Opera

Throughout the early to mid Eighteenth Century, Venice, Italy was considered to be one of the most exciting, alluring, and culturally diverse cities throughout Europe. The grandeur attracted a multitude of intellects, artists, musicians, travelers, foreigners, merchants, traders, prostitutes, tourists, nobility, and clergy alike, (Hanning, pp.263-264). Venice was a city filled with excitement and adventure.

What Ospedale means exactly? Ospedale (literally “hospital”) should be seen in a broader perspective than we use the word. It can mean hospital, but it also is “sanitarium,” “orphanage,” or any number of institutions of that era.

The Ospedale della Pietà was one of four such homes in Venice. The Pietà took in mostly girls, and by Vivaldi’s time had become well known for the quality of the musical education. The girls of the Pietà became such accomplished musicians that by Vivaldi’s time the institution had developed a reputation as one of the best music school in Europe. In XVIII century Italy, however, there occurred a veritable explosion of musical activity in these ospedali, orphanages-turned-conservatories. This was especially true in Venice and Naples.

In Venice as early as the XIV century there were already four functioning ospedali: the Ospedale dei Mendicanti (originally for lepers and later beggars), once visited by Goethe who wrote of it, “I never imagined such voices could exist,” the Ospedaletto di SS. Giovanni e Paulo – a poorhouse and orphanage, and the Conservatorio degl’ Incurabili as the name implies. Finally there was the extraordinary Ospedale della Pietà. The Pietà Hospital had been founded in 1346. It was an institution for orphaned or illegitimate girls, foundlings and the female children of poor families. Already in the 17 th century this ospedale had achieved fame for its work with disadvantaged girls, especially for their singing and instrumental musicianship.

Vivaldi`s connection with the Pieta began in 1703 and lasted nearly forty years until 1740. In 1704 he was named Maestro di Violino di Choro. He also was in charge of of purchasing musical instruments.. He later became a violin teacher, Master of Concerts and resident composer. He was required to compose two masses per year – for Easter and the Feast of the Visitation, two Vesper services a year and two new motets each month among other things. Vivaldi worked daily with girls, writing and performing music for their special needs, choral and instrumental works. The girls were divided into two categories: the figlie di comun or commoners who received a general education and the figlie di coro or choristers and musicians who received an exactin musical training in solfeggio, singing and instrumental technique. Vivaldi supervised the teaching and served as concert master and composer. The reputation of the Pieta surpassed anything in Europe and drew visitors from all over Europe. Even Pope Pius IV came to hear the girls play and sing. The putte did not travel and were not allowed to perform outside the ospedale.

Ever since the Renaissance, Italy became a Mecca for students and musicians who would make the long pilgrimage to Italy to absorb the spirit and culture found there. In later centuries the trek continued until modern times. Mozart, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Liszt were but a few of the many great musicians who drew inspiration from all that sunny Italy had to offer. Yet it seems the miracle of the 18th century ospedale and the Pieta was never to flower again.

Love, jealousy, war, complex network of intrigues, religious conflict in the background, and additionally a whole galaxy of special effects. Sounds like a description of an action movie? Yes, but it could successfully correspond to a large number of Händel and Vivaldi operas! Almost all their operas are based on history or myth. From murderers to monarchs and heroes, historic moments and famous faces have inspired operas throughout the centuries.

Both Handel and Vivaldi were focusing in their operas on the heroic characters, bipolar emotions and intrigues. Good example is Tamerlano who has plenty to say about jealousy. Tormented by this feeling sings bristling with fury aria, A dispetto d’un volto ingrato, which literally sparkles with the desire for revenge (in the original cast sung by castrato – Andrea Pacini). Thinking about love however, the most difficult is to face rejection. This was the fate of lover of the title queen Partenope – Arsace, who ends second act of the opera with his brilliant aria Furibondo spira il vento. Also Bertarido, tragic hero of Rodelinda (1725), singing a few songs later the legendary Dove sei must face the topic of death and loss. Melancholy of the king, that has been found to be dead, is mixed with longing for his beloved, and the sense of emptiness is perfectly captured by a wide, wistful phrase.

Among genius Italian opera composers we certainly admire Antonio Vivaldi. Even though we associate his name mostly with numbers of instrumental concertos, especially those written for violin, Vivaldi was mainly a significant opera composer. In the letter he wrote to his protector in Ferrara on 2nd January 1737 he mentioned about 94 operas he composed. Among them marvelous Il Giustino, Il Farnace, Il Tigrane.

With Enemies in Love, we want to present stories of the ancient heroes, where dramaturgy of our spectacle is inviting the audience to the mythical world, full of spells, magic, battles, and love affaires. Together with powerful and picturesque instrumental music of Vivaldi, we are proposing a new way of communication with our public, aiming to truly touch their souls, and speak deeply to their emotions. „Dramaturgy, tempo, and climax of the show are some of the essential elements of our productions.” That’s why we take care of the set up on stage, liberty of expression – reinforcing the passionate moments in music to give the public feeling of continuity, and feeling of one big line of the show from it’s start to the end.

In November 1805, Napoleon occupied Vienna. He heard Girolamo Crescentini sing and decided that he wanted the castrato for his own court. In the words of Madame de Rémusat, whose husband proposed the arrangement to Crescentini on the French Emperor’s behalf:
By engaging Marchesi, Catalani, Crescentini, etc., Paris would soon possess the finest possible school of music. There is a very good company in Vienna just now, who may perhaps come to us as trophies of our conquest. I wish it may be so, for Italian music is all the fashion, and it would be a good opportunity for calling it French music.

Crescentini moved to Paris in 1806. Napoleon’s valet Constant writes:

I saw Crescentini make his début in Paris as Romeo in Roméo et Juliette. He came preceded by an immense reputation as the first singer of Italy. This fame he completely justified, in spite of all the obstacles he had to overcome, for I can well recollect the many hard things that were said of him before he appeared. According to certain wiseacres he was a bellower, devoid of taste or refinement, having no method, an executants of silly roulades, a cold, unintelligent actor, &c. When going upon the stage he was aware how ill-inclined were his judges to show him any signs of favour. Yet he was not in the least embarrassed, but his majestic bearing came as an agreeable surprise to those who expected to see an ungainly boor. A murmur of approval greeted him, with such electrical effect upon himself that in the very first act the whole house was with him. Gestures full of grace and dignity, absolute mastery of the art of acting, a mobile face, expressing with amazing truth all the varying shades of passion and despair – all these rare and precious equipments did but deepen the magic of this great artist’s entrancing voice, the charm of which was inconceivable, at any rate for such as had never yet heard him. With each exciting scene the audience grew more and more enthusiastic. In the third act, however, the delight of the audience became positively frantic. It was in this act, played almost entirely by Crescentini, that this admirable singer touched the souls of his hearers by his movingly pathetic presentment of love and despair, as expressed in delicious melody. The Emperor was charmed, and caused a handsome fee to be paid to Crescentini, while expressing in most flattering terms the great pleasure it had been to hear him.

Napoleon, who was said to be moved to tears by Crescentini’s performance of Romeo’s prayer, conferred upon the singer the Order of the Iron Crown. This did not go down well with Parisians. Napoleon commented on the episode when he was in exile on St. Helena.
‘In conformity with my system of amalgamating all kinds of merit, and of rendering one and the same reward universal, I had an idea of presenting the cross of the legion of honour to Talma; but I refrained from doing this, in consideration of our capricious manners and absurd prejudices. I wished to make a first experiment in an affair that was out of date and unimportant, and I accordingly gave the iron crown to Crescentini