Tancredi
Encyclopedia
Tancredi is a melodramma eroico (opera seria
or 'heroic' opera
) in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi
, based on Voltaire
's play Tancrède (1759). The 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.
This opera is considered by Stendhal
, Rossini's earliest biographer, to be Rossini's greatest masterpiece. The title role of Tancredi is so vocally demanding that casting the part has traditionally proved to be challenging. It requires a true contralto or a mezzo-soprano with a strong lower register who possesses great vocal agility and endurance. The title role encompasses two lengthy arias and four duets.
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. Thus, in the Ferrara ending, Tancredi wins the battle but is mortally wounded. Only then does he learn that Amenaide never betrayed him, and Agirio marries the lovers in time for Tancredi to die in his wife's arms. In the Venice ending (1816), the dying Solamir professes Amenaide's innocence, and Tancredi returns home in triumph. It is in this version that the opera is usually performed today.
in the title role and it was soon mounted at major opera houses throughout Italy, including the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
(1814), the Teatro Apollo in Rome (1814), the Teatro Regio di Torino (1814), La Fenice
(1815), the Teatro del Fondo
in Naples (1816), and the Teatro San Moisè
in Venice (1816).
The opera was first performed in England at the King's Theatre
in London on 4 May 1820 with Fanny Corri-Paltoni
as Amenaide. Its French premiere was given by the Théâtre-Lyrique Italien
at the Salle Louvois in Paris on 23 April 1822 with Giuditta Pasta
in the title role. It was performed in Portugal for the first time at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
on 18 September 1822 and was given its La Scala
premiere on 8 November 1823 with Brigida Lorenzani as Tancredi. The United States premiere occurred on 31 December 1825 at the Park Theatre in New York City using the revised version by Lechi. The Paris Opéra
mounted the work for the first time with Maria Malibran
in the title role on 30 March 1829.
revived the work on 17 May 1952 with Giulietta Simionato
in the title role, Teresa Stich-Randall
as Amenaide, Francesco Albanese
as Argirio, Mario Petri
as Orbazzano, and Tullio Serafin
conducting.
Following the discovery of the long-lost tragic ending and the preparation of the critical edition by Philip Gossett
and others at the University of Chicago
in 1976, the work was revived 25 years later, at which time mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne
performed the title role with the Houston Grand Opera
on 13 October 1977. Ms. Horne, who is now strongly associated with the title role, 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 use the Ferrara conclusion, while some include the Venice finale as an extra track.
Horne's triumphant performance of Tancredi in Houston soon led to invitations from other opera houses to sing the role, and it is largely through her efforts that the opera enjoyed a surge of revivals during the latter half of the 20th century. She sang the part for performances at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
(1977), the San Francisco Opera
(1979), the Aix-en-Provence Festival
(1981), La Fenice (1981, 1983), and the Lyric Opera of Chicago
(1989) among others.
While Tancredi is not one of the more frequently mounted operas, it has now become less of a rarity on the opera stage. Contralto Ewa Podleś
achieved recognition in the title role, performing it at the Vlaamse Opera
(1991), La Scala (1993), the Berlin State Opera
(1996), the Canadian Opera Company
(2005), the Caramoor International Music Festival
(2006), the Teatro Real
(2007) and Opera Boston
(2009) among others. She also recorded the role on the Naxos label in 1995. Bulgarian mezzo-soprano
Vesselina Kasarova
has also been praised in the role, singing it at the Salzburg Festival
(1992), the Opera Orchestra of New York
(1997), and on a 1996 recording with the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Munich Radio Orchestra.
Pier Luigi Pizzi
staged a lauded production of Tancredi at the Teatro Rossini
in Pesaro
in 1999, a production which was later transported to the Rossini Opera Festival
in 2004, and then to Rome and Florence (where it was filmed for DVD with Daniela Barcellona in the title role) in 2005. Barcellona sang Tancredi again in a new staging of the opera at the Teatro Regio di Turino in November 2009 after reprising the part in February 2009 at the Teatro de la Maestranza
. The Theater an der Wien
mounted the work for the first time in October 2009 with Vivica Genaux
in the title role and René Jacobs conducting. The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
presented the opera in concert in December 2009 with Nora Gubisch as Tancredi.
is tethered by conflict and war between 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.
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...
or 'heroic' 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 two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi
Gaetano Rossi was an Italian writer who wrote opera libretti for several composers including Mayr, Rossini, Donizetti, Mercadante, Pacini, and Meyerbeer.-Biography:...
, based on Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
's play Tancrède (1759). The opera made its first appearance in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
at the Teatro La Fenice on February 6, 1813, after Il signor Bruschino
Il signor Bruschino
Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo is a one act operatic farce by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, based upon the play Le fils par hasard, ou ruse et folie by Alissan de Chazet and E.T.M. Ourry...
premiered in late January, giving the composer less than a month to have completed Tancredi. The overture, borrowed from La pietra del paragone
La pietra del paragone
La pietra del paragone is an opera, or melodramma giocoso, in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Romanelli.-Performance history:...
, is a popular example of Rossini's characteristic style, and is a regular part of the concert and recording repertoire.
This opera is considered by Stendhal
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle , better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme...
, Rossini's earliest biographer, to be Rossini's greatest masterpiece. The title role of Tancredi is so vocally demanding that casting the part has traditionally proved to be challenging. It requires a true contralto or a mezzo-soprano with a strong lower register who possesses great vocal agility and endurance. The title role encompasses two lengthy arias and four duets.
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. Thus, in the Ferrara ending, Tancredi wins the battle but is mortally wounded. Only then does he learn that Amenaide never betrayed him, and Agirio marries the lovers in time for Tancredi to die in his wife's arms. In the Venice ending (1816), the dying Solamir professes Amenaide's innocence, and Tancredi returns home in triumph. It is in this version that the opera is usually performed today.
19th century
Tancredi premiered in 1813 at La Fenice in Venice with Adelaide MalanotteAdelaide Malanotte
Adelaide Malanotte was an Italian operatic contralto who performed in major opera houses in Italy from 1806–1821. She is best known for creating the title role in the world premiere of Gioachino Rossini's Tancredi in 1813. After her marriage, she performed under the name Adelaide Montresor...
in the title role and it was soon mounted at major opera houses throughout Italy, including the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
(1814), the Teatro Apollo in Rome (1814), the Teatro Regio di Torino (1814), La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
(1815), the Teatro del Fondo
Teatro del Fondo
The Teatro del Fondo is a theatre in Naples, now known as the Teatro Mercadante. Together with the Teatro San Carlo, it was originally one of the two royal opera houses of the 18th and 19th-century city....
in Naples (1816), and the Teatro San Moisè
Teatro San Moisè
The Teatro San Moisè was an opera house in Venice, active from 1640 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal....
in Venice (1816).
The opera was first performed in England at the King's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
in London on 4 May 1820 with Fanny Corri-Paltoni
Fanny Corri-Paltoni
Fanny Corri-Paltoni was a celebrated English operatic soprano active in Europe between 1818 and 1835. It was said that she possessed a voice of remarkable beauty and that she had a fine singing technique. She particularly excelled in the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gioachino...
as Amenaide. Its French premiere was given by the Théâtre-Lyrique Italien
Comédie-Italienne
Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...
at the Salle Louvois in Paris on 23 April 1822 with Giuditta Pasta
Giuditta Pasta
Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanza Pasta , born in Saronno, Italy, was a soprano considered among the greatest of opera singers, to whom the 20th-century soprano Maria Callas was compared.-Studies and career:...
in the title role. It was performed in Portugal for the first time at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on July 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake...
on 18 September 1822 and was given its 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...
premiere on 8 November 1823 with Brigida Lorenzani as Tancredi. The United States premiere occurred on 31 December 1825 at the Park Theatre in New York City using the revised version by Lechi. The Paris Opéra
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
mounted the work for the first time with Maria Malibran
Maria Malibran
The mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran , was one of the most famous opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality and dramatic intensity, becoming a legendary figure after her death at age 28...
in the title role on 30 March 1829.
20th and 21st century
After a 1833 revival at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Tancredi was not mounted again until almost 120 years later. The Maggio Musicale FiorentinoMaggio Musicale Fiorentino
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual opera festival which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi's early...
revived the work on 17 May 1952 with Giulietta Simionato
Giulietta Simionato
Giulietta Simionato was an Italian mezzo-soprano. Her career spanned from the 1930s until her retirement in 1966.-Life:Born at Forlì, Romagna, she studied in Rovigo and Padua, and made her operatic debut at Montagnana in 1928...
in the title role, Teresa Stich-Randall
Teresa Stich-Randall
Teresa Stich-Randall was a European-based American soprano opera singer.-Biography:Teresa Stich-Randall was born in New Hartford, Connecticut in 1927 and studied at The Hartt School in West Hartford....
as Amenaide, Francesco Albanese
Francesco Albanese
Francesco Albanese was a lyric tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory....
as Argirio, Mario Petri
Mario Petri
Mario Petri was an Italian operatic bass particularly associated with Mozart and Rossini roles....
as Orbazzano, and Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin
-Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire...
conducting.
Following the discovery of the long-lost tragic ending and the preparation of the critical edition by Philip Gossett
Philip Gossett
Philip Gossett is an American musicologist and historian, and recently officially retired from the post of Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music at the University of Chicago...
and others at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1976, the work was revived 25 years later, at which time mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
performed the title role with the Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
on 13 October 1977. Ms. Horne, who is now strongly associated with the title role, 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 use the Ferrara conclusion, while some include the Venice finale as an extra track.
Horne's triumphant performance of Tancredi in Houston soon led to invitations from other opera houses to sing the role, and it is largely through her efforts that the opera enjoyed a surge of revivals during the latter half of the 20th century. She sang the part for performances at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
(1977), the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
(1979), the Aix-en-Provence Festival
Aix-en-Provence Festival
The festival international d'art lyrique is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in the month of July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental music.-Establishment:The...
(1981), La Fenice (1981, 1983), and the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
(1989) among others.
While Tancredi is not one of the more frequently mounted operas, it has now become less of a rarity on the opera stage. Contralto Ewa Podleś
Ewa Podles
Ewa Podleś is an internationally celebrated Polish coloratura contralto with a very wide vocal range and great vocal agility....
achieved recognition in the title role, performing it at the Vlaamse Opera
Vlaamse Opera
The Vlaamse Opera ' is an opera company in Belgium directed by Aviel Cahn which operates in two different opera houses in two Flemish cities, the Vlaamse Opera Antwerpen at Van Ertbornstraat 8 and the Vlaamse Opera Ghent at Schouwburgstraat 3...
(1991), La Scala (1993), the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
(1996), the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
(2005), the Caramoor International Music Festival
Caramoor International Music Festival
The Caramoor International Music Festival is a summer music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Inc., which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Katonah, New York.The Caramoor...
(2006), the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
(2007) and Opera Boston
Opera Boston
Opera Boston is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specializes in innovative repertoire and rarely heard works, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to children, in schools and after-school programs throughout the Boston area.Its home base is...
(2009) among others. She also recorded the role on the Naxos label in 1995. Bulgarian 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...
Vesselina Kasarova
Vesselina Kasarova
Vesselina Kasarova is a Bulgarian mezzo-soprano opera singer.- Early life and education :Vesselina Kasarova was born in the central Bulgarian town of Stara Zagora. Under the communist regime she studied Russian as a second language and had an early start in music education...
has also been praised in the role, singing it at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
(1992), the Opera Orchestra of New York
Opera Orchestra of New York
The Opera Orchestra of New York specializes in the performance of opera in concert form. It is particularly known for its work in presenting rarely performed repertory...
(1997), and on a 1996 recording with the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Munich Radio Orchestra.
Pier Luigi Pizzi
Pier Luigi Pizzi
Pier Luigi Pizzi is an Italian opera director, set designer, and costume designer.-Biography:Pizzi was born in Milan, Italy, and earned a degree in architecture at the Politecnico of Milan...
staged a lauded production of Tancredi at the Teatro Rossini
Teatro Rossini (Pesaro)
Teatro Rossini is the name of an opera house in Pesaro, Italy that serves as a venue for the Rossini Opera Festival.Built as the Teatro Nuovo , it was inaugurated on 10 June 1818 with a performance of Gioacchino Rossini's La gazza ladra conducted by the composer in the town of his birth...
in Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
in 1999, a production which was later transported to the Rossini Opera Festival
Rossini Opera Festival
The Rossini Opera Festival is an opera festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini....
in 2004, and then to Rome and Florence (where it was filmed for DVD with Daniela Barcellona in the title role) in 2005. Barcellona sang Tancredi again in a new staging of the opera at the Teatro Regio di Turino in November 2009 after reprising the part in February 2009 at the Teatro de la Maestranza
Teatro de la Maestranza
The Teatro de la Maestranza is an opera house located in Seville, Spain.The theatre was conceived to be one of the main cultural venues of the Seville Expo '92 , and the first performance took place in 1991, shortly before the inauguration of the International Expo. The theatre was re-refurnished...
. The Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
mounted the work for the first time in October 2009 with Vivica Genaux
Vivica Genaux
Vivica Genaux is an American coloratura mezzo-soprano. Her father, an American of Belgian-Welsh descent, was a biochemistry professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and her mother, Mexican-born of Swiss-German extraction, was a language teacher...
in the title role and René Jacobs conducting. The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. Despite its name, the theatre is not on the Champs-Élysées but nearby in another part of the 8th arrondissement of Paris....
presented the opera in concert in December 2009 with Nora Gubisch as Tancredi.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 6, 1813 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Tancredi, an exiled Syracusean soldier | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... or 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... |
Adelaide Melanotte-Montresor Adelaide Malanotte Adelaide Malanotte was an Italian operatic contralto who performed in major opera houses in Italy from 1806–1821. She is best known for creating the title role in the world premiere of Gioachino Rossini's Tancredi in 1813. After her marriage, she performed under the name Adelaide Montresor... |
| Amenaide, the daughter of a noble family, in love with Tancredi | 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... |
Elisabetta Manfredini Guarmani |
| Argirio, father of Amenaide; head of his family, at war with the family of Orbazzano | 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... |
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 |
| Roggiero, Tancredi's squire | mezzo-soprano or tenor | Carolina Sivelli |
| Knights, nobles, squires, Syracusans, Saracens; ladies-in-waiting, warriors, pages, guards, etc | ||
Background
The city of SyracuseSyracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
is tethered by conflict and war between the Byzantine empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, with which it has an unstable truce, and the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
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.
- Place: the SicilianSicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
city-state of SyracuseSyracuse, ItalySyracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in... - Time: AD 1005
- Venetian version:
Act 1
Warring nobles Argirio and Orbazzano have agreed to a truce in the face of a greater threat: the approaching army of Solamir. The Senate has already given Tancredi's confiscated estates to Orbazzano, and now Argirio offers him his (Argirio's) daughter, Amenaide, in marriage. She dutifully consents to the arrangement, although she loves the exiled Tancredi. Soon, a letter she sends to her love falls into the hands of Orbazzano's agent near Solamir's camp. Amenaide has deliberately omitted Tancredi's name for his protection, and so it is assumed that the letter was intended for Solamir. A furious Orbazzano publicly reveals the letter at his own wedding ceremony, and Amenaide is sentenced to death for treason.Act 2
Tancredi, who has returned incognito and offered his service to Argirio, believes that his love has been betrayed. Despite this, he challenges Orbazzano to a duel in defence of Amenaide's honor and life. He wins the duel, killing Orbazzano and winning Amenaide's freedom, before leading his fellow Syracusans into battle against Solamir.Recordings
| Year | Cast (Tancredi, Amenaide, Argirio, Orbazzano) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Fiorenza Cossotto Fiorenza Cossotto Fiorenza Cossotto is an Italian mezzo soprano. She is considered by many to be one of the great mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century.-Life and career:... , Lella Cuberli Lella Cuberli Lella Cuberli is an American soprano, particularly associated with the Belcanto repertory.Born Lella Terell in Austin, Texas, she studied in Dallas and later in Milan... , Werner Hollweg, Nicola Ghiuselev |
Gabriele Ferro, Capella Coloniesis and Chorus of Westdeutschen Rundfunks |
Audio CD: Fonit Cetra Cat: 2564 69972-7 |
| 1981 | Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... , Lella Cuberli Lella Cuberli Lella Cuberli is an American soprano, particularly associated with the Belcanto repertory.Born Lella Terell in Austin, Texas, she studied in Dallas and later in Milan... , Ernesto Palacio Ernesto Palacio Ernesto Palacio is a Peruvian tenor, particularly associated with Rossini and Mozart roles.Palacio first studied theology before turning to music... , Nicola Zaccaria Nicola Zaccaria Nicola Zaccaria , born Nicholas Angelos Zachariou was a Greek bass.-Career:Born in Piraeus, Zaccaria studied at the Athens Conservatory where he enjoyed his debut in 1949, aged 26. He sang at La Scala in 1953 and his position as a mainstay of the bass operatic repertoire was assured thereafter. He... |
Ralf Weikert, La Fenice Orchestra and Chorus La Fenice Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres... (Recording of a performance in La Fenice, December) |
Audio CD: Mondo Musica Cat: MFOH 1074 |
| 1992 | Bernadette Manca di Nissa Bernadette Manca di Nissa Bernadette Manca di Nissa is an Italian operatic contralto who has sung leading roles in the principal opera houses of Italy as well as internationally... , Maria Bayo, Raul Gimenez Raúl Giménez Raúl Giménez , is an operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian bel canto repertory, in which he is considered one of the best exponent in recent years.Giménez was born in the small town of Carlos Pellegrini, Argentina... , Ildebrando D'Arcangelo Ildebrando D'Arcangelo Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer.-Biography:A Native of Pescara, Abruzzo, D'Arcangelo began his studies in 1985 at the conservatory of Luisa D'Annunzio in Pescara, under Maria Vittoria Romano, honing his skills under Paride Venturi in Bologna.From 1989 to 1991 he... |
Gianluigi Gelmetti Gianluigi Gelmetti Gianluigi Gelmetti is an Italian conductor and composer.He studied conducting with Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Hans Swarowsky. He first conducted an orchestra in Siena at age 16.... Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Stuttgart (Recording of a performance at the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen Schlosstheater Schwetzingen Schlosstheater Schwetzingen is a theater in Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The historic building, opened in 1753, is part of the Schwetzingen Castle and since 1952 the principal venue of the Schwetzingen Festival. It is also called Hoftheater , Hofoper , and Comoedienhaus... |
DVD: Arthaus Musik Cat: 100 206 (Europe); 100 207 (US) |
| 1995 | Ewa Podleś Ewa Podles Ewa Podleś is an internationally celebrated Polish coloratura contralto with a very wide vocal range and great vocal agility.... , Sumi Jo, Stanford Olsen, Pietro Spagnoli |
Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda Alberto Zedda is an Italian conductor and musicologist, a specialist of the 19th century Italian repertoire.Zedda studied in his native Milan with Antonino Votto and Carlo Maria Giulini, and made his debut there as conductor in 1956, with Il barbiere di Siviglia... , Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, Capella Brugensis (recorded at the Poissy Theatre and the Centre Musical-Lyrique-Phonographique, Île de France, from 26 to 31 January 1994) |
Audio CD: Naxos Cat: 8.660037-8 |
| 1995 | Vesselina Kasarova Vesselina Kasarova Vesselina Kasarova is a Bulgarian mezzo-soprano opera singer.- Early life and education :Vesselina Kasarova was born in the central Bulgarian town of Stara Zagora. Under the communist regime she studied Russian as a second language and had an early start in music education... , Eva Mei, Ramón Vargas Ramón Vargas Ramón Vargas is an award-winning Mexican operatic tenor. Since his debut in the early '90s, he has developed to become one of the most acclaimed tenors of the 21st century. Known for his most expressive and agile lyric tenor voice, he is especially successful in the bel canto... , Harry Peeters |
Roberto Abbado Roberto Abbado Roberto Abbado is an Italian conductor. He is the son of musician Marcello Abbado and the nephew of conductor Claudio Abbado... , Münchener Sinfonieorchester, Bayrischer Rundfunkchor |
Audio CD: RCA Victor Cat: 09026 68349-2 |
| 2003 | Daniela Barcellona, Mariola Cantarero, Charles Workman Charles H. Workman Charles H. Workman was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was sometimes credited as C. Herbert Workman or C. H... , Nicola Ulivieri |
Paolo Arrivabeni, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste |
DVD: Kicco Classics Cat: KCOU 9004 |
External links
- Full score of the overture to this opera