#carlo pepoli

[valentina-lauricella]

Elisabetta Sirani e il "ritratto impossibile" di Leopardi

["Esempio parlante della capricciosa iniquità del destino"; "corpo mal conformato e malescio"; "grande infelice"; "disperata e funesta filosofia".]

[rayatii]

Raya Recounts: a brand-new series of overly-detailed opera summaries with unsolicited commentary!

Yeah, I have pulled yet another massive hiatus on these, but hopefully you’ll forgive me.

Episode 4: I puritani

I puritani (“The Puritans”) is a 3-act opera by Vincenzo Bellini. Bellini was one of the big BIG names among composers of the bel canto era, which also include Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti (the composer for our first selection). Bel canto is Italian for “beautiful singing”, and Bellini was no stranger to that; in the world of opera, he is mostly applauded for the vocal lines he wrote, which tend to be absolutely beautiful, especially compared to his instrumentals (subjective opinion, sorry). Bellini’s works are significantly more obscure to the general public than those of the previous composers I have covered, but some people might be familiar with the aria “Casta diva” from his opera Norma.

Today’s opera was Bellini’s final work before his untimely death at age 33.

The libretto was written by Carlo Pepoli, based on the play Têtes rondes et cavaliers (“Roundheads and Cavaliers”) by Jacques-François Ancelot and Xavier Boniface Saintine (GOD, they have like sixty million different forms of their names on their works, so I went with IMSLP’s input). There doesn’t seem to be anything else that these three guys came up with that is less obscure than today’s selection.

The plot is known for being kind of flimsy, but the quality of the vocal music definitely makes up for it, and for the longest time it has been, and still remains, a favorite of the big opera houses to put on to show off their greatest stars’ vocal virtuosity.

You know the drill, same as always: bolding the solo characters’ names and giving potentially bad Italian translations for the important numbers. They are a bit more difficult to divide than the previous installment, so please bear with me.

This is for @carlodivarga-s, who suggested this title. Let me know if any of you have an opera you would like me to give the Raya Recounts treatment to!

Spoilers, of course!

Because this is a historical opera, let me clarify the historical context before I start; this is set in England during the English Civil War, which was a conflict between “Cavaliers/Royalists”, i.e., supporters of King Charles I, and supporters of the Parliament of England (or “Roundheads”, named such because of the cropped hairstyles that many Puritans, who formed a important number of members of that group, tended to sport, in contrast to the long ringlets that were fashionable at the royal court at the time). As you may have guessed, the conflict was about whether or not England should continue to be a monarchy and ruled by the so-called “divine right of kings”, and the whole shtick was followed by the monarchy being overthrown in favor of the Parliament, Oliver Cromwell ruling as Lord Protector for nearly 5 years, and the monarchy being restored years later with Charles II, son of Charles I.

You may have noticed that I am very much anti-monarchy (this is Tumblr, this is hardly going to get me cancelled), but please know that Puritans in this time and place remain known today for being humongous killjoys, who outlawed things such as theatre and Christmas on the grounds of these practices being supposedly sinful and whatnot. No wonder the term “puritanical” nowadays represents unreasonably rigid strictness. So historically, I'm not sure I would want to stand on either side.

I have to admit that I got most of that historical knowledge from the show “Horrible Histories”, though I did use more than this as a source in my research!

Anyway, back to our opera!

After a prelude in D major (which I noticed is a key very frequently used throughout the opera), Act 1, Scene 1 opens on a fortress in England, sometime in the 1640s or so, at dawn. According to the libretto, there are sentinels marching. We hear an offstage chorus setting the scene (Chorus: All’erta! All’erta! L’alba appari; “On your guard! On your guard! The dawn is appearing” or something like that). Then, the reveille sounds, represented in the orchestra by French horns; it is followed by a lengthy drumroll, after which a chorus of soldiers, led by Bruno, a tenor who somehow never gets a description in other summaries of this opera beside his name (I’ll assume he is a leader of the soldiers), enter while carrying weapons and anticipating a victory over the Stuart clan (i.e., the Royalist side). We now know that these people are Puritans.

Church bells and some organ music are heard. As the soldiers kneel down in prayer, singers offstage (who are somehow listed in the score as the principals) praise God and all his glory and stuff (O, di Cromvèl guerrieri; “O, warriors of Cromwell”. Yeah, we’ll get a bunch more of English names Italianized to a pretty ridiculous degree throughout this opera).

After that, a chorus of people from the castle come onstage, mingling with the soldiers and calling for celebrations; everyone present then sings the praises of one Elvira, a young maiden who has found true love and is to be married today (A festa!; “Let us celebrate!” or something like that).

Everyone leaves except Bruno. Riccardo, a baritone and a leader of the castle’s army, comes onstage and starts lamenting the loss of his beloved Elvira. Bruno encourages him to tell him about his troubles. Riccardo explains that before he went off to fight, Elvira’s father promised him her hand in marriage, but when he returned the evening before, he was told that Elvira is in love with a Cavalier named Talbo (an Italianized form of “Talbot”), and that nothing can change her heart, meaning that he had to be released from his engagement (Recitative: Or dove fuggo io mai?; “Now where shall I flee to?”).

Bruno tries to get Riccardo to chill, but Riccardo insists on wallowing in his heartbreak (Aria: Ah! per sempre io ti perdei; “Ah! I have lost you forever”. Unusually for a baritone, he doesn’t seem to have any thoughts of vengeance and murder, at least so far, which is quite a massive relief).

After some vocal acrobatics woven rather well in a mournful tune, some horns and trumpets sound. Bruno tells Riccardo that it’s the army calling him (Riccardo), and tries, to not much avail, to get him to forget about his love issues for now and instead focus on the fire of glory and patriotism. They both leave.

Scene 2 switches the scene to Elvira’s bedroom (I forgot to mention that she is the daughter of whoever owns the castle, but it’s rather easy to figure it out). Present there are Elvira, a coloratura soprano (i.e., a soprano who specializes in crazy vocal acrobatics) who is moping around sorrowfully, and Giorgio, a bass and her uncle, whom she very close to. So close, in fact, that she literally calls him her second father in her first line. As he embraces her, Giorgio asks Elvira the reason for her mopey-ness, and when he brings up her upcoming wedding, she immediately recoils and goes on about how she will go insane and die of grief if she has to be dragged to the altar against her will (hmmmmm, foreshadowing of some kind???) (Aria: Sai com’arde; “You know how it blazes”).

Okay, so we now know that Elvira hasn’t been told yet of the last-minute bridegroom switch, but when Giorgio tells her that she will get to be with her beloved Arturo (said Talbo guy mentioned earlier), she absolutely rejoices and embraces him. She asks him how this came to be, and he explains that the night before, her tears and prayers touched his soul to the point that he managed to tearfully convince his brother, i.e., her father, that she would die if she were to marry someone other than Arturo (Aria (at least listed as an aria for Giorgio in the libretto, though Elvira has a few lines): Piangi, o figlia; “Cry, o daughter”).

Horns are heard; it’s a signal of the guards. Elvira and Giorgio listen carefully as an offstage male chorus announces the arrival of Arturo Talbo. Elvira is so absolutely overjoyed that she claims not to be able to believe it (Duet: A quel nome; “At this name”).

Scene 3 takes us to a weapons room, where Elvira, Giorgio, Valton (Italianized form of “Walton”), Elvira’s father and a bass just like his brother, as well as a chorus of the people from the castle all gather to welcome Arturo. The chorus sings in praise of Elvira’s beauty and Arturo’s valor and the love match between them (Chorus: Ad Arturo onore; “Honor to Arturo”).

Then in comes the long-expected Arturo, a noble tenor, accompanied by squires and pages carrying wedding presents, including a veil. Arturo starts singing to Elvira all about his happiness stemming from his love for her, which used to make him sad back when they were not an approved match (Aria (tho with quite a few lines from the principals and the chorus, which makes it often labeled as a quartet in some sources): A te, o cara; “To you, o darling”, one of the most famous bits in the whole opera. It actually contains a written high C-sharp (C#5) for Arturo!!! Tenors gotta have some flexible highs to sing this role, and that will only become more prominent the farther we go). Elvira and Arturo express their joy, Giorgio and Valton ask for not a single shadow of sadness to cloud this happy moment, and everyone, including the chorus, calls on Heaven to smile upon this union.

After that, Valton says that he won’t be able to attend the ceremony, and gives Arturo a pass that will grant him safe conduct up till the church (the libretto calls it “tempio” (“temple”), which I know is a name for a Protestant church in some contexts, but I’m not really sure when it comes to the Church of England specifically), asking Giorgio to accompany them. He then addresses some unknown lady, telling her that the Parliament is asking for her, and that he is to escort her there. Said woman, a mezzo, despairs internally, then asks what the Parliament wants from her. Valton replies that he must obey this order without question.

Arturo asks Giorgio about her, and Giorgio explains that she is a prisoner who is believed to be a spy for the Stuarts. Arturo is struck with pity for the mysterious lady, and she internally notices his pitiful expression. Valton calls for the wedding preparations, as well as his departure, to proceed, and everyone leaves except for Arturo (after making sure he is not seen) and the unknown lady.

After briefly assessing him internally, the lady addresses Arturo, who tells her that if she needs anything, she can trust him. She confesses that she is in danger of dying soon, and he mentions that his father died supporting the Stuarts, and affirms his intention of saving her. She says her fate is already sealed, as she is none other than Enrichetta (Henrietta Maria), daughter of Henry IV of France and the widow of Charles I of England, which makes her the (former) Queen of England!!

Arturo, ever faithful to his Royalist duties, immediately insists on escorting Enrichetta to safety (man, it’s rare to see a tenor who puts duty above love), but she firmly believes that there is no hope left for her, and begs him to think of the danger, and especially of Elvira, whom he is literally meant to marry in mere minutes. Arturo begs her not to weaken his courage by mentioning the one he loves, and both go on and on about all this, until they are interrupted by an incredibly cheerful Elvira, who comes in all dressed in her wedding clothes and carrying her veil.

Elvira compares herself to an April lily and basically just describes her appearance, which includes roses in her hair and a pearl necklace (Polonaise (in this case, an aria in the style of a polonaise, which is a type of Polish folk dance with a 3/4 time signature (i.e., like a waltz)): Son vergin vezzosa; “I am a charming virgin”. Vocal acrobatics galore). As she sings, Arturo, Enrichetta and Giorgio (who has also come by this time, I guess) compare her disposition to a nightingale and the moon appearing through clouds at night.

Elvira asks Enrichetta to help her with the ringlets of her hair, and places her veil on Enrichetta’s head as Arturo and Giorgio ask her (Enrichetta) to excuse Elvira’s playful behavior. As Elvira continues to fool around, Enrichetta and Arturo continue praying for safety while Giorgio internally compares Elvira to a zephyr, a rainbow and a sylph. Then, Valton and the chorus come in calling for Elvira to get ready. She entrusts Arturo to give her back the veil later, before she leaves with Giorgio and nearly everyone else.

As Arturo and Enrichetta are left alone, Arturo notices that the veil hiding Enrichetta’s face might just be the thing that will help her escape safely, but before they can make a move, in comes Riccardo to stop Arturo from stealing his beloved (he thinks the woman under the veil is Elvira; ah, the operatic classic of not recognizing someone with a concealed face!), and he challenges Arturo to a duel to the death by swords, which he smugly accepts (Trio: Fermi! Invan, invan rapir pretendi; “Stop! In vain, in vain you try to kidnap” or something like that. This one was difficult to translate so I copied it from the aria-database). But Enrichetta steps in between them to stop them from fighting, at which point her disguise gets shed and Riccardo recognizes her as the prisoner.

Riccardo suddenly decides to let the two of them escape, and as Arturo bids an internal farewell to Elvira, we hear Elvira, Bruno, Giorgio, Valton and the chorus approaching. Of course, given the situation (opposing clans, rivals in love, etc.), Arturo asks Riccardo if he’s gonna snitch on them before they go beyond the walls of the fortress, and Riccardo swears that he won’t. Well, as the three characters briefly speak to themselves internally, we learn that Riccardo does not intend on keeping this promise and looks forward to Arturo’s downfall, while Arturo himself internally proclaims his everlasting love for Elvira, and Enrichetta looks forward to seeing her son (Charles II, I guess??). Arturo and Enrichetta finally leave, and Riccardo watches them escape (this is a fortress, after all).

Then in come Elvira, Bruno, Giorgio, Valton and the Chorus. Everyone asks Riccardo where Arturo is, and OF COURSE, the jealous snitch tells everyone that he is long gone, and everyone else sees that he has escaped with the prisoner. As Elvira cries out in despair, Riccardo and Giorgio call for soldiers to catch the two traitors, and everyone else joins in the call to arms.

But then, Elvira notices that the woman with Arturo in the distance is wearing a white veil, and that he is treating her as his bride and calling her Elvira, and this messes with her mind and makes her really, REALLY upset. Everyone around becomes incredibly worried about her. Then, she hallucinates Arturo coming back and she repeatedly tells him to come with her to the church. It becomes clear to everyone that Elvira has officially lost her mind in true operatic fashion, and they all pity her. Of course, they blame that traitor Arturo for this whole fiasco, and remark on how pure Elvira’s heart is for her to still love him as much as she does.

Then, Elvira’s mood suddenly switches again, and she sees (here, I’m not sure of she actually sees or “sees”) Arturo fleeing, and starts cursing him for abandoning her. As she expresses a delirious sort of rage growing inside her, everyone else continues cursing Arturo, and the curtain falls as they swear revenge.

And then Elvira dies of her insanity because it is a known fact that sopranos who have a mad scene in an opera ALWAYS die. :)

The end! ❤❤❤ This has been an overly-detailed opera summary with unsolicited commentary, I hope you-

Raya, stop messing around and misleading your readers, this is only the first act, no one has died, the opera is far from finished.

Sorry, sorry. Anyway, here it goes:

Act 2 (only one scene this time) opens in some random room in that same fortress. A chorus of people of the castle sing (to a tune that’s a slight tad joyful imo) in sadness about poor Elvira’s (who hasn’t died, by the way) insanity; she is crying all the time, and at one point she was seen wandering in nature, screaming “Have mercy! Have mercy!” (Chorus: Ah dolor! Ah terror!; “Ah, what pain! Ah, what terror!”).

Giorgio then comes in, and the chorus people ask him for updates on Elvira’s condition; she is currently resting, her mood keeps switching between sadness and happiness, and she sometimes has temporary moments of clarity. The chorus asks for more details, and Giorgio initially refuses out of sadness, but at the chorus’ insistence, he describes Elvira’s behavior, including wandering around with flowers around her hair while crying out “Where has Elvira gone? Where has Elvira gone?”, hallucinating herself getting married and then crying for Arturo to come back, as well as mistaking other people for Arturo, then realizing her error and crying and wishing for death, ye typical operatic mad scene stuff (Aria: Cinta di fiori; “Garlanded with flowers”). *Sighs in psychology ho*. Of course, everyone continues cursing Arturo.

Then Riccardo comes in with news that Arturo has been sentenced to death by the Parliament. Everyone considers this a rightful punishment for his betrayal, and Riccardo adds that Valton has been declared innocent of the whole thing. Riccardo asks Giorgio about Elvira, and Giorgio explains that according to doctors, only a sudden emotional shock, joyful or tragic, will restore Elvira’s state of mind (wait, isn’t that how amnesia is represented in media??). Riccardo gives orders that should Arturo (who is still on the run) ever be seen around here, he must be treated with no mercy.

The chorus leaves, and we hear Elvira offstage, asking to either be given back hope or to die. Riccardo and Giorgio pity her, of course. Then Elvira comes onstage, looking disheveled and clearly disturbed. She angsts about Arturo’s betrayal as Giorgio and Riccardo continue pitying her (damn, half of this opera is basically people crying for Elvira!!) (Aria: Qui la voce; “Here, the voice”). Then, Elvira notices Giorgio, whom she doesn’t recognize at first but then mistakes for her father, and joyfully assumes that he’s here to take her to get married. Then, she notices Riccardo (whom she seemingly mistakes for Arturo? I’m not sure) weeping. Their brief conversation leads her to acutely remember her heartbreak.

Then, Elvira smiles suddenly, and she hallucinates Arturo being here and calls for him to come back to her, seemingly in a mix of joy and pain, as Riccardo and Giorgio continue pitying her (Cabaletta (as we said 2 episodes ago, the more animated section of an aria, complete with vocal acrobatics): Vien, diletto; “Come, beloved”). The men tell her she should go rest, and she eventually leaves.

Giorgio tells Riccardo that he must save Arturo (Duet: Il rival salvar tu dèi; “You must save your rival”, still not 100% sure if this is how to spell the Italian “dèi”). Riccardo replies that he cannot, that it’s in the Parliament’s will for Arturo to die, and that he does not abhor him in any way. But Giorgio correctly guesses that Riccardo doesn’t actually want to save Arturo, because he is still jealous. Giorgio continues to insist on his point, saying that if Arturo were to go down, Elvira would go down with him, and that their ghosts would haunt him (Riccardo), but this does not move Riccardo.

Eventually, Giorgio manages to win Riccardo over, because of the fact that patriotism comes hand in hand with mercy. But they also agree that should Arturo ever come armed among the enemy ranks (there is a battle scheduled at dawn on the next day), he will perish at Riccardo’s hand. Both end the act singing a duet all about patriotism and the glory of dying in the name of freedom for the nation (Duet: Suoni la tromba; “Sound the trumpet”, another of the more famous bits of the opera).

(Fun fact: the melody of Suoni la tromba was used in my first school’s anthem, tho taken one half-step down. For privacy reasons, I obviously won’t make you listen to the school anthem, so have instead the whole actual Act 2 finale from Il rival salvar tu dèi to Suoni la tromba, sung by Samuel Ramey and Sherril Milnes. I used this specific recording in my 5th “Opera(s) as Vines” video. But just so you know, they take a few cuts.)

(Also, I think I read somewhere that this opera was meant to be only 2 acts, but the second act was split into two after Suoni la tromba. But I’m not sure, tho this might explain why Act 1 is longer than Acts 2 and 3.)

After a brief prelude in D minor that alludes to a hurricane (at least according to the score), Act 3 (also only one scene) opens in a wooded area near the fortress. We may or may not see some armed people walking around at some point, looking for someone, but they leave soon enough. Finally, a very exhausted Arturo runs in onstage. Seeing that he is all alone, he allows himself to take a break (Recitative: Son salvo, alfin son salvo; “I am safe, finally I am safe”). We learn that he is still on the run, and so far he has managed to outrun his pursuers. He expresses deep love for his homeland, which he remarks is especially prominent for him as an exile.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of a harp, followed by Elvira’s offstage voice, singing a song about a sad troubadour sitting at a fountain and singing a love song (Aria: A una fonte afflitto e solo; “At a fountain, afflicted and along”). Arturo immediately recognizes this tune as a song they used to sing in these woods back in the days of their still-not-really-approved courtship. He calls for her, but no one responds, so he resorts to singing that same song about that same, constantly-depressed troubadour sitting at a fountain, striking a harp and singing a sad song.

Suddenly, Arturo hears drumrolls and a military march, as well as an offstage male chorus, and he realizes that he is still being pursued, so he hides away as a bunch of men-at-arms come onstage, looking around for him, and he manages to remain unseen until they leave.

As soon as the men are gone, Arturo comes out of hiding, and he considers entering Elvira’s place and telling her everything, but then he realizes that doing that would be too dangerous for both himself and Elvira, so he decides instead to continue singing their song, hoping that it will reach her somehow. He now sings about an exiled pilgrim who is also constantly depressed, and whose story seems to mirror Arturo’s own situation, at least in my opinion.

At some point either during or after the song, depending on the director’s choices, Elvira shows up. She gets sad when the singing stops, and goes back to longing for Arturo, at which point he shows up in front of her, asking for her forgiveness. A joyful reunion between the lovebirds ensues.

Arturo goes on about how happy he is to behold her once more after such a long time (three months, to be exact). Elvira describes all the pain she experienced during his absence, which felt like not three months but three centuries for her. He then explains to her the whole shtick with the prisoner woman from Act 1, who was none other than the Queen herself, and about how he ran away with her in order to save her from a death sentence. Elvira is so struck by this piece of info that she feels a sudden clarity in her mind. He assures her that he loves her with all his heart and they sing a passionate love duet together, reaffirming their love for each other over and over, and promising to stay together forever (Duet: Vieni, vieni fra queste braccia; “Come, come into these arms”. It contains 2 written high D’s (D5) for Arturo!!! the latter of which can be shared with Elvira, depending on the singer). They may or may not kiss at the end, depending on the production, because, I mean. The music.

But this moment of ecstasy is short-lived for our lovers, as we hear a horn followed by some more drumrolls and that same military march from earlier. Arturo immediately knows it’s his pursuers, and Elvira starts speaking incoherently, which makes him realize her state of Operatic Insanity™. We hear a male chorus from offstage singing in praise of Cromwell’s England, and Arturo tries to get Elvira to go hide with him, but she believes that he’s trying to leave her again for that woman he ran away with, and so she physically blocks him and calls for reinforcements while he tells her to be quiet.

The entire chorus of soldiers and castle-people, as well as Riccardo and Giorgio, show up onstage, and when Riccardo and the soldiers announce that Arturo has been sentenced to death, Elvira’s shock is so intense that literally everyone notices; this seems to be the emotional shock required to cure her insanity.

One of those large ensembles typical of bel canto operas, where everyone is singing something different, starts: Arturo announces that he’d be happy to die alongside Elvira, Elvira basically says the same thing, and Giorgio, the female chorus and even fucking Riccardo himself all feel pity towards the lovers (Quartet with chorus: Credeasi, misera; “She believed, the wretched one”). But the soldiers demand to proceed with the execution, much to everyone else’s despair. After embracing Elvira and bidding her farewell, Arturo chides the soldiers for upsetting Elvira and begs them to keep it together for just one moment, to not much avail.

(Fun fact: this piece is known to contain a high F (F5) for Arturo. Yeah, you read it right, a fucking high F!!!!! It’s so borderline impossible to hit that most tenors resort to singing a D-flat (Db 5) instead, which is already pretty high. Even so, those who can reach the high F usually sing it falsetto. Listen for example to the ever-legendary Luciano Pavarotti sing it (high F at 4:51).)

But then, we hear the sound of horns, announcing the arrival of a herald, and therefore a message (Finale: Suon d’araldi?; “The sound of heralds?”). Letters are brought in, and after reading them, Giorgio and Riccardo announce to everybody that the Stuarts have been defeated, and the Royal(ist) prisoners have all been pardoned; England has been liberated! (well, I mean... given, well. Everything that Puritans at this time and place stood for, I’m kinda calling this into question. But for the sake of the opera, I’m gonna allow myself some suspension of disbelief.)

Wait, what?? A happy ending??? In my non-comic bel canto opera????? More likely than you think!!!!! Anyway, everyone celebrates and sings the praises of Cromwell, before wishing long days of happiness to the extremely joyful and more-in-love-than-ever Elvira and Arturo (who has therefore now been freed of his death sentence), the curtain drops of these joyous festivities and everyone lives happily ever after as far as we know, given that I’m not super-familiar with more of the deeper details of the historical context.

The end! ❤❤❤ This has been an overly-detailed opera summary with unsolicited commentary, I hope you enjoyed ;)

- Raya / rayatii

(PS: I wanna give a quick shoutout to the production of this opera by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège from 2004, which was the first (and so far only) production of this opera that I watched, and which really helped me with the making of this post. Having only watched one production while writing this made it more difficult than the previous installments, and I had my doubt at times, but I’m really glad I pulled through.)

(PPS: fun fact: okay, I hate the British royalty just as much as the next Tumblr user, but this was apparently Queen Victoria’s favorite opera, and she would refer to it as “dear Puritani”. It also apparently the first opera that she and her beloved Prince Albert attended together before marrying.)

(PPPS: while I was doing some deeply detailed translation research for this post, I accidentally learned that the Italian word “pompa”, as well as meaning “pump”, also means “blowjob”. I probably will never be able to look at this opera the same way again, and I’m really frustrated that Tumblr doesn’t have a spoiler option like Discord, meaning that I won’t be able to protect your eyes from this...)

[elfinaldelcamino]

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)

Bellini es conocido por sus ópera románticas de hermosas melodías de largo desarrollo. Nacido en Catania (Sicilia), recibió altos reconocimientos por su obra belcantista pese a su corta vida. Títulos como La straniera (1828), I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830), Norma (1831), La sonnambula (1831) y su canto del cisne I Puritani (1834) le convierten en uno de los compositores imprescindibles para el repertorio de todos los teatros de ópera occidental.

Retrato de Vincenzo Bellini

I Puritani (1835) es sin duda una de las ópera más exitosas de Bellini. Nos transporta a tiempos de la guerra civil inglesa y acerca a los corazones de dos enamorados pertenecientes a los bandos enfrentados en ella: realistas y puritanos. Arias maravillosas como A te o cara o Son vergin vezzosa o Cinta di fiori dibujan una trama dramática escrita por Carlo Pepoli y estrenada y producida en el Théâtre-Italien de París gracias a la complicidad de Gioacchino Rossini.

I Puritani se estrenó en el Théâtre la Comédie-Italienne, o Théatre-Italien (Paris XIVème).

[monotonous-minutia]

tbh I’m not used to the baritone getting this line

[opera-ghosts]

Marietta Alboni (6 March 1826 – 23 June 1894) was a renowned Italian contralto opera singer. She is considered as 'one of the greatest contraltos in operatic history'. She became a pupil of Antonio Bagioli [it] of Cesena, Emilia–Romagna, and later of the composer Gioachino Rossini, when he was 'perpetual honorary adviser' in (and then the principal of) the Liceo Musicale, now Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini, in Bologna. Rossini tested the humble thirteen-year-old girl himself, had her admitted to the school with special treatment, and even procured her an early engagement to tour his Stabat Mater around Northern Italy, so that she could pay for her studies. After she achieved her diploma and made a modest debut in Bologna, in 1842, as "Climene" in Pacini's Saffo, she obtained a triennial engagement thanks to Rossini's influence on the impresario Bartolomeo Merelli, Intendant at both Milan's Teatro alla Scala and Vienna's Imperial Kärntnertortheater. The favourable contract was signed by Rossini himself, "on behalf of Eustachio Alboni", father of Marietta, who was still a minor. The singer remained, throughout her life, deeply grateful to her ancient "maestro", nearly a second father to her. Her debut at Teatro alla Scala took place in December 1842 as "Neocle" in the Italian version of Le siège de Corinthe, which was followed by roles in operas by Marliani, Donizetti (as "Maffio Orsini" and "Leonora" in the Scala premiere of an Italian version of La favorite), Salvi and Pacini. In the season 1844–1845 she was engaged in the Saint Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre; later, in 1846–47, she toured the principal cities of Central Europe, finally reaching London and Paris, where she settled permanently. In London, "she appeared in leading roles by Rossini and Donizetti (where she outshone Giulia Grisi and Jenny Lind) and also sang Cherubino (performing with Henriette Sontag)". For the 1848 London run of Les Huguenots, Meyerbeer transposed the role of the page "Urbain" 'from soprano to contralto and composed the aria "Non! – non, non, non, non, non! Vous n'avez jamais, je gage" in Act 2' for her.On 28 August 1848, she sang at a concert in Manchester's Concert Hall, sharing the stage with Lorenzo Salvi and Frédéric Chopin. She toured the United States in 1852–53, appearing there with Camilla Urso. In 1853 she wed a nobleman, Count Carlo Pepoli, of the Papal States, but she kept her maiden name for the stage. In 1863 she had to retire the first time on account of her husband's serious mental illness. He died in 1867. A year later, in 1868, Alboni would take part in the funeral of her beloved master and friend, Rossini, in the Église de la Sainte-Trinité. There she sang, alongside Adelina Patti, the leading soprano of the time, a stanza of Dies irae, "Liber scriptum", adjusted to the music of the duet "Quis est Homo" from Rossini's own Stabat Mater. Out of deference to her master, she also accepted to resume her singing career mainly in order to tour the orchestral version of the Petite messe solennelle around Europe. Rossini had once expressed his hope that she would take upon herself to perform it when he was dead. He had said that he had composed it, and especially the new section "O salutaris", just having her voice in mind. In 1872 she permanently retired from the stage with four performances of "Fidalma" in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto, at the Paris Théâtre des Italiensbut, in fact, she never gave up singing in private and in benefit concerts. When in 1887 the French and Italian Governments agreed upon moving the mortal remains of Rossini into the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, Alboni, then a sixty-one-year-old lady living in seclusion, wrote to the Italian Foreign Minister, Di Robilant, proposing that the Petite Messe Solennelle, "the last musical composition by Rossini", be performed in Santa Croce the day of the funeral, and "demanding the honour, as an Italian and a pupil of the immortal Maestro," of singing it herself in her "dear and beloved homeland". Her wish,

however, never came true and she was just given the chance of being present at the exhumation ceremony in Paris. The Paris correspondent of the Rome newspaper Il Fanfulla wrote on the occasion: "photographers snapped in the same shot the greatest performer of Cenerentola and Semiramide, and what is left of the man who wrote these masterpieces". In 1877 she had remarried—to a French military officer named Charles Zieger. She died at Ville-d'Avray, near Paris, in her "Villa La Cenerentola", and was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery. Always engaged in charity (often in memory of Maestro Rossini), she left nearly all her estate to the poor of Paris. In her will she wrote that by singing she had earned all her fortune, and on singing she would pass away, with the sweet thought that she had employed it to encourage and to console. Alboni's voice, an exceptionally fine contralto with a seamless compass of two and one-half octaves, extending as high as the soprano range was said to possess at once power, sweetness, fullness, and extraordinary flexibility. She had no peers in passages requiring a sensitive delivery and semi-religious calmness, owing to the moving quality of her velvety tone. She possessed vivacity, grace, and charm as an actress of the comédienne type; but she was not a natural tragédienne, and her attempt at the strongly dramatic part of Norma was sometimes reported to have turned out a failure. Nevertheless, she scored a real triumph in 1850, when she made her operatic debut at the Paris Opéra performing the tragic role of "Fidès" in Meyerbeer's Le prophète, which had been created the year before by no less than Pauline Viardot. Furthermore, she was able to cope with such dramatic roles as "Azucena" and "Ulrica" in Verdi's Il trovatore and Un ballo in maschera, and even with the baritone role of "Don Carlo" in Ernani (London, 1847)

[johnvonwebber]

...if someone detests his empty life and hates the light of heaven and wants to hurry his slow fate along not turning a murderous hand upon himself, stung by the incurable desire that searches hopelessly for happiness, he is forced to go look everywhere, chasing a thousand useless cures for which the only one that nature offers is small recompense.

Giacomo Leopardi, Canti (XIX. To Count Carlo Pepoli)

[bogotamusicvideofestival]

Selección Oficial Bogotá Music Video Festival 2021 Competencia Latinoamericana A Balsa Ft. Calfrê - Meus Medos (Felipe Barbosa Palacio, Brasil) Corina Smith Ft. Álvaro Díaz - Drama (Juanchi González, Puerto Rico) Danna Paola - Calla Tú (Antonio Roma y Danna Paola, México) Dillom - Opa (Andrés Capasso, Argentina) Duda Beat - Meu Pisêro (Cristina Streciwik, Brasil) Fran, Carlos Do Complexo, Bibi Caetano - Visceral (Pedro Alvarenga, Brasil) Francisco Victoria . Tírame Al Fondo Del Mar (Alba Gaviraghi, Chile) Karola Nunes - A Pressa (Pedro Brites, Brasil) Los Bunkers - El Detenido (Camila Urban, Chile) Maca Revolt & Backing Band - Debajo De La Piel (Juan Pablo Arroyo, Argentina) Mango Lafruta X Princesa Feona (Prod. Fidel Nadal Testa) - Alpapuyo (Fiona Lena Brown y Germán Basso, Argentina) Mía Rubin Ft. Chucho Rivas - Flecha (Starboy, México) Renata Flores - María Parado De Bellido (Mateo Llosa, Perú) RUBIO - La Especie (Pepe Alarcón, Chile) Siamés - Summer Nights (Pablo Roldán y Ezequiel, Argentina) Yuko Fong Y Los Rumberos De Cuba - Oborozuki (Joseph Ros, Cuba) Viktoria La Chica De Fuego - Me Quema (Belén Asad, Argentina)

Panorama Latinoamericano Álvaro Díaz Ft. Cazzu & Caleb Calloway - Deportivo (Juanchi González, Puerto Rico) Avril Lerman - Despídete De Mí (Mayo Vernetti, Argentina) Caetano Malta - Sou A Tigresa (Jairo Neto, Brasil) Charles Frutas - Se Você Ligar (Ketlin de Lima, Lucas Freitas y Vinicius Angeli, Brasil) Conteúdo Paralelo - Estações (Thadeu Dos Anjos, Brasil) Diablo Angel - Incansável (Felipe Soares, Brasil) Diablo Angel - Texas (Felipe Soares, Brasil) El Feeling - Tatacoa (Santiago Fierro, EEUU) El Feeling - Tumba Catimba (Daniel Piñeros, EEUU) Gabriel Ríos - Flore (Pien van Grinsven y Thomas Szacka-Marier, Bélgica) Guto - Sem Farol (Vitor Meuren, Brasil) Hugo Fattoruso y Wellington Silva - Afro Descendiente (Andrés Pepoli, Uruguay) Inverted Gloaming - Target (Matías Alvarado, Chile) Isis Broken - Ararinha Da Viola (Leticia Pires, Brasil) Jamila Hache - Contra El Suelo (Gianinni Semedo Moreira y Jamila Hache, Venezuela) Conteúdo Paralelo - Estações (Thadeu dos Anjos) Jerry Di - Vaticano (Daniel Alejandro Alpernia, Andrew Nehomarr Rodriguez, España) Juliana - Ya Ni Secreto (Oswaldo Colón Ortiz, Puerto Rico) La Humilde Ft. Ricardo Pîta - Embrujao (Guido Bajaña Yude, Ecuador) Moonrose - Surreal (Jorge Villareal Jr. y Vielka Yu, México) Nalá Camargo - Salomé (Laís Catalano Aranha y Drica Czech, Brasil) Piton - Web Namoro (Raymundo Calumby, Brasil) Puta Da Silva - Hetero Curioso (Miltercio Santos, Brasil) Raul Tizze - Consequences (Jerónimo Fernández, Argentina) Rawayana - Welcome To El Sur (Guillermo Pérez y José Corredor) Sandyalê - Sua (Raymundo Calumby y Victor Lotfi, Brasil) Sebastián Casís - El Mar De La Ciudad (Mayo Vernetti, Argentina)

Las secciones Competencia Latinoamericana y Panorama Latinoamericano del BMVF 2021 cuentan con el apoyo curatorial de nuestro festival aliado @mvf_br de Brasil.

[forumelettrico]

La Colonnina Enel X da 22 kW presso la Scuola Media Carlo Pepoli di Bologna: non escludo la presenza di abusivi durante l'orario di entrata e uscita https://www.forumelettrico.it/forum/colonnina-enel-x-22-kw-scuola-media-carlo-pepoli-bologna-bo-largo-cardinale-lercaro-17-t14914.html #Bologna #EnelX

[supermorenoconcezziuniverse]

Sansone e Dalila, 1675-1680, Carlo Cignani. (presso Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna e Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6-Dc7nBCp/?igshid=t9eomw2sogqy

[valentina-lauricella]

27 marzo 1826

Il 27 marzo, lunedì di Pasqua, Giacomo Leopardi legge pubblicamente nella sede dell'Accademia dei Felsinei l'Epistola al conte Carlo Pepoli, dedicata al vice-presidente dell’Accademia e suo caro amico.

(…)È tutta, In ogni umano stato, ozio la vita, Se quell'oprar, quel procurar che a degno Obbietto non intende, o che all'intento Giugner mai non potria, ben si conviene Ozïoso nomar. La schiera industre Cui franger glebe o curar piante e greggi Vede l'alba tranquilla e vede il vespro, Se oziosa dirai, da che sua vita È per campar la vita, e per sè sola La vita all'uom non ha pregio nessuno, Dritto e vero dirai. Le notti e i giorni Tragge in ozio il nocchiero; ozio le vegghie Son de' guerrieri e il perigliar nell'armi; E il mercatante avaro in ozio vive: Che non a sè, non ad altrui, la bella Felicità, cui solo agogna e cerca La natura mortal, veruno acquista Per cura o per sudor, vegghia o periglio. (…)

Lo stesso Pepoli ricorderà l'argomento nel suo poemetto L'Eremo del 1828, scritto in morte di Livia Strocchi: “Si canta, come tornando oziose e vane tutte le cure poste dall’uomo a rinvenire la felicità, si può chiamare un vero ozio l’intera vita”.

La voce fioca del poeta e la distrazione dell'uditorio non fanno apprezzare pienamente il contenuto della lettera. Leopardi appare “di tetro umore…con anima oltre modo sensibile, e mancante di certi necessari doni naturali atti a chiamare la generale attenzione”:

(I passi seguenti sono tratti da un articolo pubblicato sul Resto del Carlino il 27 marzo 1926, che si avvale della fino ad allora sconosciuta Cronaca di Francesco Rangone, per commemorare la data centenaria della Lettura leopardiana.)

(...) Dovendosi dunque tenere dall'Accademia dei Felsinei uno dei consueti tornei poetici alla Società del Casino, nel giorno 27 marzo 1826, il Pepoli, unito ormai a Giacomo Leopardi da un sentimento di profonda ammirazione e di fraterna amicizia, ritenne doveroso che i Felsinei, già in rapporti così cordiali col poeta recanatese, gli rendessero omaggio invitandolo, benchè non socio, a prendere parte al trattenimento.

La proposta, come è facile immaginare, fu accolta all'unanimità e il segretario dottor Valorani ebbe incarico di comunicarla al poeta il quale, forse un po' lusingato, promise ben volentieri la sua tanto desiderata collaborazione.

All'ora prestabilita, tutto ciò che Bologna poteva offrire di meglio nelle arti, nelle lettere, nelle scienze, nella vita mondana, affollò rapidamente la bella sala del Palazzo Bolognini, in via Santo Stefano, nuova sede della Società del Casino, ed il Cardinale Legato Albani volle con la sua presenza aggiungere solennità all'avvenimento.

(...) il conte Carlo Pepoli, il futuro librettista dei Puritani, declamò La Miosotide palustre, una novella drammatica in cui amore e morte avevano alterna vicenda. La novella tuttavia, ad onta della sua tristezza, piacque e trovò larga cordialità di consensi. Dopo il Pepoli venne la volta del Leopardi, e un senso di curiosa attesa si diffuse subito nella sala a suo riguardo.

Noti erano ai più il suo nome e il suo alto valore, ma erano note altresì le sue peripezie famigliari, le strettezze economiche in cui viveva, e il suo umore melanconico e lo stato cagionevole della sua salute che lo tenevano forzatamente lontano dai pranzi e dai convegni del mondo elegante e della buona società.

Non tutti quindi lo conoscevano di persona, sicchè quando egli si alzò e apparve così fisicamente disgraziato, pallido, smunto, gobbo e mingherlino, un senso di penosa disillusione s'impadroni del pubblico, il quale purtroppo ha sempre cercato in ogni tempo, nei conferenzieri e nei declamatori, anche i doni naturali necessari a richiamare la sua attenzione, ad ispirare la sua simpatia.

E allorquando l'infelice poeta incominciò, con la più assoluta assenza di lenocini oratorii, a leggere la Epistola a Carlo Pepoli, che se non è oggi considerata fra le sue opere di maggior conto, valeva certo da sola più di tutte le prose e le poesie declamate in quell'accademia, pochi seppero ascoltarlo con amorevole condiscendenza.

L'uditorio era stanco ed annoiato, e nuovi versi ispirati a malinconiche considerazioni, dovettero aggravare il suo già troppo vivo senso di malessere; perciò il Rangone afferma che il Leopardi disse certamente delle bellissime cose, ma nessuno le comprese, mentre in molti restò il desiderio di veder presto stampato il componimento per poterlo leggere ed apprezzare con maggiore tranquillità.

[Ma nelle anormali condizioni di spirito degli ascoltatori, va ricercata inoltre la giustificazione della accoglienza calorosissima ottenuta successivamente dal marchese Zappi con le sue tornite e sonanti ottave sull'invenzione mitologica dello specchio. Il Zappi fu l'unico poeta che seppe scegliere un argomento dilettevole e, per ragioni di contrasto, meritò quindi le schiette attestazioni della pubblica riconoscenza.

Infine, dopo un sonetto di Ignazio Borzaghi, affermante che la vera sapienza è sempre da pochi conosciuta ed onorata, il conte Giovanni Marchetti pose fine al trattenimento declamando l'ode Alla necessità, che è fra le sue liriche più pregiate, ed alla quale fu riconosciuto, in quel giorno, un primato indiscusso.]

Il Leopardi intanto, congedandosi dagli amici, donava al Pepoli il manoscritto della sua Epistola, che poi, in copie, veniva diffusa per la città. Egli era stato, con pietosa menzogna, assicurato del felice esito della sua declamazione, e perciò scrivendo al fratello Carlo per raccontargli l'accaduto, aggiungeva candidamente: «Mi dicono che i miei versi facessero molto effetto, e che tutti, donne e uomini, li vogliono leggere,» e Carlo, ben lieto, si rallegrava con lui, «perchè, diceva, il successo è cosa che molto rassomiglia alla felicità.»

《 Questi letterati che da principio, come mi è stato detto e ridetto mi guardavano con invidia e con sospetto grande, perché credevano di dovermi trovare superbo e disposto a soverchiarli, sono poi stati contentissimi della mia affabilità, e di vedere che io lascio luogo a tutti: dicono finora un gran bene di me, vengono a trovarmi e sento che stimano un acquisto per Bologna la mia presenza》.

[abr]

Avendo solo la licenza elementare e non essendo comunista (a Guazzaloca) gli riuscì facile candidarsi a sindaco più colto di Bologna dai tempi di Carlo Pepoli, librettista di Bellini. Al contrario di Pepoli non era nemmeno massone: davvero tanti i suoi meriti…

http://www.ilfoglio.it/preghiera/2017/04/28/news/madonna-di-san-luca-accogli-giorgio-guazzaloca-132109/

[htxcreativemedia]

L'Invito - Gioachino Rossini: Nicole Fair, Mezzo-Soprano from Houston Creative Media on Vimeo.

Text by Carlo Pepoli Music by Gioachino Rossini Nicole Fair, Mezzo-Soprano

[angela-chao]

I Puritani: Bellini's Last Opera

Description

I Puritani (“The Puritans” in English) is a three act opera by Vincenzo Bellini, with libretto by Count Carlo Pepoli. It is based on Walter Scott’s novel Old Mortality which had at the time already been produced into a French play known as Tetes Rondes et Cavaliers. I Puritani is an alternative version of the play, which was composed by Vincenzo Bellini especially for performance by Maria Mariban, a famous opera singer at the time. However, as Maria passed away before being able to perform, the opera premiere first starred Katia Ricciarelli, instead, and was performed in 1835 at the Teatro Petruzzelli.

Storyline

I Puritani takes place in the 1640s English civil war where the Roundheads (supporters of Parliament) battled the Cavaliers (Royalists who were faithful to the monarchy). The storyline commences after King Charles’ beheading and Queen Henrietta’s escape. I Puritani features one of the greatest scenes of madness in opera history, when the character Elvira is driven to madness, believing her true love Arturo has betrayed her by running off with Queen Henrietta whom they were trying to save.

Vincenzo Bellini 

Vincenzo Bellini was an Italian composer, best known for his his works Norma, La Sonnamila, Beatrice di Tenda, I Capiteli ed I Montecchi,Il Pirata, and I Puritani. Nicknamed “the Swan of Catania”, he is recognized for composing flowing melodies of bel canto operas. His influence has been noted on later composers including Frederic Chopin and Richard Wagner. Bellini died from tuberculosis at age 33, nine months following the premiere of I Puritani. 

Count Carlo Pepoli

Count Carlo Pepoli was an Italian journalist, politician, and poet. As a politician, he served as Mayor of Bologona and Senator of Italy. His best known poetry work was the writing of the libretto (screenplay) for Bellini’s I Puritani. Pepoli passed away at age 85 in his native city of Bologna. I Puritani at the New York Metropolitan Opera I Puritani will be preformed at the Met from April 2014 through May 2014. For more information on dates, times, and tickets, see the following link: http://www.metoperafamily.org/opera/i-puritani-bellini-tickets.aspx

Cast

Michelle Mariotti - conductor Michelle Mariotti is the conductor of the Met production of I Puritani and the husband of leading vocalist, Olga Peretyatko. Born in Pesaro, Italy, Marioti made his debut in 2006, with Rossini’s opera Il Barbiere di Sivilia. He first conducted I Puritani in 2009 in a grand production in Bologna. Olga Peretyatko – Elvira Olga Peretyatko plays Elvira, a woman driven to madness. Peretyatko is a multi-time award winning Russian operatic soprano. Born in St. Petesberug, Olga Peretyatko began her opera career at age 15 when she studied singing at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler-Hochschule für Musik. Peretyatko gained international recognition for her performance as Rossignol at the 2010 Aix-en-Provence Festival, and she continued to subsequent productions in Tokyo, Amsterdam, New York, Salzburg, and Lyon. Besides being an opera singer, she gives concerts and recitals throughout Europe and has a recording contract with Sony Classical. Her first solo CD “La Belleza di Canto” was released in 2011 and received high acclaim. Lawrence Brownlee – Arturo Lawrence Bronwlee plays Elvira’s true love, Arturo. Brownlee is an opera tenor known for his bel canto repertoire. He is an Ohio native and an audience favorite at the 2001 National Council Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera.  Mariusz Kwiecien - Riccardo Mariusz Kwiecien plays Riccardo, a Puritan leader who is in love with Elvira. Kwiecien is a Polish opera baritone who began his professional career performing as Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Kwiecien was awarded “Artist of the Year” for his role as Don Giovanni and has won awards in several international voice competitions. Michele Pertusi – Giorgo Michele Pertusi plays Elvira’s uncle Giorgo. Pertusi is an Italian bass – baritone recognized for his bel canto contemporary interpretations of Mozart and Rossini. He has performed in opera houses across the globe. Pertusi has been awarded several honors including the 1995 Abbiati International Prize

Musical numbers: Act 1: • All'erta! All'erta! L'alba appari • di Cromwell guerrieri • Or dove fuggo mai? • Ah! Per sempre io ti perdei • amato zio, o mio secondo padre • Sai com'arde in petto mio • Ad Arturo onore • A te, o cara • Il rito augusto si compia senza me • Son vergin vezzosa • Ferma! Invan, invan rapir pretendi • Dov'è Arturo? • Ma tu già mi fuggi? Act 2: • Ah dolor! Ah terror! • Cinta di fiori • E di morte lo stral non sarà lento • rendetemi la speme • Vien, diletto, è in ciel la luna • Il rival salvar tu dêi Act 3: • Son salvo, alfin son salvo • A una fonte afflitto e solo • Finì... me lassa! • Vieni, vieni fra queste braccia • Credeasi, misera! • Finale Libretto In Italian: http://www.librettidopera.it/zpdf/puritani.pdf  In Italian with English translation: https://archive.org/details/ipuritanigrandop00bell

Related videos:

Musical segments from I Puritani have been performed by a number of world winning artists including Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge, and more. Videos and musical recording of various performances, such as listed below are widely available and accessible on the web. Luciano Pavarotti performs “A Te, O Cara”  Joan Sutherland performs “Son Vergin Vezzosa” Reviews of Olga Peretyatko’s I Puritani performance at the Metropolitan Opera Olga Peretyatko is Elivra in the Metropolitan Production of Bellini’s “I Puritani” By Eric C. Simpson The New York Classical Review Synopsis: At the Met’s debut of I Puritani, Olga Peretyatko gave a “highly rewarding” performance, with astonishing vocal technique and a “compelling interpretation” of her character. She displayed impressive vocal range and a convincing and disturbing descent into madness in Elvira’s key scene. Met Opera: Olga Peretyatko Shines in Bellini's 'I Puritani' By Willborn Hampton The Huffington Post Olga Peretyatko succeeded in mastering “one of the great bel canto roles”, playing Elvira, a woman driven mad by her love for Arturo, a Royalist in the English Civil War. Her rendition of the “Veil Song” brought the character of Elvira to life and her mad scene was “impressive.”

[di-biancoenero]

Arturo: A te, o cara, amor talora Mi guidò furtivo e in pianto; Or mi guida a te d’accanto fra la gioia e l’esultar.

Giorgio Valton : Senza occaso quest’ aurora, mai null’ombra o duol vi dia. Santa in voi la fiamma sia. Pace ognor v’allieti il cor.

Castellani : Cielo arridi a' voti miei,  benedici a tanto amor.

Arturo: Al brillar di sì bell’ora, Se rammento il mio tormento Si raddoppia il mio contento, M’è più caro il palpitar.