''Bomarzo '' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in two acts by the Argentinian composer

Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical music, 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography G ...

, his Opus 34. He set a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

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 ...

by Manuel Mujica Laínez, based on his 1962

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

about the 16th-century Italian eccentric

Pier Francesco Orsini Pier Francesco Orsini (4 July 1523 – 28 January 1583), also called Vicino Orsini, was an Italian condottiero, patron of the arts, and duke of Bomarzo. He is famous as the commissioner of the Mannerist Park of the Monsters in Bomarzo (northern La ...

. The opera makes use of

twelve-tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale ...

quarter tone A quarter tone is a pitch halfway between the usual notes of a chromatic scale or an interval about half as wide (orally, or logarithmically) as a semitone, which itself is half a whole tone. Quarter tones divide the octave by 50 cents each, a ...

s – primarily in the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

parts – and controlled stochastic textures of non-synchronous repetitions of motifs and cells. Published by Boosey & Hawkes, New York, the work's two acts encompass a prelude and 15 scenes. Pola Suarez Urtubey has published an analysis of the opera with an outline of the dramatic structure.

Productions

The opera had its world premiere at the Opera Society of Washington,

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on 19 May 1967. The same production was first given at

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

on 14 March 1968. The work had been scheduled for its first performance in Argentina on 4 August 1967 at the

Teatro Colón The Teatro Colón () is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acoustics expert Leo Beranek among leadin ...

, but the Argentine de facto president,

Juan Carlos Onganía Juan Carlos Onganía Carballo (; 17 March 1914 – 8 June 1995) was President of Argentina from 29 June 1966 to 8 June 1970. He rose to power as dictator after toppling the president Arturo Illia in a coup d'état self-named " Argentine Revol ...

, had banned the production, objecting to the sexual content of the story. The first performance in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

did not occur until 1972, with the composer in attendance. The first UK production was by the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

on 3 November 1976, in an English translation by

Lionel Salter Lionel Salter (8 September 1914 – 1 March 2000) was an English pianist, conductor, writer and administrator who had a long association with the British Broadcasting Corporation.Sadie, Stanley, rev. Jon Stroop. 'Salter, Lionel (Paul)' in ''Gr ...

. The first production in Spain was at the

Teatro Real The Teatro Real () is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as "''El Real''" (The Royal One). it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts ...

, Madrid, on 24 April 2017 with

John Daszak John Daszak is a British operatic tenor, who made his debut with The Royal Opera in 1996 and performed across Europe. His father was Ukrainian and his mother British. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Northern College ...

in the title role, as a joint production by

Pierre Audi Pierre Audi (9 November 1957 – 3 May 2025) was an English-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director. Early life Audi was born on 9 November 1957, the eldest of three children born to Lebanese banker Raymond Audi and Andrée Michel Fatt ...

with the

Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

Roles

, Duke of Bomarzo (tenor) * Girolamo, elder brother of Pier Francesco (baritone) * Maerbale, younger brother of Pier Francesco (baritone) * Bomarzo's father (bass) * Diana Orsini, Bomarzo's grandmother (contralto) * Pantasilea, courtesan of Florence (mezzo-soprano) * Julia Farnese, the Duke's wife (soprano) * Silvio de Narni, alchemist to the Duke (baritone) * Abul, slave to Bomarzo (silent role) * Nicolás, nephew to Bomarzo (tenor or alto) * A messenger (baritone) * A shepherd (boy soprano) * Pier Francesco, Girolamo and Maerbale as children (child speakers) * A skeleton (dancer)

Synopsis

Pier Francesco Orsini, the Duke of Bomarzo, a stunted hunchback, drinks what his astrologer Silvio de Narni claims to be a magic potion that will grant the Duke immortality. However, the drink turns out to be poisoned. After the poison starts to work, Bomarzo begins to recall his life in a series of flashbacks. His father drags the young Pier Francesco into a room where a large skeleton dances and haunts him. Later, his father falls in battle. In Florence, the young, virginal Pier Francesco goes to see to the courtesan Pantasilea. However, he sees his image in her room of mirrors, to his disturbance. Pier Francesco's brother Girolamo falls from a cliff and dies, and Pier Francesco becomes the new Duke of Bomarzo. He meets Julia Farnese, who prefers Bomarzo's brother Maerbale, to his anger. At a dance festival, the Duke experiences various dreams. While courting Julia, he spills a glass of red wine on her dress, which he interprets as a premonition of death. Bomarzo and Julia eventually marry, but Bomarzo then becomes impotent. As time passes, the Duke creates large stone sculptures on his estate, symbolic of his tortured feelings. He starts to think that Julia is betraying him with Maerbale. The Duke orders his slave Abul to kill his brother. The astrologer Silvio mixes the magic potion as Bomarzo's nephew Nicolás watches. Nicolás then poisons the drink. After he drinks the potion, the Duke dies.

Recording

* CBS 32 310006:

Salvador Novoa Salvador Novoa (born in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 30, 1937; died on December 7, 2021) was a Mexican dramatic tenor. He was especially known for the operas of Alberto Ginastera. Novoa made his operatic debut with the Instituto Nacional de La ...

, Isabel Penagos, Joanna Simon,

Claramae Turner Claramae Turner (née Haas; October 28, 1920 – May 18, 2013) was an American operatic contralto, perhaps best known for her appearance in the film ''Carousel'' (1956), adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical of the same name. ...

, Brent Ellis,

Richard Torigi Richard Torigi (October 30, 1917 – April 6, 2010) was an American baritone and voice teacher. He had an active singing career in operas, concerts, and musicals from the 1940s through the 1980s. While still performing, he embarked on a second su ...

, Michael Devlin;

Joaquin Romaguera Joaquin Fidel Romaguera (September 5, 1932 – May 9, 2023) was an American tenor and actor. A longtime performer with the New York City Opera from the 1960s through the 1980s, he notably created the role of Professor Risselberg in the world prem ...

; Chorus and Orchestra of the

Washington Opera Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...

Society;

Julius Rudel Julius Rudel (6 March 1921 – 26 June 2014) was an Austrian-born American opera and orchestra conductor. He was born in Vienna and was a student at the city's Academy of Music. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 in 1938 after th ...

, conductor, 1967Lewis Foreman, "Ginastera: A Discography". ''Tempo'' (New Ser.), 118(18), 17-22 (1976).

References

External links

Boosey & Hawkes page on ''Bomarzo''

Opera America page on ''Bomarzo''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bomarzo (Opera) Operas by Alberto Ginastera Spanish-language operas Operas 1967 operas Operas set in Italy Operas based on novels Operas set in the 16th century