The Complete Opera Book Part 36

[Ill.u.s.tration: Photo by White

Hempel (Adina) and Caruso (Nemorino) in "L'Elisir d'Amore"]

The villagers have learned that his rich uncle is dead and has left a will making him his heir. But because this news has not yet been communicated to him, he thinks their attentions due to the love-philtre, and believes the more firmly in its efficacy. In any event, _Adina_ has perceived, upon the _Sergeant's_ pressing her to sign the marriage contract, that she really prefers _Nemorino_. Like a shrewd little woman, she takes matters into her own hands, and buys back from _Sergeant Belcore_ her lover's enlistment paper. Having thus set him free, she behaves so coyly that _Nemorino_ threatens to seek death in battle, whereupon she faints right into his arms. The _Sergeant_ bears this unlucky turn of affairs with the bravery of a soldier, while _Dulcamara's_ fame becomes such that he can sell to the villagers his entire stock of Bordeaux for love elixir at a price that makes him rich.

The elixir of life of this "Elixir of Love" is the romance for tenor in the second act, "Una furtiva lagrima" (A furtive tear), which _Nemorino_ sings as _Adina_ sadly leaves him, when she thinks that he has become indifferent to her. It was because of Caruso's admirable rendition of this beautiful romance that the opera was revived at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in 1904. Even the instrumental introduction to it, in which the ba.s.soons carry the air, is captivating.

[Music:

Una furtiva lagrima Negl'occhi suoi spunt;]

Act I is laid on _Adina's_ farm. _Adina_ has a florid air, "Chiedi all'aura lusinghiera" (Go, demand of yon light zephyr), with which she turns aside from _Nemorino's_ attentions.

[Music: Chiedi all'aura lusinghiera,]

The scene then changes to a square in the village. Here _Dr.

Dulcamara_ makes his entry, singing his buffo air, "Udite, udite, o rustici" (Give ear, now, ye rustic ones). There are two attractive duets in this scene. One is for _Nemorino_ and _Dr. Dulcamara_, "Obbligato! obbligato!" (Thank you kindly! thank you kindly!).

[Music]

The other, for _Adina_ and _Nemorino_, is "Esulti pur la barbara per poco alle mie pene" (Tho' now th' exulting cruel one can thus deride my bitter pain).

Act II, which shows a room in _Adina's_ farmhouse, opens with a bright chorus of rejoicing at her approaching wedding. _Dulcamara_ brings out a piece of music, which he says is the latest thing from Venice, a barcarole for two voices. He and _Adina_ sing it; a dainty duet, "Io son ricco, e tu sei bella" (I have riches, thou hast beauty) which figures in all the old potpourris of the opera.

[Music:

Io son ricco, e tu sei bella; Io ducati, e vezzi hai tu]

There is a scene for _Nemorino_, _Giannetta_, and the peasants, in which _Nemorino_ praises the elixir, "Dell'elisir mirabile" (Of this most potent elixir). Later comes another duet for _Adina_ and _Dulcamara_, "Quanto amore!" (What affection!) in which _Adina_ expresses her realization of the death of _Nemorino's_ affection for her.

"The score of 'Elisire d'Amore,'" says the _Dictionnaire des Operas_, "is one of the most pleasing that the Bergamo composer has written in the comic vein. It abounds in charming motifs and graceful melodies.

In the first act the duet for tenor and ba.s.s between the young villager and _Dr. Dulcamara_ is a little masterpiece of animation, the accompaniment of which is as interesting as the vocal parts. The most striking pa.s.sages of the second act are the chorus, 'Cantiamo, facciam brindisi'; the barcarole for two voices, 'Io son ricco, e tu sei bella'; the quartet, 'Dell'elisir mirabile'; the duet between _Adina_ and _Dulcamara_, 'Quanto amore'; and finally the lovely and smoothly-flowing romance of Nemorino, 'Una furtiva lagrima,' which is one of the most remarkable inspirations of Donizetti."

LUCREZIA BORGIA

Opera, in a prologue and two acts, by Donizetti; words by Felice Romani, after Victor Hugo. Produced, La Scala, Milan, 1834; Theatre des Italiens, Paris, 1840; London, 1839; in English, 1843; New York, Astor Place Opera House, 1847; with Grisi, September 5, 1854; with Tietjens and Brignoli, 1876; Academy of Music, October 30, 1882; Metropolitan Opera House, with Caruso, 1902.

CHARACTERS

ALFONSO D'ESTE, Duke of Ferrara _Baritone_ LUCREZIA BORGIA _Soprano_ MAFFIO ORSINI _Contralto_ GENNARO } Young n.o.blemen in { _Tenor_ LIVEROTTO } the service of the { _Tenor_ VITELLOZZO } Venetian Republic { _Ba.s.s_ GAZELLO _Ba.s.s_ RUSTIGh.e.l.lO, in the service of DON ALFONSO _Tenor_ GUBETTA } { _Ba.s.s_ ASTOLFO } in the service of Lucrezia { _Tenor_

Gentlemen-at-arms, officers, and n.o.bles of the Venetian Republic; same, attached to court of Alfonso; ladies-in-waiting, Capuchin monks, etc.

_Time_--Early sixteenth century.

_Place_--Venice and Ferrara.

When an opera, without actually maintaining itself in the repertory, nevertheless is an object of occasional revival, it is sure to contain striking pa.s.sages that seem to justify the experiment of bringing it forward again. "Lucrezia Borgia" has a male character, _Maffio Orsini_, sung by a contralto. _Orsini's_ _ballata_, "Il segreto per esser felici" (O the secret of bliss in perfection), is a famous contralto air which Ernestine Schumann-Heink, with her voice of extraordinary range, has made well known all over the United States.

I quote the lines from the Ditson libretto:

O the secret of bliss in perfection, Is never to raise an objection, Whether winter hang tears on the bushes, Or the summer-kiss deck them with blushes.

Drink, and pity the fool who on sorrow, Ever wastes the pale shade of a thought.

Never hope for one jot from the morrow, Save a new day of joy by it brought!

The music has all the dash and abandon that the words suggest.

_Orsini_ sings it at a banquet in Ferrara. Suddenly from a neighbouring room comes the sound of monks' voices chanting a dirge. A door opens. The penitents, still chanting, enter. The lights grow dim and one by one go out. The central doors swing back. _Lucrezia Borgia_ appears in the entrance. The banqueters are her enemies. She has poisoned the wine they have just quaffed to _Orsini's_ song. They are doomed. The dirge is for them. But--what she did not know--among them is _Gennaro_, her illegitimate son, whom she dearly loves. She offers him an antidote, but in vain. He will not save himself, while his friends die. She then discloses the fact that she is his mother. But, even then, instead of accepting her proffered aid to save his life, he repulses her. _Lucrezia_ herself then drains the poisoned cup from which he has quaffed, and sinks, dying, upon his prostrate form. Such is the sombre setting for the _Brindisi_--the drinking song--"the secret of bliss in perfection"--when heard in the opera.

[Music:

Il segreto per esser felici S per prova e l'insegno agli amici]

The tenor role of _Gennaro_ also has tempted to occasional revivals of the work. Mario introduced for this character as a subst.i.tute for a scene in the second act, a recitative and air by Lillo, "Com'e soave quest'ora di silenzio" (Oh! how delightful this pleasing hour of silence), a change which is sometimes followed.

Prologue. Terrace of the Grimani palace, Venice. Festival by night.

_Gennaro_, weary, separates from his friends and falls asleep on a stone bench of the terrace. Here he is discovered by _Lucrezia_, who is masked. She regards him with deep affection. "Com'e bello quale incanto" (Holy beauty, child of nature) she sings.

[Music: Com'e bello quale incanto]

_Gennaro_ awakens. In answer to her questions he tells her that he has been brought up by a poor fisherman, "Di pescatore ign.o.bile" (Deem'd of a fisher's lowly race).

[Music: Di pescatore ign.o.bile]

The youth's friends come upon the scene. _Maffio Orsini_ tears the mask from _Lucrezia's_ face, and in a dramatic concerted number he and his friends remind _Lucrezia_, for the benefit of _Gennaro_, who had been struck by her beauty and was unaware that she was the hated _Borgia_, how each has lost a brother or other relative through her.

"Maffio Orsini, signora, son'io cui svenaste il dormente fratello"

(Madam, I am Orsini. My brother you did poison, the while he was sleeping). And so each one in order.

[Music: Maffio Orsini, signora, son'io]

_Gennaro_ turns from her in loathing. She faints.

Act I. A public place in Ferrara. On one side a palace. _Alfonso_, who, incidentally, is _Lucrezia's_ fourth husband, she having done away with his predecessors by poison, or other murderous means, is jealous of _Gennaro_. Like the youth himself, he is ignorant that _Lucrezia_ is his mother, and is persuaded that he is her paramour. He has two solos. The first is "Vieni, la mia vendetta" (Haste then to glut a vengeance); the second, "Qualunque sia l'evento" (On this I stake my fortune).

[Music: Qualunque sia l'evento che pu recar fortuna,]

_Gennaro_ and his friends come into the Plaza. They see the letters BORGIA under the escutcheon of the palace. _Gennaro_, to show his detestation of _Lucrezia's_ crimes, rushes up the steps and with his sword hacks away the first letter of the name, leaving only ORGIA. At the command of the _Duke_, he is arrested.

_Lucrezia_, not knowing who has committed the outrage, demands of her husband that its perpetrator be put to death. _Alfonso_, with cynical readiness, consents. _Gennaro_ is led in. _Lucrezia_ now pleads for his life. The _Duke_ is firm, even though _Lucrezia_ quite casually reminds him that he is her fourth husband and may share the fate of the other three. ("Aye, though the fourth of my husbands, you lord it.") His comment is the command that _Gennaro_ shall meet death by quaffing a goblet of poisoned wine handed to him by _Lucrezia_ herself. There is here a strong trio for _Lucrezia_, _Gennaro_, and _Alfonso_, as _Alfonso_ pours wine for himself and _Lucrezia_ from a silver flagon, while he empties the poisoned contents of a gold vessel, "the Borgia wine," into _Gennaro's_ cup. But _Lucrezia_ has the antidote; and, the _Duke_ having left her with _Gennaro_, in order that she shall have the pleasure of watching the death of the man of whom he suspects her to be enamored, she gives it to _Gennaro_, and bids him flee from _Ferrara_.

Act II is laid in the Negroni palace, and is the scene of the banquet, which has already been described.

When "Lucrezia Borgia" was produced in Paris, in 1840, Victor Hugo, author of the drama upon which the libretto is based, objected. The French have long gone much further than we do in protecting the property rights of authors and artists in their creations. The producers of the opera were obliged to have the libretto rewritten.

The t.i.tle was changed to "La Rinegata" and the scene was transferred to Turkey.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR