Tancredi
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''Tancredi'' is a ''melodramma eroico'' (''
opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abou ...
'' or heroic
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 composer
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...
and
librettist 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. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...
Gaetano Rossi (who was also to write ''
Semiramide ''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Sémiramis (tragedy), Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first ...
'' ten years later), based on
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
's play '' Tancrède'' (1760). The opera made its first appearance at the
Teatro La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix (mythology), Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especial ...
in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
on 6 February 1813, less than a month after the premiere of his previous opera '' Il signor Bruschino''. The overture, borrowed from '' La pietra del paragone'', is a popular example of Rossini's characteristic style and is regularly performed in concert and recorded. Considered by
Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...
, Rossini's earliest biographer, to be "high amongst the composer's masterworks", and describing it as "a genuine thunderbolt out of a clear, blue sky for the Italian lyric theatre," his librettist Gaetano Rossi notes that, with it, "Rossini rose to glory".Rossi, in Osborne, Richard 2007, p. 199 Richard Osborne proclaims it to be "his fully fledged ''opera seria'' and it established him, more or less instantly, as Italy's leading composer of contemporary opera." Although the original version had a happy ending (as required by the ''opera seria'' tradition), soon after the Venice premiere, Rossini—who was more of a
Neo-classicist Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
than a Romantic, notes Servadio—had the poet Luigi Lechi rework the libretto to emulate the original tragic ending by Voltaire. In this new ending, presented at the Teatro Comunale in
Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...
on 21 March 1813, Tancredi wins the battle but is mortally wounded, and only then does he learn that Amenaide never betrayed him. Argirio marries the lovers in time for Tancredi to die in his wife's arms. As has been stated by Philip Gossett and Patricia Brauner, it was the rediscovery of the score of this ending in 1974 (although elsewhere Gossett provides evidence that it was 1976) that resulted in the version which is usually performed today.Gossett and Brauner 2001, in Holden, pp. 770–71


Composition history

By the time he was twenty years old, Rossini's reputation had grown such that he was regarded as "'a maestro di cartello', a composer whose name alone guarantees a public". Success with '' La pietra del paragone'' for Milan in September was great, but delays caused him to be late in Venice for his next commission at the Teatro San Moisè, '' L'occasione fa il ladro''. Other comedies had preceded ''L'occasione'', but its success ensured a fifth opera for that house. This was '' Il Signor Bruschino'', which was presented on 27 January 1813 and which the composer wrote more-or-less parallel to preparing ''Tancredi'', a commission for this opera having been accepted from Venice's most prestigious house, La Fenice, the previous autumn. Other treatments of the Tancredi story had been prepared, the most recent being that of
Stefano Pavesi Stefano Pavesi (22 January 1779, Casaletto Vaprio – 28 July 1850) was an Italian composer. He is primarily known as a prolific opera composer; his breakthrough opera was ''Fingallo e Comala'', and his acknowledged opera masterpiece is ''Ser ...
in 1812. However, many of Rossini's formal inventions, seen in his earlier one-act operas, are here incorporated with great effect and formalism. As Gossett notes: "The opera established a new formal synthesis, new compositional models, with, through, and in spite of which Italian composers were to operate." The revised ending for Ferrara, March, 1813 This revised version of the opera, presented a month after its Venice premiere, incorporates Voltaire's original ending. The music for this ending was withdrawn, it disappeared, and was not discovered until 1976. :''Act 1'': The duet ''L'aura che interno spiri'' / "The air you breathe brings mortal danger" from act 1 (the first encounter between the couple) was removed and replaced with ''Lasciami: non t'ascolto'' from act 2, something which Richard Osborne regards "as introducing a not entirely plausible note of confrontation into the lovers' first encounter". :''Act 2 finale'': Having come to find Tancredi, the knights of Syracuse enter along with Argirio and Amenaide. Angrily, Tancredi orders Amenaide to go to Solamir's camp, upset that she has come to disturb him. He leaves to go into battle, and shortly Argirio returns to report that the Syracusans have been victorious but that Tancredi has been severely wounded. He is carried in and learns from Argirio the truth about Amenaide just in time for Argirio to marry them. He then dies in her arms. According to Richard Osborne, the 1813 re-workings for Ferrara were not a success and "Rossini withdrew the revision and, as was his habit, redistributed some of the music in later work". In ''Divas and Scholars'', musicologist Philip Gossett recounts how this ending was rediscovered: :Until the mid-1970s, no musical score was known to exist.. ..The late Count Giacomo Lechi of Brecia ... hose predecessor was the writer Luigi Lechi who had prepared the text for Ferrara..was reviewing the family's papers in 1976, came across several musical manuscripts ne of whichbore the .. ..attestation y Rossini "I declare (and not without shame) that this is an autograph of mine from 1813!!" (It was dated 22 November 1867). Following the discovery, the preparation of the
critical edition Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts (mss) or of printed books. Such texts may range i ...
for the Fondazione Rossini by Philip Gossett and others at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
began in 1976. December 1813 revision for Milan In addition to restoring the happy ending, by the end of 1813 and in time for the Milan premiere in December at the new Teatro Ré, Rossini had also restored the cut second duet and had re-written and restored Argirio's cut aria. Other changes included Roggiero becoming a tenor with a new aria ''Torni d'amor la face'', two different arias being composed for Argirio, and both duets for Tancredi and Amenaide being restored to their original locations. While Tancredi and Amenaide are happily reunited, he is given "an entirely new ''rondo'' in lieu of the more elaborate ''gran scena'' of the original score after Tancredi learns from Argirio that her letter was written for him, and not for Solamir (rather than there being a denial from Solamir).


Performance history

19th century ''Tancredi'' premiered in February 1813 at La Fenice in Venice with Adelaide Malanotte in the title role. The first two performances suffered because of vocal problems from its two female principals, but its success was assured over six performances into the following month. It was quickly re-mounted in a revised version in Ferrara in March of that year which reverted to Voltaire's tragic ending, but audiences disliked it and subsequent performances there reverted to the Venice ending, with a further revision appearing in Milan in December. Gossett established in 1971 that, later, Rossini also participated in other revisions for performances elsewhere in Italy, including those at the
Teatro Comunale di Bologna The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season. While there had been various theatres presenting opera in Bologna since the early ...
in 1814 and the Naples premiere given at the
Teatro del Fondo The Teatro Mercadante, earlier known as Teatro del Fondo, is a theatre in Naples, Italy. It is located on Piazza del Municipio, Naples, Piazza del Municipio #1, with the front facing the west side of Castel Nuovo, Naples, Castel Nuovo and near th ...
in 1816 and again in 1818. However, Heather Hadlock notes that it was the Milanese version of December 1813 which became "something like a definitive form, and in this form it took Italy by storm". Other Italian houses presented the Venice version, including the
Teatro Apollo The Tor di Nona is a neighborhood in Rome's ''rioni of Rome, rione'' ''Ponte (rione of Rome), Ponte''. It lies in the heart of the city's historic center, between the ''Via dei Coronari'' and the Tiber River. Its name commemorates the Torre dell'A ...
in Rome (1814), the
Teatro Regio di Torino The Teatro Regio (Royal Theatre) is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Its season runs from October to June with the presentation of eight or nine operas given from five to twelve performances of each. Several b ...
(1814 and 1829), La Fenice again (1815, 1823 and 1833), and the
Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...
in Venice in March 1816 when, in another revision, it is the dying Solamir who professes Amenaide's innocence, and Tancredi returns home in triumph. Philip Gossett's research in 1971 states that "until about 1825 the musical text was rather fluid. The first Ricordi edition (1829), which differs significantly from the later ones, corresponds to the Milanese version", but many other Italian cities saw the opera, including Florence (in 1814, 1816, and 1825), Padua (1814), Livorno (1815), Vicenza (1816), Macerata (1817), Camerino (1828), Viterbo (1828), Milan (1829), and Trieste (1830). Outside of Italy, it was given in Corfù (1822), Lisbon (as ''Tacredo'') (1826), and Geneva (1828). The opera was first performed in England at the King's Theatre in London on 4 May 1820 with Fanny Corri-Paltoni as Amenaide. Its French premiere was given by the Théâtre-Lyrique Italien at the Salle Louvois in Paris on 23 April 1822 with
Giuditta Pasta Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanza Pasta (; 26 October 1797 – 1 April 1865) was an Italian opera singer. A soprano, she has been compared to the 20th-century soprano Maria Callas. Career Early career Pasta was born Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanz ...
in the title role. It was seen in Portugal for the first time at the
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos The ''Teatro Nacional de São Carlos'' () (''National Theatre of Saint Charles'') is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on June 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 ...
on 18 September 1822 (as ''Tancredo'') and was given its
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
premiere on 8 November 1823 with Brigida Lorenzani as Tancredi. The United States premiere occurred on 31 December 1825 at the Park Theatre in New York City using the revised Ferrara version by Lechi. The
Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...
mounted the work for the first time with
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 title role on 30 March 1829. After an 1833 revival at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, ''Tancredi'' was not mounted again until almost 120 years later. 20th century and beyond The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino revived the work on 17 May 1952 with Giulietta Simionato in the title role, Teresa Stich-Randall as Amenaide, Francesco Albanese as Argirio, Mario Petri as Orbazzano, and Tullio Serafin conducting. The opera was given at the Collegiate Theatre as part of the Camden Festival in April 1971 by the Basilica Opera. With the discovery of the long-lost music for the March 1813 Ferrara revision and the resulting preparation and completion of the critical edition, the work was revived when mezzo-soprano
Marilyn Horne Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient ...
, who had expressed interest as early as 1972 in performing the Ferrara edition if it ever came to light took on the title role at the Houston Grand Opera on 13 October 1977. Horne, who quickly became strongly associated with that role, insisted on the tragic Ferrara ending, citing that it is more consistent with the overall tone of the opera and that she "did not find the happy ending convincing". Indeed, most of the recordings of this opera today use the Ferrara conclusion, while some include the Venice finale as an extra track. Horne's triumphant performances as Tancredi in Houston soon led to invitations from other opera houses to sing the role, and it is largely through her efforts that the opera enjoyed a surge of revivals during the latter half of the 20th century. She sang the part for performances at the
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pres ...
(1977), the
San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
(1979), the Aix-en-Provence Festival (1981), La Fenice (1981, 1983), and the
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
(1989) among others. Contralto
Ewa Podleś Ewa Maria Podleś (; 26 April 1952 – 19 January 2024) was a Polish coloratura contralto singer who had an active international career both on the opera stage and in recital. She was known for the agility of her voice and a vocal range which s ...
achieved recognition in the title role, performing it at the Vlaamse Opera (1991),
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
(1993), the
Berlin State Opera The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of P ...
(1996), Polish National Opera at
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
(2000), the
Canadian Opera Company The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and one of the largest producers of opera in North America. The COC performs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performin ...
(2005), the Caramoor International Music Festival (2006), 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 ...
(2007), and Opera Boston (2009) among others. She also recorded the role in 1995. Bulgarian
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 ...
Vesselina Kasarova has also been praised in the role, singing it at the
Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...
(1992), with the Opera Orchestra of New York (1997), and on a 1996 recording with the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Munich Radio Orchestra. Pier Luigi Pizzi staged a new production of ''Tancredi'' for the
Rossini Opera Festival The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international music festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini. Its aim, in addition to studying the musical heritage of the composer, is to re ...
in
Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
in 1982 which originally utilised both the tragic and happy endings – the former being interpolated as a "dream sequence" for Amenaide. He also designed both costumes and scenery. The production was conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti and featured Lucia Valentini Terrani in the title role, as well as Dalmacio Gonzales as Argirio, Katia Ricciarelli as Amenaide, Giancarlo Luccardi as Orbazzano and, as Isaura, Bernadette Manca di Nissa – who later went on to perform the title role for the 1992 live DVD recording. The production was also revived at Pesaro in 1991, 1999, and 2004. ''Tancredi'' was staged at 2003 at Polish National Opera at
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, in the performance directed by Tomasz Konina and conducted by Alberto Zedda, the title role was sung by
Ewa Podleś Ewa Maria Podleś (; 26 April 1952 – 19 January 2024) was a Polish coloratura contralto singer who had an active international career both on the opera stage and in recital. She was known for the agility of her voice and a vocal range which s ...
, with original tragic ending. The second production in Poland took place in Warsaw Chamber Opera in 2008. In 2005 the production went to Rome and Florence (where it was filmed for DVD with Daniela Barcellona in the title role), and then it was presented by the
Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...
in 2011, with Alberto Zedda conducting. Barcellona sang Tancredi again in a new staging of the opera at the Teatro Regio di Torino in November 2009 after reprising the part in February 2009 at the
Teatro de la Maestranza The Teatro de la Maestranza is an opera house located in Seville, Spain. The theatre was conceived to be one of the main cultural venues of the Seville Expo '92, and the first performance took place in 1991, shortly before the inauguration of the ...
. The
Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...
mounted the work for the first time in October 2009 with Vivica Genaux in the title role and
René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his musi ...
conducting. ''Tancredi'' was presented in concert by the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
in Paris in December 2009 with Nora Gubisch as Tancredi. In addition, as part of its Rossini revivals series, it presented a fully staged production in May 2014 with Marie-Nicole Lemieux in the title role and Patrizia Ciofi as Amenaide. The production used the "unhappy" Ferrara ending, but incorporated many of the changes and reversions found in the December 1813 version for Milan. In 2018 Teatro Nuovo presented alternating performances of the original Venetian score (including the portions that have been replaced in most modern productions) and a version they called ''Tancredi rifatto'', incorporating every known substitute piece by Rossini (including the aria written to replace "Di tanti palpiti").


Roles


Synopsis

Background Syracuse has recently experienced competition and war with the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
(with which it has an unstable truce) and the
Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
armies headed by Solamir, but exhausted, has internal conflicts, too. The soldier, Tancredi, and his family have been stripped of their lands and wealth, and he himself has been banished since his youth. Two noble families, headed by Argirio and Orbazzano, have been warring for years but begin to reconcile. Also present is Solamir, the Moorish general. Argirio's daughter, Amenaide, is secretly in love with Tancredi. Prior to the beginning of the opera, she has sent him a letter (without naming him in it), and it is this letter which complicates proceedings. :Place: The city-state of Syracuse :Time: AD 1005 : his synopsis reflects the action which occurs in the original Venice version of February 1813


Act 1

''Overture'' ''Scene 1: A gallery in Argirio's palace'' Warring nobles Argirio, leader of the Senate in Syracuse, and Orbazzano and their men celebrate a truce and the end of a civil war: Chorus: ''Pace, onore, fede, amore'' / "Peace, honour, faith, love / Rule now". Along with Isaura, Amenaide's friend, and her ladies, Argirio proclaims that this unity reinforces a new security for the city against the Moorish forces led by Solamir: ''Se amistà verace, è pura'' / "If you keep in your heart true friendship". He names Orbazzano as the leader against the Moors. However, Argirio warns the assembled forces against a possible greater threat, that from the banished Tancredi, a statement which disturbs Isaura. Argirio then summons his daughter, Amenaide, to appear. She joins in the general songs of triumph by the assembly, but is disturbed because her secret beloved, Tancredi, has not rejoined her although she has written to him asking him to do so as she knows that he is returning in disguise. The Senate has given Tancredi and his family's confiscated estates to Orbazzano and Argirio offers him Amenaide's hand in marriage to help solidify the truce. He wishes the ceremony to be performed immediately, and although Amenaide dutifully consents to the marriage, she pleads with her father to postpone it until the following day. All leave except Isaura who laments upon the situation in which Amenaide is now placed: ''Amenaide sventurata!'' / "Unhappy Amenaide, what a dreadful day for you". ''Scene 2: A garden in the Palace'' In the early morning, near a garden close to the seashore, Roggiero, Tancredi's squire, then Tancredi and his men, disembark. Not having received Amenaide's letter, he pledges to help defend the city against the invaders and to seek out his beloved: Aria: ''Oh patria! dolce, e ingrata patria'' / O my country, dear, thankless native land". Roggiero is dispatched with a message for Amenaide, and he sends his followers to spread the word that an unknown knight has arrived to help save the city. His thoughts turn to Amenaide: ''Tu che accendi questo core'' / "You who set aflame this heart", and then to how much pain he has caused her: ''Di tanti palpiti, di tante pene'' / "After such beating of the heart, such torment". When all have left, Tancredi sees Argirio and his daughter enter the garden. He hides, but can overhear them. Argirio informs the accompanying followers that they are invited to the wedding which will take place that noon. The young woman pleads for more time, but is told that the ceremony must take place right away. Argirio continues by informing all that the enemy leader, Solamir, has surrounded the city, and has asked for Amenaide's hand in marriage. He also tells Amenaide that Tancredi has returned to Messina, and that the Senate has condemned him to death as a traitor. He forcibly reminds Amenaide that she owes to be obedient to her father's wishes and marry Orbazzano without delay. Argirio's aria: ''Pensa che sei mia figlia'' / "Think that you are my daughter". As Argirio leaves, Amenaide immediately regrets that she has indirectly involved Tancredi by writing to him: ''Che feci! incauta!'' / "What have I done! Thoughtless woman!". Tancredi then appears and Amenaide tells him that he must immediately escape. Coldly, she rejects his claims of loving her, although the couple, in spite of their differences, then laments the dangerous situation in which they find themselves: Duet: ''L'aura che interno spiri'' / "The air you breathe brings mortal danger". :[This duet, being the first confrontation between the couple, was omitted after the Venice premiere and replaced with ''Lasciami: non t'ascolto'' from act 2, scene 3. However, it reappears in some modern recordings (and productions) which use the Ferrara ending and some of which therefore omit ''Lasciami''. Others retain it.]Osborne, Richard 2007, pp. 202–03 ''Scene 3: A public square close to the cathedral'' People are gathered in the square for the wedding ceremony. Argirio assures all that the new-found unity between the two factions will be strengthened by the marriage. In disguise, Tancredi appears and offers his services. Privately, he feels that Amenaide has betrayed him by accepting the marriage but, when she refuses to go ahead with it, an angry Orbazzano enters. Publicly, he denounces her and, having overheard the prior conversation, declares that the marriage will not take place. Immediately, he produces a letter, which he assumes was intended for Solamir and which appears to implicate her in a treasonous plot to overthrow Syracuse by calling upon the recipient to come and capture the city. n reality, it is the letter which Amenaide had sent to Tancredi, deliberately omitting his name for his protection, and which had never reached him The assembled crowd is horrified: "Die in disgrace, woman!" they proclaim. Amenaide swears that she is innocent, but her father denounces her, as does Tancredi. She is dragged off to prison to await death as all except her faithful Isaura proclaim: ''Quale infausto orrendo giorno!'' / "A day of disaster, what an ill-starred day...a day of disasters and terrors."


Act 2

''Scene 1: A gallery in Argirio's castle'' An angry Orbazzano reflects on Amenaide's apparent treachery and her contempt of him: ''Vedesti? L'indegna!'' / "You have seen? She spurns me, the unworthy woman". Aside, Isaura pities Amenaide's fate, reminding Argirio that Amenaide is his daughter: ''È tua figlia!'' / "She is your own daughter". The assembled knights are divided in their emotions, with some of the group of knights pleading for mercy, others supporting his decision, but while Argirio expresses his sorrow at the turn of events, (Aria: ''Oh Dio! Crudel! qual nome caro e fatal or mi rammenti'' / "You remind me of that name both dear and fatal"), he reluctantly signs the death warrant. : errara version as performed: Arigio's aria is removed.ref name=HADL>Hadlock 2004, p. 139
All but Isaura and Orbazzano leave. She reproaches him for his cruel and barbarous behaviour, and, alone after he leaves, pleads for divine aid for Amenaide: Aria: ''Tu che i miseri conforti'' / "You who console the miserable, give her endurance". ''Scene 2: Inside the prison'' In chains, Amenaide enters: Aria: ''Di mia vita infelice'' / "Here I am at the end of my unhappy life". She cries out to Tancredi "I die for you!": Aria: ''No, che il morir non è'' / "No, death is not so terrible to me if I die for love". In the end, she believes that he will learn the truth and "he will know the constancy of my heart". Into the prison come Orbazzano and his followers, determined to see the execution carried out. He asks if there is anyone willing to defend the traitor. Tancredi, although he still believes that his love has been betrayed and that Amenaide is a traitor, steps forward. He challenges Orbazzano to a duel in defense of Amenaide's honor and life, and throws down his gauntlet. Throughout the interchange, Amenaide urges Tancredi to prove that she is innocent. Orbazzano embraces the unknown knight, seeking to know his identity as does Argirio who, in a duet with Tancredi, pleads: ''Ah! se de'mali miei'' / "Ah! If you have pity in your heart for my sufferings, At least reveal to me who you are. Comfort me in my pain". In return, Tancredi declares "Heaven has been my enemy since my childhood. You will know who I am one day, But do not hate me..." before the trumpet sounds, signaling the start of the contest. Before heading for the duelling site, he proclaims "To the field; I burn with glory and with fury". Elsewhere in the prison, Amenaide learns what has transpired and prays for protection for Tancredi, begging him to return to her a victor: Aria: ''Gran Dio! Deh! tu proteggi'' / "Just God whom I humbly adore, You can read in my heart, You know whether I am guilty, And for whom I ask your favour". From outside, a roar announces Tancredi's victory, while she declares: "In this moment I see it, I feel it." ''Scene 3: The main square of the town'' Tancredi arrives triumphant and the people rejoice. However, as sweet as victory may be, he resolves to leave Sicily and, as Amenaide approaches him, he still believes that she has been unfaithful and is unwilling to talk to her. In a duet, they express their conflicting emotions: Duet: ''Lasciami: non t'ascolto'' / "Let me go; I will not listen to you". She then demands that he kill her, but both leave while Roggiero remains, having learned the truth from Isaura: ''S'avverassero pure I detti suoi!'' / "If only her words were true". Roggiero expresses the hope that, if Amenaide is indeed innocent, then "May the torch of love return shining, smiling and fair". ''Scene 4: A cavern in a mountain range with Mt. Etna in the distance Alone and close to the Saracens' camp, Tancredi reflects upon his sad destiny: Aria: ''Dove sono io?'' / "Where am I? Through what horrors does my despair lead me?", all the while recalling Amenaide's betrayal: "Oh that I could forget!" The Saracens appear, proclaiming ''Regna il terror nella Città'' / "Terror reigns in the city". With the arrival of the knights of Syracuse along with Argirio and Amenaide, who come in search of Solamir, Amenaide is told that peace will follow if she agrees to marry him. Tancredi defies the Saracens, expressing a willingness to fight to the death: Rondo: ''Perchè turbar la calma'' / "Why trouble the peace of my heart". Tancredi goes into battle and, when all is over, emerges victorious and learns that the dying Solamir has testified to Amenaide's innocence. In a moment of general rejoicing, the lovers are reunited: ''Fra quai soave palpiti'' / "Gently beats my heart". Tancredi, Agirio and Amenaide are united in expressing their joy: ''Si grande è il mio contento'' / "So great is my joy", and Isaura joins them in the general rejoicing. :[Ferrara ending as written: one month after the original production, Rossini revised the ending (along with other changes) so that Tancredi wins the battle but is mortally wounded, and only then does he learn that Amenaide never betrayed him. As all clasp hands, Argirio marries the lovers in time for Tancredi to die in his wife's arms.]


Music

In regard to Rossini's innovations which appear in this, his first ''opera seria'', the ''Grove Dictionary'' notes that they "were derived from his early one-act operas" and writer Gaia Servadio notes that
he opera He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
marks an important stage in the development of opera through the innovations that Rossini brought. With self-assurance and guts, he introduced changes now often taken for granted: the recitatives are short and linked to the context of the arias; there is a new and masterful balance between the dramatic, the lyrical, and the musical; and the chorus makes its first appearance in an ''opera seria''Servadio 2003, p. 34 But it is in the innovations which move away from accepted formulas and which are seen in the finale of the opera in its Ferrara edition that Philip Gossett finds the most striking in ''Tancredi'': "the 'Cavatina Finale' as Rossini called the concluding moments of the opera, depart so completely from typical finale designs of the period that we can easily comprehend their failure to gain popular approval. Gone are the coloratura flourishes; gone is a more elaborate orchestration; gone are requirements of phrase construction and cadential repetition; gone, in short, are the conventions that usually rule Italian opera. Instead, the concluding moments of the opera mirror each word of the dying hero, supported essentially by strings alone."Gossett 2006, p. 152 Additionally, we find in Gossett and Brauner an explanation of another aspect of Rossini's compositional style: in his vocal writing, although the opera continues to use "closed numbers separated by ''secco'' recitatives, a flexibility of style makes possible extensive dramatic activity within numbers."Gossett & Brauner 2001, p. 772 They continue stating that it is in the duets that a sectional form is employed so that "the opening section allows dramatic confrontation between the characters, who express their often differing emotions in parallel stanzas." There follows a lyrical section – "with further dramatic interaction" – and then the
cabaletta Cabaletta is a two-part musical form particularly favored for arias in 19th century Italian opera in the bel canto era until about the 1860s during which it was one of the era's most important elements. More properly, a cabaletta is a more animat ...
which allows for greater confrontation or accord, thus reflecting any changes in the dramatic configuration.


Recordings


References

Notes Sources *Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "''Tancredi''" in Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam. *Gossett, Philip (2006), ''Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera'', Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. *Hadlock, Heather (2004), "''Tancredi'' and ''Semiramide''", in Emanuele Senici (ed.), '' The Cambridge Companion to Rossini'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Osborne, Charles (1994), ''The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini'', Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. *Osborne, Richard (1998), "''Tancredi''", in
Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...
, (Ed.), ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'', Vol. Four. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. *Osborne, Richard (1990), ''Rossini'', Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. *Servadio, Gaia (2003), ''Rossini'', New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. * Toye, Francis (1987), ''Rossini: The Man and His Music'', Dover Publications, 1987.


External links

*
Full score
of the overture to this opera {{Authority control Operas by Gioachino Rossini Italian-language operas Opera seria 1813 operas Operas Operas set in Italy Opera world premieres at La Fenice Operas based on plays Operas based on works by Voltaire Libretti by Gaetano Rossi