1.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
2.
Opera
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Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. In traditional opera, singers do two types of singing, recitative, a style and arias, a more melodic style. Opera incorporates many of the elements of theatre, such as acting, scenery. The performance is given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe, attracting foreign composers such as George Frideric Handel. Opera seria was the most prestigious form of Italian opera, until Christoph Willibald Gluck reacted against its artificiality with his operas in the 1760s. The first third of the 19th century saw the point of the bel canto style, with Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti. It also saw the advent of Grand Opera typified by the works of Auber and Meyerbeer, the mid-to-late 19th century was a golden age of opera, led and dominated by Richard Wagner in Germany and Giuseppe Verdi in Italy. The popularity of opera continued through the era in Italy and contemporary French opera through to Giacomo Puccini. During the 19th century, parallel operatic traditions emerged in central and eastern Europe, the 20th century saw many experiments with modern styles, such as atonality and serialism, Neoclassicism, and Minimalism. With the rise of recording technology, singers such as Enrico Caruso, since the invention of radio and television, operas were also performed on these mediums. Beginning in 2006, a number of opera houses began to present live high-definition video transmissions of their performances in cinemas all over the world. In 2009, an opera company offered a download of a complete performance. The words of an opera are known as the libretto, some composers, notably Wagner, have written their own libretti, others have worked in close collaboration with their librettists, e. g. Mozart with Lorenzo Da Ponte. Vocal duets, trios and other ensembles often occur, and choruses are used to comment on the action, in some forms of opera, such as singspiel, opéra comique, operetta, and semi-opera, the recitative is mostly replaced by spoken dialogue. Melodic or semi-melodic passages occurring in the midst of, or instead of, the terminology of the various kinds of operatic voices is described in detail below. Over the 18th century, arias were accompanied by the orchestra. Subsequent composers have tended to follow Wagners example, though some, the changing role of the orchestra in opera is described in more detail below
3.
Tenor
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Tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is one of the highest of the male voice types. The tenors vocal range lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, and A4, the A above middle C, in solo work, this range extends up to C5, or tenor high C. The low extreme for tenors is roughly A♭2, at the highest extreme, some tenors can sing up to two Fs above middle C. The tenor voice type is divided into the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor. The name tenor derives from the Latin word tenere, which means to hold, in medieval and Renaissance polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the tenor was the structurally fundamental voice, vocal or instrumental. All other voices were normally calculated in relation to the tenor, until the late 16th century introduction of the contratenor singers, the tenor was usually the highest voice, assuming the role of providing a foundation. It was also in the 18th century that tenor came to signify the male voice that sang such parts, thus, for earlier repertoire, a line marked tenor indicated the parts role, and not the required voice type. Indeed, even as late as the century, partbooks labelled tenor might contain parts for a range of voice types. The vocal range of the tenor is one of the highest of the voice types. Within opera, the lowest note in the tenor repertoire is probably A♭2 in Rossinis rarely performed La donna del lago in the role of Rodrigo di Dhu. Within more frequently performed repertoire, Mime and Herod both call for an A2, a few tenor roles in the standard repertoire call for a tenor C. Some of the few top Cs in the operatic repertoire are either optional or interpolated by tradition. However, the highest demanded note in the standard operatic repertoire is D5. Some operatic roles for tenors require a darker timbre and fewer high notes, in the leggero repertoire, the highest note is F5, therefore, very few tenors can, given the raising of concert pitch since its composition, have this role in their repertoire without transposition. Within the tenor voice type category are seven generally recognized subcategories, leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, Mozart tenor, Also known as the tenore di grazia, the leggero tenor is essentially the male equivalent of a lyric coloratura. This voice is light, agile, and capable of executing difficult passages of fioritura, the typical leggero tenor possesses a range spanning from approximately C3 to E♭5, with a few being able to sing up to F5 or higher in full voice. In some cases, the chest register of the leggero tenor may extend below C3, voices of this type are utilized frequently in the operas of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and in music dating from the Baroque period. Leggero tenor roles in operas, The lyric tenor is a warm voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy
4.
Otello
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Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeares play Othello. It was Verdis penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, when it finally premiered in Milan on 5 February 1887, it proved to be a resounding success, and further stagings of Otello soon followed at leading theatres throughout Europe and America. Thus a plot of sorts was hatched in order to coax the composer out of retirement to write another opera, because of the importance of the dramatic aspects of opera to the composer, Verdi was especially selective in his choice of subjects. Consequently, if he were to agree to another opera after a decade of retirement. Verdis refusals continued as the 1870s progressed, but she confessed defeat yet again. Clara Maffei also tried, unsuccessfully, in March 1878 to interest Verdi, what would I succeed in doing. Boito, Verdi, and revisions of Simon Boccanegra While he was attempting to get Verdi involved a new opera, persisting with further attempts to convince the composer, Ricordi had also broached the idea of a collaboration with Boito for a new opera based on Shakespeares Othello. Because of its relatively straightforward story, the play Othello was selected as a likely target, collaborations with Boito in the revision of the 1857 opera Simon Boccanegra helped to convince Verdi of Boitos ability as a librettist. Verdi visited Milan on 30 June 1879, and conducted his Requiem Mass in a performance at La Scala. He received the acclaim of the public, which included the La Scala orchestra playing outside his hotel. Walker assumes that it was both Ricordi and Faccio who stage managed the effects to give the composer the sense of being welcome and respected in Milan. Finally, after some plotting, Ricordi, in conjunction with Verdis friend, during a dinner at Verdis Milan residence during the summer of 1879, Ricordi and Faccio guided the conversation towards Shakespeares play Othello and to the librettist Arrigo Boito. At the mention of Othello I saw Verdi fix his eyes on me, with suspicion and he had certainly understood, he had certainly reacted. I believed the time was ripe, suggestions were made, despite initial skepticism on the part of the composer, that Boito would be interested in creating a new libretto based upon the play. Within several days, Ricordi approached Verdi with the request that he would like to visit Sant Agata with a friend in September, Verdis reaction was clearly non-committal, I wish absolutely to avoid committing myself The best thing. Is for him to me the finished poem. Meanwhile, Boito began work on the libretto in spite of illness and, after appealing to Giuseppina, Ricordi was told that the Verdis would be coming to Milan and that he would meet privately with Boito. However, she noted in her letter of 7 November, Between ourselves, what Boito has so far written of the African seems to please him, and is very well done
5.
Giuseppe Verdi
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Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian opera composer. Verdi was born near Busseto to a family of moderate means. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, whose works influenced him. In his early operas Verdi demonstrated a sympathy with the Risorgimento movement which sought the unification of Italy and he also participated briefly as an elected politician. He surprised the world by returning, after his success with the opera Aida. The baptismal register, prepared on 11 October 1813, lists his parents Carlo, additionally, it lists Verdi as being born yesterday, but since days were often considered to begin at sunset, this could have meant either 9 or 10 October. Verdi himself, following his mother, always celebrated his birthday on 9 October, Verdi had a younger sister, Giuseppa, who died aged 17 in 1833. From the age of four, Verdi was given lessons in Latin and Italian by the village schoolmaster, Baistrocchi. After learning to play the organ, he showed so much interest in music that his parents provided him with a spinet. Verdis gift for music was apparent by 1820–21 when he began his association with the local church, serving in the choir, acting as an altar boy for a while. After Baistrocchis death, Verdi, at the age of eight, Carlo Verdi was energetic in furthering his sons education. something which Verdi tended to hide in later life. He picture emerges of youthful precocity eagerly nurtured by a father and of a sustained, sophisticated. Verdi returned to Busseto regularly to play the organ on Sundays, at age 11, Verdi received schooling in Italian, Latin, the humanities, and rhetoric. By the time he was 12, he began lessons with Ferdinando Provesi, maestro di cappella at San Bartolomeo, director of the music school. This information comes from the Autobiographical Sketch which Verdi dictated to the publisher Giulio Ricordi late in life, in 1879, written, understandably, with the benefit of hindsight, it is not always reliable when dealing with issues more contentious than those of his childhood. The other director of the Philharmonic Society was Antonio Barezzi, a grocer and distiller. The young Verdi did not immediately become involved with the Philharmonic, by June 1827, he had graduated with honours from the Ginnasio and was able to focus solely on music under Provesi. By 1829–30, Verdi had established himself as a leader of the Philharmonic, none of us could rival him reported the secretary of the organisation, Giuseppe Demaldè
6.
La Scala
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La Scala is an opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was known as the Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala. The premiere performance was Antonio Salieris Europa riconosciuta, most of Italys greatest operatic artists, and many of the finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala during the past 200 years. The theatre is regarded as one of the opera and ballet theatres in the world and is home to the La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet. The theatre also has a school, known as the La Scala Theatre Academy. La Scalas season traditionally opens on 7 December, Saint Ambroses Day, all performances must end before midnight, and long operas start earlier in the evening when necessary. La Scala also hosts the Accademia dArti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo and its goal is to train a new generation of young musicians, technical staff, and dancers. A fire destroyed the theatre, the Teatro Regio Ducale, on 25 February 1776. The neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini produced a design but it was rejected by Count Firmian. A second plan was accepted in 1776 by Empress Maria Theresa, the new theatre was built on the former location of the church of Santa Maria alla Scala, from which the theatre gets its name. The church was deconsecrated and demolished, and over a period of two years the theatre was completed by Pietro Marliani, Pietro Nosetti and Antonio and Giuseppe Fe. The theatre had a total of 3,000 or so seats organized into 678 pit-stalls and its stage is one of the largest in Italy. Building expenses were covered by the sale of palchi, which were decorated by their owners. La Scala soon became the preeminent meeting place for noble and wealthy Milanese people, in the tradition of the times, the platea had no chairs and spectators watched the shows standing up. The orchestra was in sight, as the golfo mistico had not yet been built. Above the boxes, La Scala has a gallery—called the loggione—where the less wealthy can watch the performances, the gallery is typically crowded with the most critical opera aficionados, known as the loggionisti, who can be ecstatic or merciless towards singers perceived successes or failures. As with most of the theatres at that time, La Scala was also a casino, conditions in the auditorium, too, could be frustrating for the opera lover, as Mary Shelley discovered in September 1840, At the Opera they were giving Otto Nicolais Templario. La Scala was originally illuminated with 84 oil lamps mounted on the palcoscenico, to prevent the risks of fire, several rooms were filled with hundreds of water buckets
7.
Milan
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Milan is a city in Italy, capital of the Lombardy region, and the most populous metropolitan area and the second most populous comune in Italy. The population of the city proper is 1,351,000, Milan has a population of about 8,500,000 people. It is the industrial and financial centre of Italy and one of global significance. In terms of GDP, it has the largest economy among European non-capital cities, Milan is considered part of the Blue Banana and lies at the heart of one of the Four Motors for Europe. Milan is an Alpha leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, services, research, and tourism. Its business district hosts Italys Stock Exchange and the headquarters of the largest national and international banks, the city is a major world fashion and design capital, well known for several international events and fairs, including Milan Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair. The city hosts numerous cultural institutions, academies and universities, with 11% of the national total enrolled students, Milans museums, theatres and landmarks attract over 9 million visitors annually. Milan – after Naples – is the second Italian city with the highest number of accredited stars from the Michelin Guide, the city hosted the Universal Exposition in 1906 and 2015. Milan is home to two of Europes major football teams, A. C. Milan and F. C. Internazionale, the etymology of Milan is uncertain. One theory holds that the Latin name Mediolanum comes from the Latin words medio, however, some scholars believe lanum comes from the Celtic root lan, meaning an enclosure or demarcated territory in which Celtic communities used to build shrines. Hence, Mediolanum could signify the central town or sanctuary of a Celtic tribe, indeed, the name Mediolanum is borne by about sixty Gallo-Roman sites in France, e. g. Saintes and Évreux. Alciato credits Ambrose for his account, around 400 BC, the Celtic Insubres settled Milan and the surrounding region. In 222 BC, the Romans conquered the settlement, renaming it Mediolanum, Milan was eventually declared the capital of the Western Roman Empire by Emperor Diocletian in 286 AD. Diocletian chose to stay in the Eastern Roman Empire and his colleague Maximianus ruled the Western one, immediately Maximian built several monuments, such as a large circus 470 m ×85 m, the Thermae Herculeae, a large complex of imperial palaces and several other buildings. With the Edict of Milan of 313, Emperor Constantine I guaranteed freedom of religion for Christians, after the city was besieged by the Visigoths in 402, the imperial residence was moved to Ravenna. In 452, the Huns overran the city, in 539, the Ostrogoths conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. In the summer of 569, a Teutonic tribe, the Lombards, conquered Milan, some Roman structures remained in use in Milan under Lombard rule. Milan surrendered to the Franks in 774 when Charlemagne took the title of King of the Lombards, the Iron Crown of Lombardy dates from this period
8.
Gabriele Adorno
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Gabriele Adorno was the fourth Doge of Genoa. A member of the noble Adorno family, he was elected on 14 March 1363 to succeed Simone Boccanegra and he remained in the position until 13 August 1370, when he was deposed by the people of Genoa, because he had introduced too high taxes. He was succeeded by Domenico di Campofregoso, Adorno is a character in Giuseppe Verdis opera Simon Boccanegra, he is the tenor lead, and is the love interest of Boccanegras daughter. In the opera, Boccanegra names Adorno his successor before dying, in, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol.1 G. Petti Balbi, Lexikon des Mittelalters, vol. 1,1980, ISBN 3-7608-8901-8, col.165
9.
Simon Boccanegra
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Simon Boccanegra was first performed at Teatro La Fenice in Venice on 12 March 1857. Given the complications of the plot and the generally poor popular response - although the critical one was more encouraging - the opera dropped out of favour after 1866. The revised version of Simon Boccanegra, with the now-famous Council Chamber scene, was first performed at La Scala in Milan on 24 March 1881 and it is this version which is the one most frequently performed today. He responded, the obstacle is my unshakable determination not to bind myself anymore to a definite period for either the composition or the production. The only project for which there was forward motion was towards accomplishing his long-planned Re Lear, Budden also presumes that the translation had been done by Strepponi, because she had been the translator of Gutiérrez other play which had become Il trovatore. The somewhat convoluted plot of Simon Boccanegra is hard to follow, Budden notes, All the characters define themselves against an ingeniously shifting pattern of intrigue such as can be highly effective in a play but well-nigh impossible to follow in an opera. He pushed harder, stating that I plan to compose music for a prose libretto, what do you think of that. In the end, there was a version and all was well, it was accepted by the opera house. Piave was informed that Verdis stay would need to be lengthened, however, Verdis dissatisfaction with some of the librettists work led him to find a local collaborator to help revise some of the sections. Accordingly, he called upon an Italian exile in Paris, the politician, former professor of law, poet and writer Giuseppe Montanelli, to do this. Piave learned nothing of the revisions until he received a note from Verdi, Here is the libretto and you can put your name to or it, just as you please. However, he learned nothing of the anonymous collaborator either. After the premiere of Le trouvère on 12 January 1857, Verdi and Strepponi left Paris to return to Italy, persisting with further attempts to convince the composer, Ricordi had also broached the idea of a collaboration with Arrigo Boito for a new opera based on Shakespeares Othello. His principal concern was how to make changes to the 1857 and this idea of an Italian fatherland at this time was quite sublime. Although he had confidence in the young librettists abilities, Verdi did caution Boito that he appeared to be aiming at a perfection impossible here. I aim lower and am more optimistic than you and I dont despair, in essence and it would have been far more work than the composer wished to be involved in at the time. And, as Budden puts it, Simone rises to spiritual greatness, for the first time, his moral authority puts forth all its strength. Positively as in the appeal for peace, and Verdi himself was fairly blunt in his assessment, Ive had a fiasco in Venice almost as great as that of La traviata he reported to Clara Maffei
10.
Don Carlos
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The opera is usually performed in Italian. The operas story is based on conflicts in the life of Carlos and it was commissioned and produced by the Théâtre Impérial de lOpéra and given its premiere at the Salle Le Peletier on 11 March 1867. When performed in one of its several Italian versions, the opera is generally called Don Carlo, the first Italian version given in Italy was in Bologna in March 1867. Revised again by Verdi, it was given in Naples in November/December 1872, finally, two other versions were prepared, the first was seen in Milan in January 1884. That is now known as the Milan version, while the second—also sanctioned by the composer—became the Modena version and was presented in city in December 1886. It restored the Fontainebleau first act to the Milan four-act version, over the following twenty years, cuts and additions were made to the opera, resulting in a number of versions being available to directors and conductors. No other Verdi opera exists in so many versions, at its full length, it contains close to four hours of music and is Verdis longest opera. Pre-première cuts and first published edition Verdi made a number of cuts in 1866, after finishing the opera but before composing the ballet, simply because the work was becoming too long. After the ballet had been composed, it emerged during the 1867 rehearsal period that, without further cuts, the opera, as first published at the time of the première, consisted of Verdis original conception, minus all of the above-named cuts, but including the ballet. After the première and before leaving Paris, Verdi authorised the Opéra authorities to end Act 4, after his departure, further cuts were apparently made during the remaining performances. It was common practice at the time for most theatres to perform operas in Italian, and an Italian translation of Don Carlos was prepared in the autumn of 1866 by Achille de Lauzières. However, the Italian translation was first performed not in Italy but in London at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 4 June 1867, where it was produced and conducted by Michael Costa. Additionally, the duet between Philip and the Inquisitor was shortened by four lines, and Elisabeths aria in Act 5 consisted only of part of the middle section, the production was initially considered a success, and Verdi sent a congratulatory note to Costa. Later when he learned of the alterations, Verdi was greatly irritated, for the Rome premiere on 9 February 1868 at the Teatro Apollo, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Papal censor changed the Inquisitor into a Gran Cancelliere and the Monk/Emperor into a Solitario. This version of the opera was first performed in Milan at La Scala on 25 March 1868, and prestige productions in most other Italian opera houses followed, the length was a particular problem, and subsequent performances were generally heavily cut. The first production in Naples in 1871 was indisputably a failure, following the unsuccessful performance in Naples in 1871, Verdi was persuaded to visit the city for further performances in November / December 1872, and he made two more modifications to the score. These were additions to the scene for Posa and the King in Act 2 and this is the only portion of the entire opera that was ever composed by Verdi to an Italian rather than a French text. In addition, there were cuts to the duet between Carlos and Elisabeth in Act 5, by April 1882, he was in Paris where he was ready to make changes
11.
Amilcare Ponchielli
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Amilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla, Two years after leaving the conservatory he wrote his first opera—it was based on Alessandro Manzonis great novel The Betrothed -- and it was as an opera composer that he eventually found fame. Maneuvered out of a professorship at the Milan Conservatory that he had won in a competition, he took jobs in small cities. In spite of his disappointment, he gained experience as the bandmaster in Piacenza and Cremona. The role of Lina in the version was sung by Teresina Brambilla whom he married in 1874. Their son Annibale became a critic and minor composer. The ballet Le due gemelle confirmed his success, the following opera, I Lituani of 1874, was also well received, being performed later at Saint Petersburg. It was first produced in 1876 and revised several times, the version that has become popular today was first given in 1880. In 1876 he started working on I Mori di Valenza, although the dates back to 1873. It was an opera that he never finished, although it was completed later by Arturo Cadore and he died of pneumonia in Milan in 1886 and was interred in the citys Monumental Cemetery. It contains the great tenor romanza Cielo e mar, a duet for tenor and baritone Enzo Grimaldo. List of operas by Ponchielli Kaufman, Annals of Italian Opera, Verdi and his Major Contemporaries, Garland Publishing, New York, budden, Julien, Ponchielli, Amilcare in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Cesare Bignami to Amilcare Ponchielli. Conservatorio Universitario de Musica, Montevideo, Uruguay, giulio ricordi e i suoi musicisti. Amilcare Ponchielli, 1834-1886, Saggi e ricerche nel 150 anniversario della nascita, Casalmorano, cassa rurale ed artigiana di Casalmorano,1987. Music Library, General Manuscript Collection, Northwestern University, Evanston, Amilcare Ponchielli nellarte del suo tempo. DeNapoli, G. Amilcare Ponchielli, La vita, le opere, lepistolario, ferraris, Castelli Maria, and Giampiero Tintori. Circe, La Gioconda, and the Opera House of the Mind, in Bronze by Gold, habla, Bernhard, ed. Kongressberichte Oberschützen/Burgenland 1988, Toblach/ Südtirol 1990. Amilcare Ponchielli e la musica per banda, proceedings of Il Repertorio Sommerso, Musica storica per la banda doggi
12.
Ruggero Leoncavallo
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Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer and librettist. His other well-known works include the song Mattinata, popularized by Enrico Caruso, the son of a judge, Leoncavallo was born in Naples on 23 April 1857. As a child, he moved with his father to the town of Montalto Uffugo in Calabria where Leoncavallo lived during his adolescence. He later returned to Naples and was educated at the citys San Pietro a Majella Conservatory, in 1879 Leoncavallos uncle Giuseppe, director of the press department at the Foreign Ministry in Egypt, suggested that his young nephew come to Cairo to showcase his pianistic abilities. Arriving shortly after the deposition of Khedive Ismail, Leoncavallo eventually secured work as a piano teacher and his time in Egypt concluded abruptly in 1882 after revolts in Alexandria and Cairo led by ‘Urabi in which the composer quickly departed for France. In Paris, Leoncavallo found lodging in Montmartre, an agent located in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis secured Leoncavallo employment as an accompanist and instructor for artists who performed in Sunday concerts mostly at cafés. It was during this time that he met Berthe Rambaud a preferred student, increasingly inspired by the French romantics, particularly Alfred de Musset, Leoncavallo began work on a symphonic poem based on Mussets poetry entitled La nuit de mai. The work was completed in Paris in 1886 and premiered in April 1887 to critical acclaim, with this success and now with enough accumulated money Leoncavallo and Rambaud would return to Milan to begin his career as a composer of opera. Back in Italy, Leoncavallo spent some years teaching and attempting ineffectively to obtain the production of more than one opera, in 1890 he saw the enormous success of Pietro Mascagnis Cavalleria rusticana and wasted no time in producing his own verismo work, Pagliacci. Pagliacci was performed in Milan in 1892 with immediate success, today it is the work by Leoncavallo in the standard operatic repertory. Its most famous aria Vesti la giubba was recorded by Enrico Caruso, the next year his I Medici was also produced in Milan, but neither it nor Chatterton —both early works—obtained much lasting favour. Much of Chatterton, however, was recorded by the Gramophone Company as early as 1908, Leoncavallo himself conducts the performance or at very least supervises the production. It was not until Leoncavallos La bohème was performed in 1897 in Venice that his talent obtained public confirmation, however, it was outshone by Puccinis opera of the same name and on the same subject, which was premiered in 1896. Two tenor arias from Leoncavallos version are still performed, especially in Italy. Subsequent operas by Leoncavallo were in the 1900s, Zazà, in 1906 the composer brought singers and orchestral musicians from La Scala to perform concerts of his music in New York, as well as an extensive tour of the United States. The tour was, all in all, a qualified success and he had a brief success with Zingari which premiered in Italian in London in 1912, with a long run at the Hippodrome Theatre. Zingari also reached the United States but soon disappeared from the repertoire, after a series of operettas, Leoncavallo appeared to have tried for one last serious effort with Edipo re. It had always assumed that Leoncavallo had finished the work but had died before he could finish the orchestration
13.
Isidore de Lara
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Isidore de Lara, born Isidore Cohen, was an English composer and singer. After studying in Italy and France, he returned to England where he taught for years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In the early 1880s he began to compose music for the stage and his most popular opera, Messaline, enjoyed frequent revivals throughout Europe and in the United States during the first quarter of the 20th century. He returned to London and spent much of the 1920s trying to create a permanent National opera company in England without much success, born in London, de Lara went to Milan in 1874 to study composition with Alberto Mazzucato and singing with Francesco Lamperti at the Milan Conservatory. In 1876 he went to Paris to study with Édouard Lalo, the following year he returned to London to take a position as a professor of singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He became known as a singer and a writer of vocal songs, of which his The Garden of Sleep. In the early 1880s, de Lara began to switch his attention to composing music for the theatre and his first opera, The Royal Word, premiered at the Gaiety Theatre, London on 17 April 1883 with de Lara portraying the role of Charles II of England. This was soon followed by Wrong Notes and Minna, or The Fall from the Cliff, in 1893 de Laras opera Amy Robsart was given in French at Covent Garden with Emma Calvé. Well received, the work was staged the year at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. While in Monte Carlo, De Lara met Princess Alice of Monaco who became a close friend, under her support, De Lara remained in Monaco and moved into the most successful part of his career. His opera Moïna was produced there in 1897 and it was followed in 1899 by his most famous work, Messaline, which featured the presence of the greatest Italian heroic tenor of the era, Francesco Tamagno, in the cast of the premiere performance. Messaline proved very popular and was the inspiration for Henri de Toulouse-Lautrecs painting of the same name, notably, it was the first opera by an English composer to be mounted at La Scala. With the outbreak of World War I, de Lara returned to London, concerned for the survival of the arts during this time, he established a fund for the relief of distressed musicians. At the close of the war, he strove to establish an English national opera throughout the 1920s and he retired to Paris where he died on 2 August 1935. De Lara was a prolific composer, producing a total of 13 operas,67 vocal art songs. His musical style was eclectic, although the influences of Jules Massenet. Musicologist Nigel Burton wrote, His style may be said to have developed, the somewhat erratic side to his writing was a weakness and a strength. Critics have also commented on de Laras tendency towards over sentimentality, as one critic said, at the moments when the music should attempt to rise to dramatic greatness, it degenerates into synthetic posturings
14.
Il trovatore
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Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. The premiere took place at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853, where it began a victorious march throughout the operatic world and it began with his January 1850 approach to Cammarano with the idea of Il trovatore. These revisions are seen largely in the expansion of the role of Leonora, Then, in May 1851, an additional commission was offered by the Venice company after Rigolettos success there. Then another came from Paris while he was visiting that city from late 1851, today, in its Italian version, Trovatore is given very frequently and is a staple of the standard operatic repertoire. When considering setting Gutiérrezs play, Verdi turned to work with Cammarano and their correspondence began as early as January 1850, well before Verdi had done anything to develop a libretto with Piave for what later became Rigoletto in Venice. At this time, it was also the first since Oberto that the composer was beginning to prepare an opera with a librettist, in his first letter to Cammarano, Verdi proposed El Trovador as the subject with two feminine roles. The first, the gypsy, a woman of character after whom I want to name the opera. Relationship with Cammarano Verdis time and energy were spent mostly on finishing Rigoletto, within a matter of weeks, Verdi was expressing his frustration to a mutual friend, de Sanctis, at having no communication from Cammarano. These included Leonora taking the veil and also the importance of the Azucena/Manrico relationship and he continued by asking whether the librettist liked the drama and emphasized that the more unusual and bizarre the better. Verdi also plainly states that if there were no standard forms – cavatinas, duets, trios, choruses, finales, etc. and if you could avoid beginning with an opening chorus. Correspondence continued between the two men for the two months or so, including another letter from the composer of 9 April which included three pages of suggestions. But he also made concessions and expresses his happiness in what he is receiving in the way of verse, during the period to follow, in spite of his preoccupations but especially after he had begun to overcome them, Verdi had kept in touch with the librettist. In a letter around the time of his departure for France, he wrote encouragingly to Cammarano. Preoccupations and delays in 1851–1852 There then arose the question of where the opera would eventually be presented, Verdi had turned down an offer from Naples, but became concerned about the availability of his preferred Azucena, Rita Gabussi-De Bassini. She turned out not to be on the Naples roster, including work on Trovatore, other projects consumed him, but a significant event occurred in February, when the couple attended a performance of Alexander Dumas filss The Lady of the Camellias. The couple returned to SantAgata by mid-March 1852 and Verdi immediately began work on Trovatore after a years delay. Death of Cammarano and work with Bardare Then, in July 1852, by way of an announcement in a theatrical journal and this was both a professional and a personal blow. The composer learned that Cammarano had completed Manricos third-act aria, Di quella pira just eight days before his death, leone Emanuele Bardare was a young poet from Naples who was beginning his career, eventually he wrote more than 15 librettos before 1880
15.
La forza del destino
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La forza del destino is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It was first performed in the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre of Saint Petersburg, Russia, La forza del destino is frequently performed, and there have been a number of complete recordings. In addition, the overture is part of the repertoire for orchestras. After its premiere in Russia, La Forza underwent some revisions, performances followed in Madrid and the opera subsequently travelled to New York, Vienna, Buenos Aires, and London. Following these productions, Verdi made further, more revisions to the opera with additions to the libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. This version, which premiered at La Scala, Milan, on 27 February 1869, has become the performance version. Critical editions of all versions of the opera have been prepared by musicologist Philip Gossett of the University of Chicago, the Caramoor International Music Festival gave a concert performance of the critical edition of the 1862 version, plus never-performed vocal pieces from the 1861 version, in July 2008. 2 flutes,2 oboes,2 clarinets,2 bassoons,4 horns,2 trumpets,3 trombones, cimbasso, timpani, percussion,2 harps, onstage, organ,6 trumpets,4 side drums. Place, Spain and Italy Time, around 1750 The music begins with the operas Fate motif, an ominous three Es unison in the brass. The mansion of Leonoras family, in Seville Don Alvaro is a nobleman from South America who is part Indian. He falls in love with Donna Leonora, the daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava, despite knowing her father’s aversion to Alvaro, Leonora is deeply in love with him, and she determines to give up her home and country in order to elope with him. In this endeavor, she is aided by her confidante, Curra, however, the Marquis unexpectedly enters and discovers Leonora and Alvaro together. He threatens Alvaro with death, and in order to any suspicion as to Leonora’s purity. As he flings down his pistol, it goes off, mortally wounding the Marquis who dies cursing his daughter. Scene 1, An inn in the village of Hornachuelos The Alcalde, several peasant muleteers, and Don Carlo of Vargas, Don Carlo, disguised as a student of Salamanca, under the fictitious name of Pereda, is seeking revenge against Alvaro and Leonora. During the supper, Preziosilla, a gypsy, tells the young men’s fortunes and exhorts them to enlist in the war for Italy’s freedom. Having become separated from Alvaro, Leonora arrives in male attire, scene 2, A monastery nearby Leonora takes refuge in the monastery where she tells the abbot, Padre Guardiano, her true name and that she intends to spend the remainder of her life in a hermitage. The abbot recounts the trials she will have to undergo, Leonora, Padre Guardiano, Fra Melitone, and the other monks join in prayer
16.
Ernani
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Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. As musicologist Roger Parker notes, the composer intervened on several important points, Ernani was first performed on 9 March 1844 and it was immensely popular, and was revived countless times during its early years. It became Verdis most popular opera until it was superseded by Il trovatore after 1853, in 1904 it became the first opera to be recorded completely. Following the success of both Nabucco and I Lombardi, Verdi was approached by many companies wanting to commission him to write an opera for their houses. However, the composer was only willing to accept the terms which he proposed,12,000 Austrian lire to be paid after the first performance, in addition, he had the right to choose the singers from the assembled company for that season. Several subjects came to Verdis attention, for example, Byrons The Corsair was considered, However, both of these subjects were to become later Verdi operas, Il corsaro and I due Foscari. An unsolicited manuscript from the unknown Francesco Piave proposed an opera, Cromwell, based on Victor Hugos play, the idea for Hernani The Cromwell libretto arrived from Piave in pieces, and Verdi put it away until he had the complete version to work from. However, when the composer and La Fenices president met in Venice in late August and he continues, But oh, if only we could do Hernani instead that would be tremendous. I know that it would mean a great deal of trouble for the poet but my first task would be to try, all he would have to do would be to condense and tighten up, the action is already there ready made, and its all immensely good theatre. Tomorrow Ill write at length to Piave setting out all the scenes from Hernani which seem to me suitable, at this point he continues with suggestions for the poet. Setting the play as the opera, Ernani However, Piave was not at all pleased by this turn of events and felt that an opera based on Hernani could not be staged for reasons of censorship. For instance, the Kings first appearance in the play is from a cupboard where he has been hiding since some time after his arrival, thus he overhears much of the interaction between Elvira and Ernani before finally revealing himself. Verdi must have realized that no king would ever be allowed to hide in a cupboard, but the La Fenice directorate did approve the concept and the librettist was offered compensation, although he saved his Allan Cameron in reserve in case of mishap. For Budden, this marks a new outlook in Italian opera, because this would never have occurred to either Rossini or Donizetti, for whom plots were interchangeable. Although Verdi had agreed to try to accommodate the contralto Carolina Vietti when the opera was Allan Cameron, thus it became a comprimario role, one to be sung by a second-rung singer in the company. But, as Budden notes, Verdis difficulties with singers were not yet over, the season opened with I Lombardi in December 1843. It was a disaster, with singing from the tenor Domenico Conti. Two other operas early in the 1843/44 season were equally poorly received, Verdi then engaged a member of the chorus, the bass Antonio Selva who went on to a distinguished career
17.
Poliuto
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Poliuto is a three-act tragedia lirica by Gaetano Donizetti from the Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, which was based on Pierre Corneilles play Polyeucte written in 1641–42. It reflected the life of the early Christian martyr Saint Polyeuctus, however, close to the time for rehearsals to begin, King Ferdinand II refused to allow the martyrdom of a Christian saint to be seen on stage and forbade the production. It was presented in Paris on 10 April 1840, when eventually given in Italy, it was initially presented in a translation from the French version under the title of I martiri. It took until 30 November 1848, months after the composers death, however, by the late 1830s, Nourrit’s popularity in Paris was in decline, and he was in danger of being supplanted in the publics affections by rising star Gilbert Louis Duprez. Donizetti returned to Naples, arriving by February 24, where he began planning for the production of Poliuto, however, he had also hoped for a permanent supervisory appointment at the Collegio di San Pietro a Maiella. Instead, it went to the composer, Saverio Mercadante, the composer began work by 10 May on the music for the opera, which appears to have been planned for the autumn season. Barbaja backed up Cammaranos objection, which included his inability to meet with the newly appointed censor, Royer. Finally, the completed libretto moved up the chain of command with Royers support until it reached the King, on 8 March 1839 he jumped to his death from a window of his apartment in Naples. For his part, Cammarano re-used some of the verses he had set for Poliuto in other librettos, including Mercadantes La Vestale, Donizetti offered his Poliuto to the Académie Royale de Musique and it was accepted for performances to begin in April 1840. This commission, which known as Le duc dAlbe, was never completed. During 1839, Lucia di Lammermoor, after being translated into French, became Lucie de Lammermoor, and this version was presented in August. With rehearsals for Les martyrs not planned until early 1840, the composer had time to yet another opera, La fille du régiment. It received its premiere on 11 February 1840, by which time Les martyrs was in rehearsal for performances in April. 19th century Prior to the original Poliuto being presented in Italy, however, the more compact, three-act Poliuto was generally preferred and under its original title, it was given its premiere on 30 November 1848, a few months after Donizettis death. As Poliuto, it was not until 25 May 1859 that it was given in New York, 20th century and beyond Productions of Poliuto staged from 1940 onward have included those at La Scala, Milan in 1940. It was also given at the Roman Baths of Caracalla with Giacomo Lauri-Volpi in 1948, at that point in her career, Callas was at the height of her fame, albeit having been absent from La Scala for two years. However, her performances were regarded as triumphs with the public, another Rome Opera production followed in 1989 with Nicola Martinucci and Elizabeth Connell and two productions were presented by the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo in 1993 and 2010. Other concert performances were given in the 1990s in cities such as Vienna, Montpelier, the ABAO company in Bilbao staged the work in February 2008 with Francisco Casanova and Fiorenza Cedolins in the two principal roles
18.
Guillaume Tell
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Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis. Based on Friedrich Schillers play William Tell, which drew on the William Tell legend, fabio Luisi said that Rossini planned for William Tell to be his last opera even as he composed it. The overture, in four sections and featuring a depiction of a storm as well as a vivacious finale, the March of the Swiss Soldiers, is often played. Charles Malherbe, archivist at the Paris Opéra, discovered the original score of the opera at a secondhand book sellers shop. It was first performed by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier on 3 August 1829, but within three performances cuts were being made and after a year only three acts were performed. The operas length, roughly four hours of music, and casting requirements, when performed, the opera is often cut. Performances have been given in both French and Italian, political concerns have also contributed to the varying fortunes of the work. In Italy, because the work glorified a revolutionary figure against authority, the opera encountered difficulties with the Italian censors, the Teatro San Carlo produced the opera in 1833, but then did not give another production for around 50 years. The first Venice production, at the Teatro La Fenice, was not until 1856, by contrast, in Vienna, in spite of censorship problems there, the Vienna Court Opera gave 422 performances over the years 1830–1907. In New York, William Tell was first presented on 19 September 1831 and it was revived at the Metropolitan Opera in 1923 with Ponselle and Martinelli, and there were revivals during the 1930s in Milan, Rome, Paris, Berlin and Florence. When the opera was performed at Gran Teatre del Liceu in 1893, in the later 20th century there were major productions in Florence, Geneva, La Scala, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Covent Garden, and then Opéra Bastille as well as at the Sportspalace in Pesaro. In 2010 there was an important revival of the opera, when it opened the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilias season and this performance was of the French version, with some cuts to particularly the fourth act. The performance was well reviewed, and marked the first full performance of the work in the history of the Proms. According to an anecdote, when an admirer told the composer that he had heard his opera the previous night, another version of the story refers only to Act II. In 1864 Offenbach quoted the patriotic trio from Act 2, Lorsque la Grèce est un champ de carnage in La Belle Hélène, today, the opera is remembered mostly for its famous overture. Its high-energy finale, March Of The Swiss Soldiers, is particularly familiar through its use in the American radio and television shows of The Lone Ranger. The overture has four parts, each linked to the next, The Prelude is written only for the section, the double basses. The Storm is a dynamic section played by the orchestra, with backup from the trombones
19.
Les Huguenots
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Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, Les Huguenots was some five years in creation. Coming from a family, Meyerbeer could afford to take his time, dictate his own terms. The very detailed contract which Meyerbeer arranged with Louis-Désiré Véron, director of the Opéra, while Meyerbeer was writing the opera, another opera with a similar setting and theme was also produced in Paris. Like Meyerbeers, Hérolds work was popular in its time. Les Huguenots was premiered by the Paris Opera at the Salle Le Peletier on 29 February 1836, both Adolphe Nourrit and Cornélie Falcon were particularly praised by the critics for their singing and performances. It was indeed Falcons last important creation before her voice so tragically failed in April of the following year, hector Berlioz called the score a musical encyclopaedia. Les Huguenots was the first opera to be performed at the Opéra more than 1,000 times and continued to be produced regularly up to 1936, more than a century after its premiere. Its many performances in all other of the major opera houses give it a claim to being the most successful opera of the 19th century. Other first performances included London,20 June 1842, and New Orleans on 29 April 1839, Les Huguenots was chosen to open the present building of the Covent Garden Theatre in 1858. In the Soviet Union, the opera was given a new libretto as Dekabristi, like others of Meyerbeers operas, Les Huguenots lost favor in the early part of the twentieth century and it no longer forms part of the standard operatic repertoire. One reason for the lack of revivals is cost, another is the extraordinary difficulty in casting the work. Les Huguenots has seven leading roles—two sopranos, one mezzo-soprano, two baritones, a tenor, and a bass, moreover, the tenor part, Raoul, is one of the most taxing in all of opera. He is on stage for large sections of all five acts, dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge were the major force in the operas revival during the second half of the 20th century. Sutherland chose the opera for her performance at the Sydney Opera House on 2 October 1990. In 1975, the New Orleans Opera Association staged the epic, with Marisa Galvany, Rita Shane, Susanne Marsee, Enrico Di Giuseppe, Dominic Cossa, and Paul Plishka heading the cast. The cast included Alexandra Deshorties, Michael Spyres, Erin Morley, Andrew Schroeder, Peter Volpe, Marie Lenormand, a new production opened at the Staatstheater Nürnberg in 2014, conducted by Guido Johannes Rumstadt with stage direction by Tobias Kratzer, a co-production with Opéra de Nice. Deutsche Oper Berlin presented a new staging of the opera as part of its Meyerbeer cycle, in a production by David Alden with Juan Diego Flórez as Raoul and these performances were a success with both audiences and critics
20.
L'Africaine
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LAfricaine is a grand opera in five acts, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto by Eugène Scribe deals with events in the life of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama – Meyerbeers working title for the opera was in fact Vasco da Gama. The opera had its first performance by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier on 28 April 1865, the opera was premiered in a performing edition undertaken by François-Joseph Fétis, as the composer had not prepared a final version by the time of his death the previous year. It is Fétis who gave the work its present title, Meyerbeer had referred to it as Vasco de Gama. In fact it is clear from the text, with its references to Hinduism, that the heroine Sélika hails not from Africa, madagascar has been suggested as a compromise reconciliation. Gabriela Cruz has published an analysis of the historical context of the events of the opera. Meyerbeer worked on the score from 1854 to 1855 and he had intended the role of Sélika for the soprano Sophie Cruvelli, but Cruvellis abrupt retirement from the public stage in January 1856 interrupted his plans. The work had its British premiere at Covent Garden Theatre, London, on 22 July 1865 and it also received its Italian premiere in 1865 in Bologna, conducted by Angelo Mariani and was staged four times at La Fenice between 1868 and 1892. It was also performed in Melbourne, Australia, in July 1866, the opera was enormously successful in the 19th century, but today it is rarely revived. To mark the 150th anniversary of Meyerbeers death, the work was performed again at La Fenice in November 2013, in 2013, Meyerbeers original version in a new critical edition by Jürgen Schläder was performed by Chemnitz Opera under the original title Vasco de Gama. The production was a success with audiences and critics and won the poll of German critics award presented by Opernwelt magazine annually as Rediscovery of the year in 2013. This edition was used for a production at the Deutsche Oper in October 2015, with Roberto Alagna as Vasco da Gama. The best known part of the opera is the act 4 tenor aria Pays merveilleux, O, paradis, which has been recorded many times. The opera depicts fictional events in the life of the explorer Vasco da Gama and his request for an expedition is refused, causing da Gama to attack the Grand Inquisitor, who anathematises him. The prison Sélika, who is in fact queen of the land, saves da Gama, whom she loves, from being murdered by Nélusko. Inès agrees to marry Don Pédro if da Gama is freed, da Gama, not realising that Inès has made this bargain, Don Pédro announces he is to mount an expedition to the new lands that were da Gamas discovery. Nélusko offers his services as pilot, on Don Pedros ship Nélusko is navigating the ship, but is secretly planning to destroy the Europeans. He sings a ballad of the legend of Adamastor, the giant of the sea
21.
Robert le diable
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Robert le diable is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer from a libretto written by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. Robert le diable is regarded as one of the first grand operas at the Paris Opéra and it has only a superficial connection to the medieval legend of Robert the Devil. It is a masterpiece. Meyerbeer has made himself immortal. It also had influence on development of the ballet, and was mentioned and discussed in contemporary French literature. Robert continued as a favourite in opera houses all over the world throughout the nineteenth century, after a period of neglect, it began to be revived towards the end of the twentieth century. Giacomo Meyerbeers early studies had been in Germany, but from 1816 to 1825 he worked in Italy, there he studied opera, then dominated by Gioachino Rossini, and wrote his own Italian operas, which were moderately successful and also had some performances in other European countries. Meyerbeer first mentions Robert le diable in his diaries in February 1827, the libretto was fabricated on the basis of old legends about Duke Robert the Magnificent of Normandy, the father of William the Conqueror, alleged in some versions to have been the son of the Devil. The librettists padded out this outline with a variety of melodramatic incidents, the libretto was originally planned as a three-act opéra comique for the Opéra-Comique theatre. Meyerbeer stopped work on the opera in 1827 when the theatre underwent financial difficulties, in August 1829, the composer and librettists agreed to refashion the work in a five-act form to meet the requirements of the Paris Opéra. This entailed some significant rewriting of the storyline, reducing the essentially comic role of Raimbaut and it also meant that the traditional pairing of lovers in opéra comique was swept aside in favour of concentration on the more sensational story-line of Roberts diabolic ancestry. The contract for the opera, specifying it as an opera in five acts and seven scenes, was signed by the then director of the Opéra, Émile Lubbert. Meyerbeer completed the composition of the work in Spa, Belgium in June and its characterisation as a grand opera placed it in succession to Aubers La muette de Portici and Rossinis Guillaume Tell in this new genre. He also rewrote the two major roles of Bertrand and Robert to suit the talents of Nicolas Levasseur and Adolphe Nourrit. The opera premiered on 21 November 1831 at the Paris Opéra, the success owed much to the operas star singers – Levasseur as Bertram, Nourrit as Robert — and to the provocative Ballet of the Nuns in the third act, featuring the great ballerina, Marie Taglioni. The choreography for the ballet was elaborated by the ballerinas father, the audiences prurient delight in this scandalous scene is well conveyed by the reviewer for the Revue des Deux-Mondes, A crowd of mute shades glides through the arches. What a pleasure to see these light women, the set for the ballet was an innovative and striking design by Henri Duponchel and Pierre-Luc-Charles Ciceri. Duponchel had also introduced technical innovations for the staging, including English traps for the appearance and disappearance of the ghosts. Taglioni danced the Abbess only six times in Paris, she was replaced by Louise Fitzjames, at the invitation of Nourrit, Cornélie Falcon made her debut at the age of 18 at the Opéra in the role of Alice on 20 July 1832. Although suffering from stage fright, Falcon managed to sing her first aria without error, on hearing her in the role, Meyerbeer himself declared his opera at last complete
22.
La Juive
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La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe, it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on 23 February 1835. La Juive was one of the most popular and admired operas of the 19th century and its libretto was the work of Eugène Scribe, the prolific dramatic author. In addition to this, there could be choral interludes, ballet, at the time of composition, the July Monarchy had liberalised religious practices in France. Meyerbeer and Halévy were both Jewish, and storylines dealing with topics of tolerance were common in their operas, some believe that the libretto of La Juive has a goal of reconsidering the status of Jews in French society. Others believe that the portrayal of the Jew Eléazar as secretive, vengeful. The operas first, ornate production, costing 150,000 francs, was conducted by François Habeneck, the performances of the soprano Cornélie Falcon in the title role and the dramatic tenor Adolphe Nourrit as Eléazar were particularly noted. The production was notable for its lavishness, including the organ in Act I, the enormous supporting cast. La Juive enjoyed a success comparable to that of Meyerbeers grand operas. It made its American premiere at the Théâtre dOrléans on 13 February 1844, the work was also used for the inaugural performance at the newly constructed Palais Garnier in Paris on 5 January 1875. Richard Wagner, who admired La Juive, may have borrowed from it the Act I organ effect, moreover, Eléazars tapping at his goldsmiths work is echoed by Hans Sachss cobbling during Die Meistersinger. The opera was produced by New Yorks Metropolitan Opera in 1919 as a vehicle for its star tenor, Eléazar was the last role Caruso added to his repertoire, as well as the last he sang in performance prior to his death in 1921. Giovanni Martinelli succeeded Caruso in the role at the Met and both he and Caruso recorded the operas best known aria, Rachel, the opera was programmed regularly until the 1930s. In Zurich, the action was changed from the 15th century to late 19th century France when anti-Semitism was rampant during the Dreyfus affair. In addition, the Royal Opera, London presented concert performances at The Barbican in 2006, with Dennis ONeill and Marina Poplavskaya singing the roles of Eléazar, the synopsis below reflects the original version of the opera. Modern performing versions often somewhat adapt this storyline for convenience, when he was young, the Jew Eléazar had lived in Italy near Rome and witnessed the condemnation and executions of his sons as heretics by Count Brogni. Eléazar himself was banished and forced to flee to Switzerland, during his journey, Eléazar found a baby near death, abandoned inside a burnt-out house which turned out to be the home of the Count. Bandits had set fire to the house, attempting to kill the family of Brogni. Eléazar took the child, a girl, and raised her as his own daughter, Brogni discovered the ruins of his house and the bodies of his family upon his return
23.
Aida
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Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in Egypt, it was commissioned by and first performed at Cairos Khedivial Opera House on 24 December 1871, ghislanzonis scheme follows a scenario often attributed to the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, but Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz argues that the source is actually Temistocle Solera. Aida eventually premiered in Cairo in late 1871, contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, for which Verdi had been invited to write an inaugural hymn, but had declined. The plot bears striking, though similarities to Metastasios libretto La Nitteti. Verdi originally chose to write an orchestral prelude instead of a full overture for the opera. He then composed an overture of the variety to replace the original prelude. However, in the end he decided not to have the overture performed because of its—his own words—pretentious insipidity and this overture, never used today, was given a rare broadcast performance by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra on 30 March 1940, but was never commercially issued. Aida met with acclaim when it finally opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871. He therefore considered the Italian premiere, held at La Scala, Milan on 8 February 1872, Verdi had also written the role of Aida for the voice of Teresa Stolz, who sang it for the first time at the Milan premiere. Verdi had asked her fiancé, Angelo Mariani, to conduct the Cairo premiere, the Milan Amneris, Maria Waldmann, was his favourite in the role and she repeated it a number of times at his request. Aida was received with enthusiasm at its Milan premiere. With Polish translation Aida was performed for the first time 9 June 1877, france,22 April 1876, Théâtre-Lyrique Italien, Salle Ventadour, Paris, with almost the same cast as the Milan premiere, but with Édouard de Reszke making his debut as the King. Rio de Janeiro,30 June 1886, Theatro Lyrico Fluminense, Arturo Toscanini, at the time a 19-year-old cellist who was assistant chorus master, was persuaded to take up the baton for the performance. Toscanini conducted the opera from memory, with great success. This would be the start of a promising career, laibach, Austrian Empire,1 October 1898, conducted by Hilarion Benišek A complete concert version of the opera was given in New York City in 1949. Conducted by Toscanini with Herva Nelli as Aida and Richard Tucker as Radamès, due to the length of the opera, it was divided into two telecasts, preserved on kinescopes, and later released on video by RCA and Testament. The audio portion of the broadcast, including some remakes in June 1954, was released on LP, La Scala mounted a lavish new production of Aida designed by Franco Zeffirelli for the opening night of its 2006/2007 season. The production starred Violeta Urmana in the role and Roberto Alagna as Radamès
24.
Samson and Delilah (opera)
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Samson and Delilah, Op.47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the Grossherzogliches Theater on 2 December 1877 in a German translation, the opera is based on the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah found in Chapter 16 of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. It is the opera by Saint-Saëns that is regularly performed. The second act love scene in Delilahs tent is one of the set pieces that define French opera, the composer began work on the theme in 1867, just two years after completing his first opera, Le timbre dargent. Saint-Saëns later wrote, A young relative of mine had married a young man who wrote verse on the side. I realized that he was gifted and had in fact real talent, I asked him to work with me on an oratorio on a biblical subject. He said, no, lets make it an opera, and he began to dig through the Bible while I outlined the plan of the work, even sketching scenes, and leaving him only the versification to do. For some reason I began the music with Act 2, and I played it at home to an audience who could make nothing of it at all. From the very beginning, the work was conceived as a duet between Samson and Dalila set off against the approaching tempest. Composer Augusta Holmès, painter Henri Regnault, and Romain Bussine rendered their roles from part books, in spite of many precedents, the French public reacted negatively to Saint-Saënss intention of putting a Biblical subject on the stage. The alarm on the part of the public caused him to working further on the opera for the next two years. Encouraged, Saint-Saëns began composing act 1 in late 1872 and worked on it sporadically for the few years. He wrote a large amount of act 1 and completed it during a trip to Algiers in 1874, upon returning to France in 1875, Saint-Saëns presented act 1 in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet in a similar format as the 1870 performance of act 2. The work was received by music critics and failed to gain the publics interest. Viardot was an admirer of the work and she hoped that this private performance would encourage Halanzier. Although Saint-Saëns completed the score in 1876, no houses in France displayed any desire to stage Samson et Dalila. Liszts sustained support however led to the work being mounted in Weimar in 1877, although Liszt was no longer the musical director in Weimar, he still exerted a powerful influence at the Weimar court. The libretto was translated into German for the production and the operas first performance was given on 2 December 1877 at the Grossherzogliches Theatre
25.
Le roi de Lahore
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Le roi de Lahore is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet. Within a year of the premiere the opera was performed, for instance, in Turin, Rome, Bologna, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, presented it in London in 1879, and in 1906 it premiered in Monte Carlo. The US premiere took place in 1883 at the French Opera House in New Orleans, contemporary performances include a revival by the Vancouver Opera in 1977 starring Joan Sutherland and conducted by Richard Bonynge. The same production was mounted at the San Francisco Opera and subsequently recorded, a more recent revival occurred at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 2005 under the baton of Marcello Viotti, a performance of which was released on CD and DVD. Place, Lahore, a city of Pakistan, the citizens of Lahore gather at the temple to pray for divine protection against the Moslem invaders, and receive encouragement from Timour, the high priest. Scindia, minister of King Alim is in love with Sita, his niece, Scindia asks Timour to release Sita from her vows, and points out that she has been meeting a young man. A secret door opens and a man appears, it is King Alim who confesses his love. Timour demands that the king expiate his actions by leading his army against the Muslims, Scindia schemes to arrange an ambush and kill the king. At the kings encampment in the Thol desert, where Sita has followed and pitched camp near the king as she awaits his return from the fighting, Scindia gets them to join with him to usurp the throne. Wounded, Alim dies in Sitas arms, in the Paradise of Indra there are songs and dances by the apsaras. Alim’s soul arrives but he admits that he misses the presence of Sita, Indra takes pity and agrees to restore Alim to life – as the humblest of beings – for as long as Sita lives. Alim awakens back in Lahore at the entrance to the palace where the crowd is gathering for Scindias coronation. Scindia enters, on his way to persuade Sita to marry him, Alim appears to the onlookers like a poor madman, but Timour say that he must be a visionary inspired by god. Sita has sought refuge in Indras sanctuary having fled forced marriage with Scindia, Alim is admitted to the sanctuary by Timour and the lovers meet again. Scindia arrives and threatens them both, Sita stabs herself and at once Alim again becomes a spirit, thus foiling the designs of Scindia, Sita and Alim are united in celestial happiness. Notes Sources Upton, George P. Borowski, Felix, Le roi de Lahore, Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Le roi de Lahore, Visual documentation of the premiere on Gallica Le roi de Lahore at Bobs Universe
26.
Lucia di Lammermoor
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Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scotts historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor, Donizetti wrote Lucia di Lammermoor in 1835, a time when several factors led to the height of his reputation as a composer of opera. Gioachino Rossini had recently retired and Vincenzo Bellini had died shortly before the premiere of Lucia leaving Donizetti as the sole reigning genius of Italian opera. Not only were conditions ripe for Donizettis success as a composer, the perceived romance of its violent wars and feuds, as well as its folklore and mythology, intrigued 19th century readers and audiences. Sir Walter Scott made use of stereotypes in his novel The Bride of Lammermoor. The story concerns the emotionally fragile Lucy Ashton who is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods, the setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland in the 17th century. The opera premiered on 26 September 1835 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, london saw the opera on 5 April 1838 and, for Paris, Donizetti revised the score for a French version which debuted on 6 August 1839 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. It reached the United States with a production in New Orleans on 28 December 1841, the opera was never absent from the repertory of the Metropolitan Opera for more than one season at a time from 1903 until 1972. After World War II, a number of sopranos were instrumental in giving new life to the opera, including Maria Callas and it has remained a staple of the operatic repertoire and ranks 21st on Operabases list of the most-performed operas worldwide from the 2008/09 to 2012/13 seasons. Additionally an off-stage wind band is used, Donizetti did not provide instrumentation, time, Early 18th century Place, Scotland Scene 1, The gardens of Lammermoor Castle Normanno, captain of the castle guard, and other retainers are searching for an intruder. He tells Enrico that he believes that the man is Edgardo of Ravenswood, and it is confirmed that Edgardo is indeed the intruder. Enrico reaffirms his hatred for the Ravenswood family and his determination to end the relationship, Scene 2, By a fountain at the entrance to the park, beside the castle Lucia waits for Edgardo. In her famous aria Regnava nel silenzio, Lucia tells her maid Alisa that she has seen the ghost of a girl killed on the same spot by a jealous Ravenswood ancestor. Alisa tells Lucia that the apparition is a warning and that she must give up her love for Edgardo, Edgardo enters, for political reasons, he must leave immediately for France. He hopes to make his peace with Enrico and marry Lucia, Lucia tells him this is impossible, and instead they take a sworn vow of marriage and exchange rings. Scene 1, Lord Ashtons apartments in Lammermoor Castle Preparations have been made for the imminent wedding of Lucia to Arturo, Enrico worries about whether Lucia will really submit to the wedding. He shows his sister a forged letter seemingly proving that Edgardo has forgotten her, Enrico leaves Lucia to further persuasion this time by Raimondo, Lucias chaplain and tutor, that she should renounce her vow to Edgardo, for the good of the family, and marry Arturo. Scene 2, A hall in the castle Arturo arrives for the marriage, Lucia acts strangely, but Enrico explains that this is due to the death of her mother
27.
Requiem (Verdi)
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The Messa da Requiem is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet, the first performance, at the San Marco church in Milan on 22 May 1874, marked the first anniversary of Manzonis death. The work was at one time called the Manzoni Requiem and it is rarely performed in liturgy, but rather in concert form of around 85–90 minutes in length. Musicologist David Rosen calls it probably the most frequently performed major choral work composed since the compilation of Mozarts Requiem, after Gioachino Rossinis death in 1868, Verdi suggested that a number of Italian composers collaborate on a Requiem in Rossinis honor. He began the effort by submitting the concluding movement, the Libera me, during the next year a Messa per Rossini was compiled by Verdi and twelve other famous Italian composers of the time. The premiere was scheduled for 13 November 1869, the first anniversary of Rossinis death, however, on 4 November, nine days before the premiere, the organising committee abandoned it. Verdi blamed this on the conductor, Angelo Mariani. He pointed to Marianis lack of enthusiasm for the project, even though he had part of the organising committee from the start. The composition remained unperformed until 1988, when Helmuth Rilling premiered the complete Messa per Rossini in Stuttgart, in the meantime, Verdi kept toying with his Libera me, frustrated that the combined commemoration of Rossinis life would not be performed in his lifetime. On 22 May 1873, the Italian writer and humanist Alessandro Manzoni, upon hearing of his death, Verdi resolved to complete a Requiem—this time entirely of his own writing—for Manzoni. Verdi traveled to Paris in June, where he commenced work on the Requiem and it included a revised version of the Libera me originally composed for Rossini. The Requiem was first performed in the church of San Marco in Milan on 22 May 1874, Verdi himself conducted, and the four soloists were Teresa Stolz, Maria Waldmann, Giuseppe Capponi and Ormondo Maini. Teresa Stolz went on to a brilliant career, Waldmann retired very young in 1875, also, Teresa Stolz was engaged to Angelo Mariani in 1869, but she later left him. The Requiem was repeated at La Scala three days later on 25 May with the soloists and Verdi again conducting. It won immediate contemporary success, although not everywhere and it received seven performances at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, but the new Royal Albert Hall in London could not be filled for such a Catholic occasion. In Venice, impressive Byzantine ecclesiastical decor was designed for the occasion of the performance and it later disappeared from the standard choral repertoire, but made a reappearance in the 1930s and is now regularly performed and a staple of many choral societies. The playwright and music critic George Bernard Shaw was an admirer of the work from its first London performance. The Requiem was performed 16 times between 1943 and 1944 by prisoners in the camp of Theresienstadt under the direction of Rafael Schächter
28.
Gioachino Rossini
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Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote operas, as well as some sacred music, songs, chamber music and piano pieces. A precocious composer of operas, he made his debut at the age of eighteen. His best-known operas include the Italian comedies Il barbiere di Siviglia, Litaliana in Algeri and he also wrote a string of serious operas in Italian, including works such as Tancredi, Otello and Semiramide. The semi-serious opera La Gazza Ladra has one of Rossinis most celebrated overtures, after moving to Paris in 1824, he eventually started to write in French. His last opera, the epic Guillaume Tell, replete with its iconic overture, after composing thirty-nine significant operas in nineteen years Rossini retired from the theatre in 1829. Later, he was affected by physical and mental illnesses and for decades wrote relatively little apart from a setting of the Stabat Mater. A return to Paris from Italy in 1855 was followed by better health, during these, he presented salon music in the form of songs, piano pieces and small chamber ensembles that he called Sins of Old Age. He considered the last of these Sins to be the unusually scored Petite messe solennelle that he wrote in 1863, Rossini had been the most popular opera composer in history, and he was one of the most renowned public figures of his time. A rapid and prolific composer, he was quoted as joking, Give me the laundress bill, a tendency for inspired, song-like melodies is evident throughout his scores, earning him the nickname The Italian Mozart. Use of a build up of orchestral sound over a repeated phrase—commonly known as a Rossini crescendo—also prompted the nickname Signor Crescendo. Gioachino Antonio Rossini was born into a family of musicians in Pesaro and his father, Giuseppe, was a horn player and inspector of slaughterhouses. His mother, Anna, was a singer and a bakers daughter, Rossinis father was sympathetic to the French Revolution and welcomed Napoleons troops when they arrived in northern Italy. When Austria restored the old regime, Rossinis father was sent to prison in 1799, Rossinis mother took him to Bologna, making a living as leading singer at various theatres of the Romagna region. Her husband would ultimately join her in Bologna, during this time, Rossini was frequently left in the care of his aging grandmother, who had difficulty supervising the boy. He remained at Bologna in the care of a pork butcher while his father played the horn in the orchestras of the theatres at which his wife sang and these qualities made him a subject for ridicule in the eyes of the young Rossini. He was eventually taken from Prinetti and apprenticed to a blacksmith, in Angelo Tesei, he found a congenial music master, and learned to sight-read, play accompaniments on the piano and sing well enough to take solo parts in the church when he was ten years of age. Important products of this period are six sonate a quattro, or string sonatas, the original scores, dating from 1804 when the composer was twelve, were found in the Library of Congress in Washington D. C. In 1805, he appeared at the theatre of the Commune in Ferdinando Paers Camilla and he was also a capable horn player, treading in the footsteps of his father
29.
Turin
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Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region and was the first capital city of Italy. The city is located mainly on the bank of the Po River, in front of Susa Valley and surrounded by the western Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 892,649 while the population of the area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million, in 1997 a part of the historical center of Torino was inscribed in the World Heritage List under the name Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Turin is well known for its Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-classical, many of Turins public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. This was after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy was moved to Turin from Chambery as part of the urban expansion, the city used to be a major European political center. Turin was Italys first capital city in 1861 and home to the House of Savoy, from 1563, it was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, then of the Kingdom of Sardinia ruled by the Royal House of Savoy and finally the first capital of the unified Italy. Turin is sometimes called the cradle of Italian liberty for having been the birthplace and home of notable politicians and people who contributed to the Risorgimento, such as Cavour. The city currently hosts some of Italys best universities, colleges, academies, lycea and gymnasia, such as the University of Turin, founded in the 15th century, in addition, the city is home to museums such as the Museo Egizio and the Mole Antonelliana. Turins attractions make it one of the worlds top 250 tourist destinations, Turin is ranked third in Italy, after Milan and Rome, for economic strength. With a GDP of $58 billion, Turin is the worlds 78th richest city by purchasing power, as of 2010, the city has been ranked by GaWC as a Gamma World city. Turin is also home to much of the Italian automotive industry, the Taurini were an ancient Celto-Ligurian Alpine people, who occupied the upper valley of the Po River, in the center of modern Piedmont. In 218 BC, they were attacked by Hannibal as he was allied with their long-standing enemies, the Taurini chief town was captured by Hannibals forces after a three-day siege. As a people they are mentioned in history. It is believed that a Roman colony was established in 27 BC under the name of Castra Taurinorum, both Livy and Strabo mention the Taurinis country as including one of the passes of the Alps, which points to a wider use of the name in earlier times. In the 1st century BC, the Romans created a military camp, the typical Roman street grid can still be seen in the modern city, especially in the neighborhood known as the Quadrilatero Romano. Via Garibaldi traces the path of the Roman citys decumanus which began at the Porta Decumani. The Porta Palatina, on the side of the current city centre, is still preserved in a park near the Cathedral
30.
Bel canto
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Bel canto, along with a number of similar constructions, is a term relating to Italian singing. It has several different meanings and is subject to a variety of interpretations. Nonetheless, neither musical nor general dictionaries saw fit to attempt definition until after 1900, the term remains vague and ambiguous in the 21st century and is often used to evoke a lost singing tradition. As generally understood today, the bel canto refers to the Italian-originated vocal style that prevailed throughout most of Europe during the 18th century. Operas received the most dramatic use of the techniques, but the bel canto style applies equally to oratorio, the da capo arias these works contained provided challenges for singers, as the repeat of the opening section prevented the story line from progressing. Nonetheless, singers needed to keep the emotional drama moving forward, Singers regularly embellished both arias and recitatives, but did so by tailoring their embellishments to the prevailing sentiments of the piece. Two famous 18th-century teachers of the style were Antonio Bernacchi and Nicola Porpora, a number of these teachers were castrati. In another application, the bel canto is sometimes attached to Italian operas written by Vincenzo Bellini. These composers wrote works for the stage during what musicologists sometimes call the bel canto era. The last important opera role for a castrato was written in 1824 by Giacomo Meyerbeer, wagner decried the Italian singing model, alleging that it was concerned merely with whether that G or A will come out roundly. He advocated a new, Germanic school of singing which would draw the spiritually energetic, interestingly enough, French musicians and composers never embraced the more florid extremes of the 18th-century Italian bel canto style. They disliked the voice and because they placed a premium on the clear enunciation of the texts of their vocal music. The popularity of the bel canto style as espoused by Rossini, Donizetti and it was overtaken by a heavier, more ardent, less embroidered approach to singing that was necessary in order to perform the innovative works of Giuseppe Verdi with maximum dramatic impact. Sopranos and baritones reacted in a fashion to their tenor colleagues when confronted with Verdis drama-filled compositions. To others, however, bel canto became the art of elegant. Rossini lamented in a conversation took place in Paris in 1858 that, Alas for us. Similarly, the so-called German style was as derided as much as it was heralded, in the late-19th century and early-20th century, the term bel canto was resurrected by singing teachers in Italy, among whom the retired Verdi baritone Antonio Cotogni was a pre-eminent figure. During the 1890s, the directors of the Bayreuth Festival initiated a particularly forceful style of Wagnerian singing that was totally at odds with the Italian ideals of bel canto
31.
Umberto Giordano
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Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. He was born in Foggia in Apulia, southern Italy, and his first opera, Marina, was written for a competition promoted by the music publishers Casa Sonzogno for the best one-act opera, remembered today because it marked the beginning of Italian verismo. The winner was Mascagnis Cavalleria rusticana, the result was Mala Vita, a gritty verismo opera about a labourer who vows to reform a prostitute if he is cured of his tuberculosis. This work caused something of a scandal when performed at the Teatro Argentina, Rome and it played successfully in Vienna, Prague and Berlin and was re-written as Il Voto a few years later, in an attempt to raise interest in the work again. Giordano then moved to Milan and returned to verismo with his work, Andrea Chénier. Fedora, based on Victorien Sardous play, featured a young tenor named Enrico Caruso. It was also a success and is performed today. His later works are less known, but occasionally revived and in the case of La cena delle beffe recognised by musicologists. He died in Milan at the age of 81, the most important theater in his home town of Foggia has been dedicated to Umberto Giordano. A square in Foggia is also named him and contains several statues representing his most famous works. Marina Mala Vita Regina Diaz Andrea Chénier Fedora Il Voto Siberia Marcella Mese mariano Madame Sans-Gêne Giove a Pompei La cena delle beffe Il re La festa del Nilo
32.
Giacomo Puccini
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Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian opera composer who has been called the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi. Puccinis early work was rooted in traditional late-19th-century romantic Italian opera, later, he successfully developed his work in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents. Puccinis most renowned works are La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, Puccini was born Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini in Lucca in Tuscany, in 1858. He was one of nine children of Michele Puccini and Albina Magi, the Puccini family was established in Lucca as a local musical dynasty by Puccinis great-great grandfather – also named Giacomo. This first Giacomo Puccini was maestro di cappella of the Cattedrale di San Martino in Lucca and he was succeeded in this position by his son, Antonio Puccini, and then by Antonios son Domenico, and Domenicos son Michele. Each of these men studied music at Bologna, and some additional musical studies elsewhere. Domenico Puccini studied for a time under Giovanni Paisiello, each composed music for the church. In addition, Domenico composed several operas, and Michele composed one opera, Puccinis father Michele enjoyed a reputation throughout northern Italy, and his funeral was an occasion of public mourning, at which the then-famed composer Giovanni Pacini conducted a Requiem. However, when Michele Puccini died in 1864, his son Giacomo was only six years old, as a child, he nevertheless participated in the musical life of the Cattedrale di San Martino, as a member of the boys choir and later as a substitute organist. Puccini was given an education at the seminary of San Michele in Lucca. One of Puccinis uncles, Fortunato Magi, supervised his musical education, Puccini got a diploma from the Pacini School of Music in Lucca in 1880, having studied there with his uncle Fortunato, and later with Carlo Angeloni, who had also instructed Alfredo Catalani. Puccini studied at the conservatory for three years, sharing a room with Pietro Mascagni, in 1880, at the age of 21, Puccini composed his Mass, which marks the culmination of his familys long association with church music in his native Lucca. Puccini wrote a piece called the Capriccio sinfonica as a thesis composition for the Milan Conservatory. Puccinis teachers Ponchielli and Bazzini were impressed by the work, and it was performed at a student concert at the conservatory on 14 July 1883, conducted by Franco Faccio. Puccinis work was reviewed in the Milanese publication Perseveranza. After the premiere of the Capriccio sinfonica, Ponchielli and Puccini discussed the possibility that Puccinis next work might be an opera, Ponchielli invited Puccini to stay at his villa, where Puccini was introduced to another young man named Fernando Fontana. Puccini and Fontana agreed to collaborate on an opera, for which Fontana would provide the libretto, the work, Le Villi, was entered into a competition sponsored by the Sozogno music publishing company in 1883. Although it did not win, Le Villi was later staged at the Teatro Dal Verme, G. Ricordi & Co. music publishers assisted with the premier by printing the libretto without charge
33.
Edgar (opera)
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Edgar is an operatic dramma lirico in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, freely based on the play in verse La Coupe et les lèvres by Alfred de Musset. The first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 21 April 1889, the opera was not a success. Puccini repeatedly revised it, before giving up in frustration. Edgar, Puccinis second opera, was composed on a commission from the publisher Ricordi after the reception of his first stage work. The plot indicates the influence of Wagners Tannhäuser, both centre on medieval knights struggling between a life of sensual indulgence and ideal love. Edgar is torn between the love of Fidelia and the profane love of Tigrana, Wagners hero indulges himself with Venus while pining for the love of Elizabeth. The gypsy-like figure of Tigrana also parallels the anti-heroine of Bizets Carmen, the original version had four acts and was tepidly received. In January 1890, Ricordi published a version, including a different ending for act 2. In the autumn of 1891, Puccini revised the work again, cutting the last act, in this final form the opera had even less success than in its original four-act structure. Some of the music that was cut in 1891 was reused in Tosca and became the beautiful act 3 duet, the funeral march from act 3 was played at Puccinis funeral, conducted by Arturo Toscanini and the aria Addio, mio dolce amor from act 4 was sung. Puccini finally gave up on Edgar and in years, bitterly repudiated the work. He wrote, It was an organism defective from the point of view. Although I knew that I wrote some pages which do me credit, the basis of an opera is the subject and its treatment. In setting the libretto of Edgar I have, with all respect to the memory of my friend Fontana and it was more my fault than his. On a copy of the score that he sent to a friend, the autograph of the acts 1 and 3 of the original version is preserved in the Archivio Ricordi in Milan. The autograph of the acts 2 and 4, which was believed lost till 2008, is owned by Simonetta Puccini, the first version was performed at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 25 June 2008, directed by Yoram David. American musicologist Dr. Linda Fairtile is working on producing the critical edition of the first version, Fairtile worked on it together with Gabriele Dotto and Claudio Toscani. In the operas 1905 version, it was first given in the US on 12 April 1966, however, the original version was given its UK premiere at Lewes Town Hall by New Sussex Opera on 25 October 2012
34.
Madrid
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Madrid is the capital city of the Kingdom of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has a population of almost 3.2 million with an area population of approximately 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in the European Union after London and Berlin, the municipality itself covers an area of 604.3 km2. Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid, this community is bordered by the communities of Castile and León. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political, economic, the current mayor is Manuela Carmena from Ahora Madrid. Madrid is home to two football clubs, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid. Madrid is the 17th most liveable city in the according to Monocle magazine. Madrid organises fairs such as FITUR, ARCO, SIMO TCI, while Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Cibeles Palace and Fountain have become one of the monument symbols of the city, the first documented reference of the city originates in Andalusan times as the Arabic مجريط Majrīṭ, which was retained in Medieval Spanish as Magerit. A wider number of theories have been formulated on possible earlier origins, according to legend, Madrid was founded by Ocno Bianor and was named Metragirta or Mantua Carpetana. The most ancient recorded name of the city Magerit comes from the name of a built on the Manzanares River in the 9th century AD. Nevertheless, it is speculated that the origin of the current name of the city comes from the 2nd century BC. The Roman Empire established a settlement on the banks of the Manzanares river, the name of this first village was Matrice. In the 8th century, the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula saw the changed to Mayrit, from the Arabic term ميرا Mayra. The modern Madrid evolved from the Mozarabic Matrit, which is still in the Madrilenian gentilic, after the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba, Madrid was integrated in the Taifa of Toledo. With the surrender of Toledo to Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the city was conquered by Christians in 1085, Christians replaced Muslims in the occupation of the centre of the city, while Muslims and Jews settled in the suburbs. The city was thriving and was given the title of Villa, since 1188, Madrid won the right to be a city with representation in the courts of Castile. In 1202, King Alfonso VIII of Castile gave Madrid its first charter to regulate the municipal council, which was expanded in 1222 by Ferdinand III of Castile
35.
Pietro Mascagni
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Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria Rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history, Mascagni said that at one point, Iris was performed in Italy more often than Cavalleria. Mascagni wrote fifteen operas, an operetta, several orchestral and vocal works, as well as songs and he enjoyed immense success during his lifetime, both as a composer and conductor of his own and other peoples music. Mascagni was born in Livorno, Tuscany, the son of Domenico. His father owned and operated a bakery, giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti was born the same year in the same city and became Mascagnis lifelong friend and collaborator. In 1876, at the age of 13, Mascagni began musical studies with Alfredo Soffredini, the older man had just completed his musical studies in Milan. Also a native of Livorno, Soffredini was a composer, teacher, the youth started composing rapidly, and between 1879 and 1880, he composed several works, Sinfonia in do minore, Prima sinfonia in fa maggiore, Elegia, Kyrie, Gloria and Ave Maria. The premiere of Mascagnis first cantata, In Filanda, took place at the Istituto Cherubini on 9 February 1881, performed at a musical contest in Milan, the cantata won the first prize. In the same year Mascagni met the musicians Arrigo Boito and Amilcare Ponchielli in Milan, in 1882, he composed his Cantata alla gioia from a text by Gustav Schiller, followed by La stella di Garibaldi for voice and piano, and La tua stella. On 6 May Mascagni left Livorno for Milan and he passed the admission examination of the Milan Conservatory on 12 October. In Milan, Mascagni met the noted composer Giacomo Puccini, on 9 January 1883, Mascagnis sister, Maria, died. The cantata In Filanda became Pinotta, and was proposed for the musical contest of the Conservatorio, in 1884, he composed Ballata for tenor and piano, Mama non mama, scherzo for soprano and piano, Messagio damore, and Alla luna. In 1885, Mascagni composed Il Re a Napoli in Cremona and he left Milan without completing his studies. That year, he began touring as a conductor in the companies of Vittorio Forlì, Alfonso and Ciro Scognamiglio, and, in Genova. Mascagni met the impresario Luigi Maresca in 1886 and started working with him and that December, Mascagni arrived in Cerignola with Marescas company. He was accompanied by Argenide Marcellina Carbognani, his future wife, helped by the mayor Giuseppe Cannone, Mascagni soon left the company of Maresca, not without problems. He was appointed as the master of music and singing of the new philharmonia of Cerignola, in February 1888, he began work on the Messa di Gloria. In July, Casa Sonzogno announced in the Teatro Illustrato its second competition for a one-act opera, the following year, Mascagni completed his composition of Cavalleria rusticana on 27 May and sent the manuscript to Milan
36.
Cavalleria rusticana
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Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play and short story written by Giovanni Verga. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on 17 May 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, since 1893, it has often been performed in a so-called Cav/Pag double-bill with Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. In July 1888 the Milanese music publisher Edoardo Sonzogno announced an open to all young Italian composers who had not yet had an opera performed on stage. They were invited to submit a one-act opera, which would be judged by a jury of five prominent Italian critics, the best three would be staged in Rome at Sonzognos expense. Targioni-Tozzetti chose Cavalleria rusticana, a short story by Giovanni Verga. He and his colleague Guido Menasci set about composing the libretto, sending it to Mascagni in fragments, the opera was finally submitted on the last day that entries would be accepted. In all,73 operas were submitted, and on 5 March 1890, there have been two other operas based on Vergas story. The first, Mala Pasqua. by Stanislao Gastaldon, was entered in the competition as Mascagnis. However, Gastaldon withdrew it when he received an opportunity to have it performed at the Teatro Costanzi, in the 1907 Sonzogno competition, Domenico Monleone submitted an opera based on the story, and likewise called Cavalleria rusticana. The opera was not successful in the competition, but premiered later that year in Amsterdam and went on to a tour throughout Europe. Sonzogno, wishing to protect the property which Mascagnis version had become, took legal action. Monleone changed the opera ‘beyond recognition’, setting the music to a new libretto, in this form it was presented as La giostra dei falchi in 1914. Cavalleria rusticana opened on the evening of 19 May 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome to an empty house. However, the audience included not only the most authoritative music critics in the country but also Queen Margherita and it was a success from its opening notes. Following Stagnos rendition of the Siciliana behind the curtain the audience leaped to their feet with a thunderous applause not heard for many years, the number was encored as were a number of other numbers in the opera. It was a sensation, with Mascagni taking 40 curtain calls, although Mascagni had started writing two other operas earlier, Cavalleria rusticana was his first opera to be completed and performed. It remains the best known of his fifteen operas and one operetta, apart from Cavalleria rusticana, only Iris and Lamico Fritz have remained in the standard repertory, with Isabeau and Il piccolo Marat on the fringes of the Italian repertoire. Its success has been ever since its first performance
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The New York Times
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The New York Times is an American daily newspaper, founded and continuously published in New York City since September 18,1851, by The New York Times Company. The New York Times has won 119 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper, the papers print version in 2013 had the second-largest circulation, behind The Wall Street Journal, and the largest circulation among the metropolitan newspapers in the US. The New York Times is ranked 18th in the world by circulation, following industry trends, its weekday circulation had fallen in 2009 to fewer than one million. Nicknamed The Gray Lady, The New York Times has long been regarded within the industry as a newspaper of record. The New York Times international version, formerly the International Herald Tribune, is now called the New York Times International Edition, the papers motto, All the News Thats Fit to Print, appears in the upper left-hand corner of the front page. On Sunday, The New York Times is supplemented by the Sunday Review, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine and T, some other early investors of the company were Edwin B. Morgan and Edward B. We do not believe that everything in Society is either right or exactly wrong, —what is good we desire to preserve and improve, —what is evil, to exterminate. In 1852, the started a western division, The Times of California that arrived whenever a mail boat got to California. However, when local California newspapers came into prominence, the effort failed, the newspaper shortened its name to The New-York Times in 1857. It dropped the hyphen in the city name in the 1890s, One of the earliest public controversies it was involved with was the Mortara Affair, the subject of twenty editorials it published alone. At Newspaper Row, across from City Hall, Henry Raymond, owner and editor of The New York Times, averted the rioters with Gatling guns, in 1869, Raymond died, and George Jones took over as publisher. Tweed offered The New York Times five million dollars to not publish the story, in the 1880s, The New York Times transitioned gradually from editorially supporting Republican Party candidates to becoming more politically independent and analytical. In 1884, the paper supported Democrat Grover Cleveland in his first presidential campaign, while this move cost The New York Times readership among its more progressive and Republican readers, the paper eventually regained most of its lost ground within a few years. However, the newspaper was financially crippled by the Panic of 1893, the paper slowly acquired a reputation for even-handedness and accurate modern reporting, especially by the 1890s under the guidance of Ochs. Under Ochs guidance, continuing and expanding upon the Henry Raymond tradition, The New York Times achieved international scope, circulation, in 1910, the first air delivery of The New York Times to Philadelphia began. The New York Times first trans-Atlantic delivery by air to London occurred in 1919 by dirigible, airplane Edition was sent by plane to Chicago so it could be in the hands of Republican convention delegates by evening. In the 1940s, the extended its breadth and reach. The crossword began appearing regularly in 1942, and the section in 1946
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Carlo Pedrotti
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Carlo Pedrotti was an Italian conductor, administrator and composer, principally of opera. An associate of Giuseppe Verdis, he taught two internationally renowned Italian operatic tenors, Francesco Tamagno and Alessandro Bonci. Pedrotti was born in Verona, where he studied music with the composer Domenico Foroni and this was followed by four seasons as conductor of the Italian Opera in Amsterdam, where a further two operas were composed and premiered. He returned to Verona in 1845, during the next 23 years, he taught, conducted at the Teatro Nuovo as well as the Teatro Filarmonico and composed a further 10 operas. Fiorina, another opera semiseria, was a success in Italy and beyond, and it has been successfully revived in recent years in Savona, Piacenza and Rovigo and at the Wexford Festival. In 1868, Pedrotti moved to Turin, where he had been appointed director of the Liceo Musicale, at the Regio, as well as improving the quality of opera performances, he inaugurated a series of popular concerts. He composed the Tuba mirum section of the Dies Irae, for baritone and chorus. Pedrotti composed only two operas while in Turin, both near the beginning of his tenure and they were Il favorito and Olema la schiava. The turned out to be his last operas, during his 14 years in Turin, the Teatro Regio became one of the most important opera houses in Italy. Pedrotti introduced Turin audiences to a number of new French and German operas, in preparation for the first Turin performances of Lohengrin in 1876, Pedrotti visited Richard Wagner in Munich, the production proved to be a success. In 1882, Pedrotti moved to Pesaro as the first director of the Liceo Musicale, among his students there was the young Alessandro Bonci, who went on to achieve a career as a prominent lyric tenor in Europe and America. He organised the Rossini Centenary celebrations in 1892 but he retired to Verona, citing ill-health, in October of that year, he committed suicide by drowning in the Adige
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Teatro Regio (Turin)
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The Teatro Regio is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin, Italy. Its season runs from October to June with the presentation of eight or nine operas given from five to twelve performances of each, however, the cornerstone was not laid until the reign of Charles Emmanuel III in 1738 after Juvarras death. The work was supervised by Benedetto Alfieri until the theatre was completed, the Teatro Regio was inaugurated on 26 December 1740 with Francesco Feos Arsace. It was a sumptuously built facility, seating 1,500, however, the theatre was closed on royal order in 1792 and it became a warehouse. With the French occupation of Turin during the Napoleonic War the theatre was renamed the Teatro Nazionale and finally, after Napoleons ascent to Emperor, Napoleons fall in 1814 saw the theatre returned to its original name, the Regio. In the following years the house went through several periods of financial crisis. Other theatres were built and presented seasons of opera in Turin, among them was the restored Teatro Carignano in 1824. Even before it burnt down, discussions about whether to rebuild the Regio or create a new theatre preoccupied Turin in the early twentieth century. Two plans were presented and the one selected expanded the capacity to 2,415 by removing the fourth and fifth levels of boxes. Work was completed in 1905 but the theatre closed during the First World War, until February 1936, seasons of opera were presented until fire destroyed all but the facade of the Teatro Regio. It remained closed for thirty-seven years, arturo Toscanini was the conductor of the Turin Opera from 1895 to 1898, during which time several productions of the works of Wagner were given Italian premieres. Following the fire, a competition was launched to find an architect. However, due to the war and the financial situation. Even then, work did not start until September 1967 under architect Carlo Mollino, the new house seats 1,750 and is elliptical in shape with a large orchestra level and 37 boxes around its perimeter. An acoustic shell was added to improve its sound, lynn, Karyl Charna, Italian Opera Houses and Festivals, Lanham, Maryland, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.2005. ISBN 0-8108-5359-0 Plantamura, Carol, The Opera Lovers Guide to Europe, New York, ISBN 0-8065-1842-1 Teatro Regio Torino website Category, Opera world premieres at the Teatro Regio
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Un ballo in maschera
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Un ballo in maschera is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. However, Sommas libretto was based on the five act libretto which playwright Eugène Scribe had written for Daniel Aubers 1833 opera, Gustave III. Scribe wrote about the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden who was killed as the result of a conspiracy against him. He was shot while attending a masked dance and died 13 days later of his wounds. It was to take two years between the time of the commission from Naples and planned for a production there and its premiere performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859. In order to become the Un ballo in maschera which we know today, Verdis opera was forced to undergo a significant series of transformations and title changes. These changes were caused by a combination of censorship regulations in both Naples and Rome, as well as by the situation in France in January 1858. It became one of the most frustrating experiences of Verdis career, from the mid-20th century, it has become more common for the setting to revert to its original 18th-century Stockholm location. A re-creation of the original Gustavo III has been staged in Sweden, when this proved to be impracticable, Verdi turned to the subject of King Gustav IIIs assassination as portrayed in Scribe and Aubers opera, albeit not an historically accurate narrative. That subject was known and had been used by other composers. Sommas new libretto, known as Gustavo III, was presented to the censors in Naples by late 1857, as had happened with Rigoletto, changes in characters names and titles were proposed and the location was moved from Stockholm to Stettin. Working together with Somma over Christmas, Verdi accommodated these changes, Somma was asked to change the names of the characters on the Gustave libretto while Verdi worked on completing sketches of the music. The name of the opera became Una vendetta in dominò, by 9 January 1858, prior to setting out for Naples, Verdi wrote from his home the San Carlo that the opera is done and even here I am working on the full score. The imposition of further, more stringent requirements by the censor incurred Verdis wrath. He broke his contract, returned to SantAgata in April, and was sued by the management of the San Carlo house and this provoked him to lodge a counter-claim against the theatre for damages and, eventually, the legal fight ended. When the legal issues were resolved within a few months, Verdi was free to present the libretto, there, the censors demanded further changes. Removing the action from Europe, the location became Boston during the British colonial period and the character became Riccardo. At this point, the opera became Un ballo in maschera set in North America, Un ballo in maschera received its premiere performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859 and was immediately successful
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Palermo
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Palermo is a city of Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence, Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The city was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz, Palermo then became a possession of Carthage, before becoming part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. The Greeks named the city Panormus meaning complete port, from 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when the city first became a capital. The Arabs shifted the Greek name into Balarme, the root for Palermos present-day name, eventually Sicily would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860. The population of Palermo urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 855,285, in the central area, the city has a population of around 676,000 people. The inhabitants are known as Palermitani or, poetically, panormiti, the languages spoken by its inhabitants are the Italian language, Sicilian language and the Palermitano dialect. Palermo is Sicilys cultural, economic and touristic capital and it is a city rich in history, culture, art, music and food. Palermo is the main Sicilian industrial and commercial center, the industrial sectors include tourism, services, commerce. Palermo currently has an airport, and a significant underground economy. In fact, for cultural, artistic and economic reasons, Palermo was one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and is now among the top tourist destinations in both Italy and Europe. It is the seat of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arab-Norman Palermo. The city is going through careful redevelopment, preparing to become one of the major cities of the Euro-Mediterranean area. Roman Catholicism is highly important in Palermitano culture, the Patron Saint of Palermo is Santa Rosalia whose Feast Day is celebrated on 15 July. The area attracts significant numbers of each year and is widely known for its colourful fruit, vegetable and fish markets at the heart of Palermo, known as Vucciria, Ballarò. Palermo lies in a basin, formed by the Papireto, Kemonia, the basin was named the Conca dOro by the Arabs in the 9th century. The city is surrounded by a range which is named after the city itself. These mountains face the Tyrrhenian Sea, Palermo is home to a natural port and offers excellent views to the sea, especially from Monte Pellegrino
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Ferrara
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Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 kilometres north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, the town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, when it hosted the court of the House of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance it has qualified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Modern times have brought a renewal of industrial activity, Ferrara is on the main rail line from Bologna to Padua and Venice, and has branches to Ravenna, Poggio Rusco and Codigoro. Ferrara appears first in a document of the Lombard king Desiderius of 753 AD, Desiderius pledged a Lombard ducatus ferrariae in 757 to Pope Stephen II. Obizzo II dEste was proclaimed ruler of Ferrara five hundred years later. He also became seignior of nearby Modena in 1288 and of Reggio in 1289, in 1452 the Este rulers were created Dukes of Modena and Reggio, and in 1471 Ferrara also became a duchy. In 1597, when Alfonso II died without heirs, the House of Este lost Ferrara to the Papal States. Ferrara remained a part of the Papal States from 1598 to 1859, with an interruption during the Napoleonic period, in 1859 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. A fortress was constructed by Pope Paul V on the site of the castle called Castel Tedaldo, at the south-west angle of the town, all of the fortress was dismantled following the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and the bricks used for new constructions all over the town. On August 23,1944, the Ferrara synthetic rubber plant was a target of Strategic bombing during World War II, the town is still surrounded by more than 9 kilometres of ancient walls, mainly built in the 15th and 16th-centuries. Along with those of Lucca, they are the best preserved Renaissance walls in Italy, the imposing brick Castello Estense sited in the very centre of the town is iconic of Ferrara. The castle, erected in 1385, is surrounded by a moat, the pavilions on the top of the towers date from the 16th-century refurbishment. The City Hall, renovated in the 18th century, was the residence of the Este family. Close by it is the former Cathedral of San Giorgio, The Romanesque lower part of the main façade, according to a now lost inscription the church had been commissioned by Guglielmo I of Adelardi. The sculpture of the portal was signed by a Nicholaus. The upper part of the main façade, with arcades of pointed arches, dates from the 13th century, the recumbent lions guarding the entrance are copies of the originals, now in the narthex of the church. An elaborate 13th-century relief depicting the Last Judgement is found in the story of the porch
