Italian painter and poet, Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
and Masaniello
Masaniello
Masaniello was a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples in 1647.-Name and place of birth:...
, a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the 1647 revolt
Neapolitan Republic (1647)
The Neapolitan Republic was a Republic created in Naples, which lasted from 22 October 1647 to 5 April 1648. It began after the revolt led by Masaniello and Giulio Genoino against the Spanish viceroys....
against the Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Background and performance history
Salvator Rosa was Gomes' fifth opera and the third to have its world premiere in Italy. He and his librettist, GhislanzoniAntonio Ghislanzoni
Antonio Ghislanzoni was an Italian journalist, poet, and novelist who wrote librettos for Verdi, among other composers, of which the best known are Aida and the revised version of La forza del destino....
, had originally wanted to call the opera Masaniello, after Eugène de Mirecourt's novel on which it is based. However, Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
's 1828, La muette de portici
La muette de Portici
La muette de Portici originally called Masaniello, ou La muette de Portici, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scribe...
set in the same historical period, was already known in Italy by that name. Instead, Ghislanzoni made Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
(a secondary character in de Mirecourt's novel) the chief protagonist. The central love affair between Isabella and Masaniello
Masaniello
Masaniello was a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples in 1647.-Name and place of birth:...
in the novel became one between Salvator Rosa and Isabella in the opera. Like many fictional works based on the life of Salvator Rosa, de Mirecourt's novel derived from an 1824 biography of the painter by Lady Morgan
Lady Morgan
Sydney, Lady Morgan , was an Irish novelist, best known as the author of The Wild Irish Girl.-Early life:...
, The Life and Times of Salvator Rosa, which perpetuated the legends that Rosa had been imprisoned by bandits when he was a young man and that he returned to Naples in 1647 to aid Masaniello in his revolt against Spanish rule
Neapolitan Republic (1647)
The Neapolitan Republic was a Republic created in Naples, which lasted from 22 October 1647 to 5 April 1648. It began after the revolt led by Masaniello and Giulio Genoino against the Spanish viceroys....
. It is the latter legend which forms the basis of Ghislanzoni's libretto.
Salvator Rosa premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
on 21 March 1874 in a performance conducted by Giovanni Rossi with Guglielmo Anastasi in the title role, Leone Giraldoni
Leone Giraldoni
Leone Giraldoni was a celebrated Italian operatic baritone. He created the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra as well as the role of Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera .Giraldoni studied in Florence with Luigi Ronzi and made his début as the High...
as Masaniello, Romilda Pantaleoni
Romilda Pantaleoni
Romilda Pantaleoni was an Italian soprano who had a prolific opera career in Italy during the 1870s and 1880s. She sang a wide repertoire that encompassed bel canto roles, Italian and French grand opera, verismo operas, and the German operas of Richard Wagner...
as Isabella, and the French bass François-Marcel Junca as her father, the Duke of Arcos. Following the Genoa premiere, the opera was performed in Italy at the Teatro Regio di Torino (1875), the Teatro Riccardi in Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
(1876), and the Teatro Regio di Parma
Teatro Regio di Parma
Teatro Regio di Parma is a famous 19th century opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy. The theatre was originally known as the Teatro Ducale....
(1882). In Latin America, it was first performed in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
at the Teatro Solis in 1876, but it was another six years before the opera was performed in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Gomes' native country. The Brazilian premiere took place in the city of Belém
Belém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
on 29 July 1882. Although largely forgotten now apart from its great aria for 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...
, "Di sposo, di padre", the opera's rare 20th century revivals include those in Rio de Janiero at the Theatro Municipal in 1946 (attended by Gomes' daughter and broadcast on Brazilian radio), São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
at the Theatro Municipal
Theatro Municipal (São Paulo)
Municipal Theatre of São Paulo is a theatre in São Paulo, Brazil. It is regarded as one of the landmarks of the city, significant both for its architectural value as well as for its historical importance, having been the venue for the Week of Modern Art in 1922, which revolutionised the arts in...
in 1977, and at New York City's Amato Opera
Amato Opera
The Amato Opera was an opera company located in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. The company was produced by the husband and wife team of Anthony and Sally Amato and presented opera on a small scale with a reduced orchestra at low prices...
in 1987. The opera was revived again in 2000 with the Dorset Opera, Fernando del Valle
Fernando del Valle
Fernando del Valle is an American operatic tenor.-Ancestry:He took the name del Valle in honour of his grandfather, Fernando Meléndez del Valle, who was also a tenor...
in the title role, and 2004 at the Festival della Valle d'Itria
Festival della Valle d'Itria
The Festival della Valle d’Itria is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially constructed stage in the outdoor courtyard of the...
in Martina Franca
Martina Franca
Martina Franca is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, Apulia , Italy. It is the second most populated city of the province after Taranto....
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere cast, 21 March 1874 |
|---|---|---|
| Il duca d'Arcos Rodrigo Ponce de León, 4th Duke of Arcos Rodrigo Ponce de León, 4th Duke of Arcos, was a Grandee of Spain and a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He served as Viceroy of Valencia and of Naples.... , Viceroy of Naples |
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... |
François-Marcel Junca |
| Isabella, his daughter | 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... |
Romilda Pantaleoni Romilda Pantaleoni Romilda Pantaleoni was an Italian soprano who had a prolific opera career in Italy during the 1870s and 1880s. She sang a wide repertoire that encompassed bel canto roles, Italian and French grand opera, verismo operas, and the German operas of Richard Wagner... |
| Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:... , a painter in love with Isabella |
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... |
Guglielmo Anastasi |
| Masaniello Masaniello Masaniello was a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples in 1647.-Name and place of birth:... , rebel leader and friend of Rosa |
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... |
Leone Giraldoni Leone Giraldoni Leone Giraldoni was a celebrated Italian operatic baritone. He created the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra as well as the role of Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera .Giraldoni studied in Florence with Luigi Ronzi and made his début as the High... |
| Gennariello, a young friend of Rosa and Masaniello | soprano (en travesti En travesti Travesti is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the opposite sex. Some sources regard 'travesti' as an Italian term, some as French. Depending on sources, the term may be given as travesty, travesti, or en travesti... ) |
Clelia Blenio |
| Fernandez, commander of the Spanish troops | tenor | Giacomo Origo |
| Il conte di Badajoz, a Spanish nobelman | tenor | Carlo Casarini |
| Corcelli, a brigand allied to the Spanish rulers | bass | Emanuele Dall'Aglio |
| Bianca, a Spanish lady | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Antonietta Pozzoni-Anastasi |
| Suora Ines, a nun | soprano | Clelia Cappelli |
| Fra Lorenzo, a monk | bass | Luigi Torre |
Recordings
- Gomes: Salvator Rosa – Michail Milanov (Il Duca d'Arcos), Lisa Livingston (Isabella), Fernando del ValleFernando del ValleFernando del Valle is an American operatic tenor.-Ancestry:He took the name del Valle in honour of his grandfather, Fernando Meléndez del Valle, who was also a tenor...
(Salvator Rosa), Michael Gluecksmann (Masaniello); Dorset Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Patrick Shelly, conductor. Recorded from live performances at Sherborne SchoolSherborne SchoolSherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, DorsetDorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England, August 11 and 12, 2000. Label: Regis
- Gomes: Salvator Rosa – Francesco Ellero D’Artegna (Il Duca d'Arcos), Francesca Scaini (Isabella), Mauro Pagano (Salvator Rosa), Gianfranco Cappelluti (Masaniello); Italian International Orchestra; Bratislava Chamber Chorus; Maurizio Benini, conductor. Recorded live at the Ducal Palace, Martina FrancaMartina FrancaMartina Franca is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, Apulia , Italy. It is the second most populated city of the province after Taranto....
, Italy, July 2004. Label: DynamicDynamic (record label)Dynamic is an Italian independent record label located in Genoa. Founded in 1978, it specialises in classical music and opera, especially rarely performed works and has produced several world premiere recordings...
External links
- Complete libretto published by Casa RicordiCasa RicordiCasa Ricordi is a classical music publishing company founded in 1808 as G. Ricordi & Co. by violinist Giovanni Ricordi in Milan, Italy...
in the original Italian - Detailed synopsis by Cyrene Paparotti