Scanderbeg (Vivaldi) Explained

Skanderbeg
Type:Dramma per musica
Composer:Antonio Vivaldi
Image Upright:1.1
Librettist:Antonio Salvi
Language:Italian
Premiere Location:Teatro della Pergola, Florence

Scanderbeg (pronounced as /it/; RV 732) is an opera (dramma per musica) in three acts composed by Antonio Vivaldi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Salvi. It was first performed at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on 22 June 1718 to mark the re-opening of the theatre to public performances.[1] While the libretto has been preserved, only fragments of the original score remain.[2]

Roles

!Role!Voice type!Premiere cast, 22 June 1718[3]
Scanderbeg, King of Albaniacontralto castratoGiovanni Battista Carboni
Doneca, his wife, disguised as a shepherdesssopranoFrancesca Cuzzoni-Sandoni, 'La Parmigiana'
Aroniz, Price of Epirus, father of Doneca, disguised as a shepherdtenorAntonio Ristorini
Ormondo, Count of Urana, army generalcontralto castratoGiovanni Pietro Sbaraglia, "Il Pesciatino"
Climene, Scanderbeg's captainsoprano (travesti)Anna Guglielmini
Amurat II, monarch of the TurkstenorGaetano Mossi
Asteria, his daughtercontraltoAgata Landi
Acomat, Amurat's general, in love with Asteriasoprano (travesti)Rosa Venturini

Synopsis

The subject of the opera is Skanderbeg, the 15th-century Albanian hero.

Recordings

Two arias from the opera's second act, "S'a voi penso, o luci belle" (Ormondo) and "Con palme ed allori" (Scanderbeg), can be heard on Arie ritrovate sung by contralto Sonia Prina with the Accademia Bizantina, conducted by Ottavio Dantone (Naïve Records).

References

NotesSources

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Holmes (1994) p. 16
  2. Colas and Di Profio (2009) p. 54; Strohm (2008a) p. 236
  3. Premiere cast from Strohm (2008a), I, p. 232.