La vestale (The Vestal Virgin) is an opera composed by Gaspare Spontini to a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy. It takes the form of a tragédie lyrique in three acts. It was first performed on 15 December 1807 by the Académie Impériale de Musique (Paris Opera) at the Salle Montansier and is regarded as Spontini's masterpiece.[1] The musical style shows the influence of Gluck and anticipates the works of Berlioz, Wagner, and French Grand opera.[2]
| La vestale | |
|---|---|
| Tragédie lyrique by Gaspare Spontini | |
 Caroline Branchu in the title role of Julia, on a poster for the premiere | |
| Translation | The Vestal Virgin |
| Librettist | Étienne de Jouy |
| Language | French |
| Premiere | 15 December 1807 Salle Montansier, Paris |
Composition history
editSpontini had finished La vestale by the summer of 1805 but had faced opposition from leading members of the Opéra and rivalry from fellow composers.[3] The premiere was made possible with the help of Spontini's patron, the Empress Joséphine, but only after being rearranged by Jean-Baptiste Rey and Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis.[4] La vestale was an enormous success, enjoying over two hundred performances by 1830.[5]
Performance history
editIts fame soon spread abroad; it appeared in Naples and in Vienna[6] in 1811. The full piano score with lyrics in French and German was sold in Germany in 1812, as well as the score for an aria and a duet.[7] In 1814 the opera was performed in Budapest.[8] followed by Stockholm in 1823. It was premiered in the United States in French at Théâtre d'Orléans in New Orleans on 17 February 1828.[9] Wagner conducted the work in Dresden in 1844 with Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient.[10]
Important 20th-century revivals include those for Rosa Ponselle at the Met in 1925-26 and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1933, for Maria Caniglia in Rome, 1942,[10] and the 1954 production at La Scala with Maria Callas in the title role, which was the first opera staging by the film director Luchino Visconti.[11] There followed other revivals for leading sopranos; Leyla Gencer in Palermo, 1969 and Rome, 1973; Renata Scotto in Florence, 1970; Montserrat Caballé in Barcelona in 1982; and Raina Kabaivanska in Genoa in 1984. Muti reproduced the original version at La Scala in 1993, and English National Opera mounted the opera in London in 2002.[10]
A very memorable performance, on a slippery stage, on the last night of the Wexford Opera Festival in 1979 is described by Bernard Levin.[12]
La vestale is famous in historical terms but is only very infrequently performed. Two of its arias (translated to Italian and recorded by Maria Callas and Rosa Ponselle), "Tu che invoco" and "O nume tutelar",[13] are better known than the work as a whole. In recognition of its role in the development of Richard Wagner's third opera, Rienzi, it was performed in concert form in Dresden's Semperoper in the Summer of 2013, conducted by Gabriele Ferro and starring Francisco Araiza as Cinna, Maria Agresta as Julia, and baritone Christopher Magiera as Licinius.
A parody was staged in Paris in 1808,[14] set in a hatmaker's shop.
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type[15] | Premiere cast,[16] 15 December 1807 Conductor: Jean-Baptiste Rey |
|---|---|---|
| Licinius, Roman general | tenor | Étienne Lainez |
| Cinna, head of a legion | tenor | François Lays or Lay |
| Chief Priest | bass | Henri-Étienne Dérivis |
| Julia, young vestal | soprano | Alexandrine-Caroline Branchu |
| The Great Vestal | mezzo-soprano | Marie-Thérèse Maillard |
| Chief of the Aruspices | bass | Duparc |
| A consul | bass | Martin |
Synopsis
edit_-_Archivio_Storico_Ricordi_ICON011807.jpg)
- Place: Rome
- About 269 BC
Act 1
editReturning to Rome after a victorious campaign, Licinius finds his beloved Julia has become a priestess of Vesta. Although Julia attempts to avoid going to Licinius's triumph, she is delegated to present him with a wreath. He tells her that he intends to kidnap and reclaim her.
Act 2
editIn the temple of Vesta, Julia guards the eternal flame and prays to be freed of temptation. Licinius arrives; during their rapturous reconciliation, the flame expires. Licinius is advised by Cinna to flee. Julia is interrogated by the high priest but refuses to name Licinius. She is sentenced to death for licentiousness.
Act 3
edit_-_Archivio_Storico_Ricordi_ICON012400.jpg)
Despite the pleas of Licinius, Julia is to be buried alive; even when he admits his intrusion to the Temple, Julia claims not to recognise him. A thunderstorm ensues, during which lightning reignites the sacred flame. Recognising this as a sign from the Gods, the High Priest and Vestal Priestess release Julia who is then married to Licinius.
Recordings
edit- Sung in Italian – Maria Vitale, Elena Nicolai, Renato Gavarini, Alfredo Fineschi, Giuliano Ferrein, Albino Gagi – Chorus and Orchestra della Rai di Roma, conducted by Fernando Previtali (Warner Fonit, 1951)[17]
- Sung in Italian – Maria Callas, Ebe Stignani, Franco Corelli, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Enzo Sordello – Teatro alla Scala Chorus and Orchestra, Milano, conducted by Antonino Votto (Warner Classics, 1954)[11]
- Sung in Italian – Leyla Gencer, Franca Mattiucci, Robleto Merolla, Teatro Massimo di Palermo orchestra and chorus conducted by Fernando Previtali (1969 various labels)[10]
- Sung in French – Rosalind Plowright, Gisella Pasino, Francisco Araiza, Bavarian Radio Chorus, Munich Radio Orchestra, conducted by Gustav Kuhn (Orfeo, 1991)[17]
- Sung in French – Karen Huffstodt, Denyce Graves, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Dimitri Kavrakos, Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, conducted by Riccardo Muti (Sony, 1993)[17]
- Sung in French – Elza van den Heever, Michael Spyres, Ève‑Maud Hubeaux,[18] Julien Behr,[19] Jean Teitgen,[20] Florent Mbia,[21] Chorus and Orchestra of the Paris Opera, conducted by Bertrand de Billy (OperaVision, 2024)
See also
edit- Witi Ihimaera's poem composed for the opening of the British Museum's 1998 Māori exhibit is titled "O nume tutelar", alluding to "O des infortunés déesse tutélaire" in act 2.[citation needed]
References
editNotes
- ^ Holden, p. 1002
- ^ Holden, pp. 1003–1004; Wagner conducted La vestale in Dresden in 1844 (source: Del Teatro).
- ^ Del Teatro
- ^ Castil-Blaze 1855, p. 115
- ^ Barbier, p. 72
- ^ "Nachrichten" [News]. Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (in German). No. 65. 26 December 1810. col. 1056 – via ANNO (Austrian Newspapers Online).
- ^ "ANNO, Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, 1812-03-11, p. 10".
- ^ "ANNO, Wiener Theater-Zeitung (Bäuerles Theaterzeitung), 1814-10-29, p. 3".
- ^ Warrack & West 1992, p. 741.
- ^ a b c d Kaminski 2003: Spontini: La Vestale, p. 1434
- ^ a b Siff, Ira (August 2012). "Spontini: La Vestale". Opera News (review). Vol. 77, no. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Levin, 1981, pp. 208-213
- ^ "nume tutelar" = tutelary deity
- ^ "Korrespondenz= und Notizen=Blatt – Aus Paris". Zeitung für die elegante Welt (in German). Leipzig. 25 January 1808. col. 112 – via ANNO (Austrian Newspapers Online).
- ^ According to Gerhard, p. 978.
- ^ According to the original score, p. 1.
- ^ a b c Source of some of the recordings in this list: operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- ^ "Ève-Maud Hubeaux".
- ^ "Julien Behr". Opéra national de Paris.
- ^ "Jean Teitgen". Opéra national de Paris.
- ^ "Florent Mbia". Opéra national de Paris.
Sources
- Original score: La Vestale, tragédie lyrique en 3 actes de M. Jouy, mise en musique par Gaspard Spontini, Paris, Pacini, s.d. (online, Gallica – BNF)
- Barbier, Patrick (1995), Opera in Paris 1800–1850 Amadeus Press.
- Castil-Blaze (1855), L'Academie imperiale de musique, Vol. II, Paris:
- DelTeatro.it: background, synopsis for La vestale (in Italian)
- Faul, Michel (2009), Les aventures militaires, littéraires et autres de Étienne de Jouy de l'Académie française, Éditions Seguier. ISBN 978-2-84049-556-7
- Gerhard, Anselm, Vestale, La, in Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (1997). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove (Oxford University Press), New York, 1997, IV, p. 977–979. ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2
- Holden, Amanda (ed.) (2001), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Kaminski, Piotr (2003), Mille et un opéras, Les indispensables de la musique (in French), Paris: Fayard. ISBN 978 2 2136 0017 8
- Levin, Bernard, Conducted Tour, London: Jonathan Cape, 1981, ch. 12, pp. 208–213.ISBN 0 224 01896 5; 1983, ISBN 0-340-32359-0
- Warrack, John; West, Ewan (1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-869164-5.
External links
edit
- La vestale: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Score, University Library, Goethe University Frankfurt
- About Étienne de Jouy who wrote La vestale Archived 2010-01-14 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- "Tu che invoco", audio on YouTube, Maria Callas
- "O nume tutelar", audio on YouTube, Rosa Ponselle
