| Operas by Richard Wagner |
|---|
Die Hochzeit (1832) |
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen (WWV 49) (Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton 1st Baron Lytton ( May 25, 1803 – (The title is commonly shortened to Rienzi. ) Written between July 1838 and November 1840, it was first performed at the Hofoper, Dresden on October 20, 1842. Events February 11 - Gaetano Donizetti 's opera La Fille du Regiment premieres in Paris Robert Schumann The Semperoper is the Opera house of the Saxon State Opera Dresden (German Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) and the Concert hall of the Sächsische Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1842 ( MDCCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common
Contents |
Background
Rienzi is Wagner's third completed opera, and is mostly written in a Grand Opera style. Grand Opera is a genre of 19th-century Opera generally in four or five acts characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras and (in their original productions lavish and The first performance in Dresden was well received despite running over six hours (including intermissions). Later, Wagner experimented both with giving the opera over two evenings and making cuts for performance in a single evening.
Because of its atypical style, and its sheer length, Rienzi is rarely performed today, and has never been performed at the Bayreuth Festival. The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of Operas by the 19th century German composer Wagner later saw the work as an embarrassment, but it remained one of his most successful until his death. An ingenious staging at the English National Opera in London, produced by Nicholas Hytner in the 1980s, placed the hero in the context of 20th century totalitarianism. English National Opera (ENO is the national opera company of England, and one of two opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera at Covent Nicholas Hytner (born 7 May 1956) is an English producer and director Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private
The opera concerns the life of Cola di Rienzi, a medieval Italian populist figure who succeeds in outwitting and then defeating the nobles and their followers and in raising the power of the people. Cola di Rienzo or di Rienzi ( c 1313 – October 8, 1354) was an Italian medieval politician and popular leader Tribune Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Magnanimous at first, he is forced by events to crush the nobles' rebellion against the people's power, but popular opinion changes and even the Church, which has earlier urged him to assert himself, turns against him. In the end the populace burns the Capitol, in which Rienzi and a few adherents have made a last stand.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 20, 1842 (Conductor: Carl Gottlieb Reißiger) |
|---|---|---|
| Cola Rienza, Roman Tribune | tenor | Josef Aloys Tichatschek |
| Irene, his sister | soprano | Henriette Wüst |
| Stefano Colonna, a nobleman | bass | Georg Wilhelm Dettmer |
| Adriano, his son | soprano | Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient |
| Paolo Orsini, another patrician | bass | Johann Michael Wächter |
| Raimondo, Papal Legate | bass | Gioacchino Vestri |
| Baroncelli, Roman citizen | tenor | Friedrich Traugott Reinhold |
| Cecco del Vecchio, Roman citizen | bass | Karl Risse |
| The Messenger of Peace | soprano | Anna Thiele |
| Ambassadors, Nobles, Priests, Monks, Soldiers, Messengers, Populace | ||
Selected recordings
Complete recordings (and performances) of Rienzi are rare, although the overture is regularly found on radio broadcasts and compilation CDs. Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (also Karl Reissiger, Carl Reissiger, Karl Reißiger) ( January 31, 1798, Belzig &ndash November The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Josef Aloys Tichatschek (born 11 July 1807 d 18 January 1886 originally Tichaček, was a Bohemian Tenor Opera singer highly regarded This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient ( December 6, 1804 &ndash January 26, 1860) was a German Operatic Soprano. Significant cuts to the score are common in recordings.
- Josef Krips conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Josef Alois Krips ( April 8, 1902 &ndash October 13 1974) was an Austrian conductor and Violinist. The Vienna Symphony (Wiener Symphoniker is an Orchestra in Vienna, Austria. Berry, Ludwig, Pernerstorfer, Schoffler. 1960 (Melodram).
- Heinrich Hollreiser conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle. Heinrich Hollreiser ( June 24, 1913 - July 24, 2006) was a German conductor. The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden ( Saxon State Orchestra Dresden) is an Orchestra based in Dresden, Germany founded in 1548 Kollo, Wennberg, Martin, Adam. 1975 (EMI). (Complete recording of Wagner's shortened 1843 version)
- Edward Downes conducting the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE (born June 17, 1924 in Birmingham, England) is an English conductor. Mitchinson, Haywood, Langdon, Herincx. 1976 (Ponto POCD1040) (Complete Recording of Wagner's "original" 1842 version)
- Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra. Kollo,Rootering, Studer, Janssen. 1983 (Orfeo d'Oro)
Recordings of the overture include: James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Wagner: Overtures & Preludes, 1993 (Deutsche Grammophon), Michael R. James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical Record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity. Gomez conducting the Vienna Philharmonic 2005 (EMI). The Vienna Philharmonic (in German: die Wiener Philharmoniker) is an Orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the
References
The New Kobbé's Opera Book (11th edition), 1997.
External links
- Synopsis from Stanford University
- Complete text of Bulwer-Lytton's Rienzi at Project Gutenberg. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in
- MIDI recording of the overture.
- Further Rienzi discography
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic