''The Bride of Messina'' (Czech: ''Nevěsta messinská'') is a tragic

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 three acts, op. 18, by composer

Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for pia ...

. The

Czech language Czech ( ; ), historically known as Bohemian ( ; ), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 12 million people including second language speakers, it serves as the official language of 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 ...

Otakar Hostinský Otakar Hostinský (2 January 1847, Martiněves – 19 January 1910, Prague) was a Czechs, Czech historian, musicologist, and professor of musical aesthetics. He is known primarily for his support of composer Bedřich Smetana and his contribution ...

is based on

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

's play '' Die Braut von Messina''. Fibich's most

Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most ...

opera, he composed the work between 1882 and 1883 for the purposes of submitting it in an opera competition sponsored by the National Theatre in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. The opera won first prize in the 1883 competition and it premiered at the National Theatre on 28 March 1884. At its first presentation music critics responded with high praise to the work and it is now considered to be Fibich's masterpiece. However, the opera's morose story, melancholy scoring and

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin '' adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Astringency, the dry, puckering or numbing mouthfeel caused by t ...

style have hindered it from gaining wide popularity.

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1 Don Manuel and Don Cesar, the sons of Donna Isabella (the ruling Princess of Messina), are feuding with one another. Overwraught with the situation, Isabella summons her sons to her and manages to help make peace between them. Act 2 Manuel and Cesar discuss their plans to present their future wives to their mother for her approval. Isabella reveals to her sons that they have an unknown sister, Beatrice. She secured Beatrice away in a convent after her late husband had a dream which foretold that Beatrice would bring about the deaths of her sons. Diego, Isabella's servant, is sent to fetch Beatrice but returns with the disturbing news that she has been kidnapped. Act 3 It is revealed that Manuel is in fact Beatrice's kidnapper. He comes to the horrible realization that the girl he loves must be his missing sister. Cesar stumbles upon Manuel and Beatrice and is surprised to find them together, as Beatrice is also the girl that he is in love with. In a jealous rage Cesar kills Manuel before he can explain the truth of the situation. When the full truth is revealed to him, Cesar commits suicide.

Recordings

*Zdenek Fibich ''Nevěsta messinská'' - Libuše Márová (Donna Isabella) Václav Zítek (Don Manuel) Ivo Žídek (Don Cesar), Gabriela Beňačková (Beatrice) Karel Hanuš (Diego) Jaroslav Horáček (Cayetan) Miroslav Švejda (Bohemund) Naďa Šormová (Page des Cesars) Prager Rundfunkchor, Chor und Orchester Nationaltheater Prag, Milan Malý – Choreinstudierung František Jílek, 1975 *Zdenek Fibich ''Die Braut von Messina'' - Lucia Cervoni, Thomas Florio, Richard Samek, Johannes Stermann, Noa Danon, Magdeburgische Philharmonie, Kimbo Ishii 2 CDs CPO, DDD, 2015 from the German premiere sung in Czech.Aus dem Theater Magdeburg Schiller auf Tschechisch
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bride of Messina, The Czech-language operas Operas by Zdeněk Fibich 1884 operas Operas Operas based on plays Operas set in Sicily Operas based on works by Friedrich Schiller