''Motezuma'', RV 723, is an opera in three acts by

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

with an Italian

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the t ...

by Alvise Giusti. The libretto is very loosely based on the life of the Aztec ruler Montezuma who died in 1520. The first performance was given in the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice on 14 November 1733. (In earlier reference books the opera is referred to as ''Montezuma'', but since the reappearance of the original manuscript this has been corrected to ''Motezuma''.) The music was thought to have been lost, but was discovered in 2002 in the archive of the music library of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin. Its first fully staged performance in modern times took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 21 September 2005.

Background and performance history

Vivaldi's librettist was the Venetian lawyer Girolamo Giusti. His libretto was a highly fictionalised account of an episode in the life of the Aztec ruler Montezuma. The opera has a happy ending, unlike the real Montezuma who was killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The opera, which premiered on 14 November 1733 at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice, was one of the earliest to be based on a subject from the Americas. According to Michael Talbot in ''The Vivaldi Compendium'', for its time Giusti's libretto "evinces a rare degree of sympathy for the Mexican emperor and his queen Mirena." At the premiere the role of Mirena was sung by Anna Girò, who was a protégée of Vivaldi and whom he considered his "indispensable" prima donna. The title role was sung by the German bass Massimiliano Miler. Unusually for Vivaldi, who preferred castrato singers with contralto voices, he wrote two roles for

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

castrati—Fernando ( Cortés) and Asperano, the Mexican general. The choreographer at the premiere was Giovanni Gallo. The sets were designed by Antonio Mauro. Talbot, Michael (2011)
''The Vivaldi Compendium''
pp. 41; 88–89; 125. Boydell Press. Riding, Alan (13 June 2005)
"Lost Vivaldi Opera Finally Gets Its Music and Words Together"
'' The New York Times''. Retrieved 14 March 2015.''Motezuma: drama per musica da rappresentarsi nel Teatro di Sant'Angelo nell'autunno dell'anno 1733''. . Motezuma, opera by Vivaldi, libretto title page 1733

Motezuma, opera by Vivaldi, libretto title page 1733

Although the libretto printed at the time of the premiere survived, the music was thought to have been lost until it was rediscovered in 2002. After World War II, the Sing-Akademie's library was captured by the Red Army and taken to the Soviet Union, eventually ending up in Kyiv, now in Ukraine. Following the restitution of the Sing-Akademie collection to Germany, the fragmentary score of ''Motezuma'' (the beginning of the first act and large parts of third are missing) was identified by the musicologist . Musicologists began working on reconstructing a version suitable for performance. The Sing-Akademie then asserted that they had a publication right, including derivative rights such as performing rights, to the opera. A concert version of the opera, apparently the first performance since the 18th century, was performed on 11 June 2005 in the Concert Hall De Doelen in Rotterdam conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli. On 18 July 2005, a version of ''Motezuma'' was to have been performed by the Opera Barga Festival in Italy, also conducted by Sardelli. The Rotterdam performance had gone ahead only after a substantial payment to the Sing-Akademie. However, the Barga performance was halted by an injunction, with a potential €250,000 penalty for non-compliance. The reason given was that German law offers copyright protection to entities such as the Sing-Akademie that publish previously inaccessible works. Because the injunction was issued one week before the date of the Barga performance, a "

pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...

" was performed. The ''Motezuma'' libretto recitatives were spoken, and other Vivaldi arias sung between them. In mid-September 2005, the injunction was lifted which allowed the first staged performance in modern times to take place on 21 September 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as part of the festival. It was performed by l'Orchestra Modo Antiquo conducted again by Sardelli. The Düsseldorf production was directed by Uwe Schmitz-Gielsdorf and designed by Paolo Atzori.Apthorp, Shirley (22 September 2005)
"Vivaldi's ''Motezuma'' Has Dusseldorf Premiere After Court Win"
'' Bloomberg News''. Retrieved 14 March 2015. The American premiere was held on 28 March 2009, in Long Beach, California, staged and performed by the Long Beach Opera with musical accompaniment by Musica Angelica directed by David Schweizer and conducted by Andreas Mitisek.Ng, David (March 22, 2009)
"Vivaldi's 'Motezuma,' lost, found, restored, re-imagined"
'' Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved 14 March 2015.

Roles

Recordings

* Deutsche Grammophon recording by Il Complesso Barocco, conducted by Alan Curtis, which is based on a reconstruction of the complete opera by the Italian baroque violinist and composer Alessandro Ciccolini.Clements, Andrew (24 March 2006
"Vivaldi: Motezuma, Priante/Mijanovic/Invernizzi/Il Complesso Barocco/Curtis"
'' The Guardian''. Retrieved 14 March 2015.

References in literature

* In Alejo Carpentier's novel ''Baroque Concerto'', the nameless main character, who is related to a Conquistador, visits Venice in 1709. He befriends Antonio Vivaldi, as well as

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the deve ...

and

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

. During the

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

, he wears a mask of Montezuma. An intrigued Vivaldi asks for an explanation of the story. Upon hearing of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Vivaldi decides to write an opera based on it. The resulting opera is ''Motezuma''.

References

Further reading * Pareyon, Gabriel (15 June 2005)
"Estreno mundial del Motezuma de Vivaldi"
(originally published by Pauta, vol. 23, no. 95, Mexico, DF : 50–59)

External links

*
Complete libretto
on librettidopera.it
Detailed synopsis in English
on the official website of Long Beach Opera
Review of the 2009 American premiere by Long Beach Opera
with production photos. (Culture Monster Blog, '' Los Angeles Times'') {{Authority control Operas by Antonio Vivaldi Italian-language operas 1733 operas Operas Aztecs in fiction Operas set in Mexico