''Nitocri'' is an opera (''melodramma serio'') in two acts composed by

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti or Gioa ...

to libretto by

Apostolo Zeno Apostolo Zeno (11 December 1668 – 11 November 1750) was a Venetian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. Early life Apostolo Zeno was born in Venice to a Kingdom of Candia#Establishment_of_Venetian_rule, colonial branch of the ...

adapted by Lodovico Piossasco Feys. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

is a fictionalised account of the Egyptian queen

Nitocris Nitocris () possibly was the last queen of the Sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Her name is found in writings long considered as relatively accurate resources: a major chronological documentation of the reigns of the kings of ancient Egypt that wa ...

. The opera premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 26 December 1824.

Background and performance history

According to

Francesco Florimo Francesco Florimo (12 October 1800 – 18 December 1888) was an Italian librarian, musicologist, History of music, historian of music, and composer.Libby, Dennis; Rosselli, John. "Florimo, Francesco" in Sadie 2001. Early life and friendship with ...

, the opera was "well received" at its premiere. A second revised version was performed at the

Teatro della Canobbiana The Teatro Lirico (known until 1894 as the Teatro alla Canobbiana) is a theatre in Milan, Italy. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it hosted numerous opera performances, including the world premieres of Donizetti's ''L'elisir d'amore'' and Gio ...

in Milan on 2 October 1830 with newly designed sets by

Alessandro Sanquirico Alessandro Sanquirico (27 July 1777, in Milan – 12 March 1849, in Milan) was an Italian scenic designer, architect, and painter. He began his career in conjunction with leading artists of the time such as Paolo Landriani, Giovanni Pedroni, ...

. Florimo, Francesco (1869)
''Cenno storico sulla scuola musicale di Napoli''
vol. 1, p. 644. Tipografia di Lorenzo Rocco Although the opera fell into oblivion, Mirteo's aria "Se m'abbandoni", sung at the premiere by ''

en travesti Travesti is a theatrical character in an opera, play, or ballet performed by a performer of the opposite sex. For social reasons, female roles were played by boys or men in many early forms of theatre, and ''travesti'' roles continued to be use ...

'', became a popular concert piece for

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

s and

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

s and was sometimes interpolated into other operas, notably by

Maria Malibran Maria Felicia Malibran (; 24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...

in the final scene of Zingarelli's '' Giulietta e Romeo''.

Roles

Recordings

There are no complete recordings of the opera. However, the

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

was recorded by the Orchestra Sinfonica Moldova for ''Mercadante: Sinfonie da Opere'' ( Bongiovanni GB2144), and Mirteo's aria "Se m'abbandoni" sung by

Della Jones Della Jones is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten. Early life Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales. She attended Neath Grammar School for Gir ...

appears on ''A Hundred Years of Italian Opera 1820–1830'' (

Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whi ...

ORCH104)

References

External links

*
Complete libretto for the 1824 premiere at the Teatro Regio di Torino

Complete libretto for the 1830 performance at the Teatro della Canobbiana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nitocri Operas by Saverio Mercadante Italian-language operas 1824 operas Operas Operas set in ancient Egypt