Fedra "Gelosia, dispetto, offanno, rio velen, rimorsi, amore . "

In the decade of 1815-1825 viable plots were selected on the basis of prudence. Especially in Milaa. Certarn mguments welc hazardous Rescue plots @ieces-d"sauvetage) were courtrng disaster (the Austnans hoped no one would mentron ?riroll,l); anyone harry or unkempt (outsider, hemit or recluse) was treated as a dissidenq priests were dfrocked, exaggeratedly h€roic gestures of defiance w€re su essed The Restauruzione encou[^ged abasement and remorse for the excesses of dte Napoleoric era, thus, if onty by default, grviry substance to the one mevitabl€ feature ofthe neo-^ata txelodrafima romanlico Ihe yittina It was political disdetion that took far away in time afld space (to the limits of Sanquirico's imagiMtion). An]4hing resembling present_ day existence was fiowned-upon, no ne€d for Schiller or Goethe, romantic colouring came on the hoot reat"life was out, decor was in, natue was permitted to revolt (earthquakes, floods, and volcanic la%),

A composer like Mayr steered a cautious pathl the author of a Tc Deurn in honour of the Ihp€rial castaway cut his coat according to his cloth. Whereas his Cora (1815, based on Mafidontel via Berdadoni and Francesco Berio di Satsa) at the end of Murat in Naples encou.raged humanitarisr rather thao mlthological exaltatron, Fedru h Milan, five years on, like the Dahao aI,A whi.h fiamed it, was r€tro. This was prudent. Her utter irelevanoe was probably h$ attraotion No toes to tread on. He could deal musically with threats, injustloe, coLild conjure_ up absiraol force without referenco to anrthing or a.nyone ih that city, past, present or funrre Backwards was forwrrds. Rossini lo1ew thls too. It was politic to ke€p on the side ofthe Gods and leave polemics to the

The libetto he ohose for Fedla - musually fo. an old-fogy like Luigi Ronanelli - has a distinct concentratron. Hardly any ninet€enth century operatic libretto ever lived up to the play or novel on wlNh it was brled, but Romanelli's Fedl/l is something of ar €xception. Racine's famous play (16?r) is on€ ol the most fteezing experiences imagrDable, .eading Phadre's torment th€ pages drop ftom your hard. Even more frighdrl than that oflady Macbeth, the occutt destiny ofPhddre tums the reader to stone Under the aegis of MaF's music, the opeta reaches heighh not mworthy of Raorne, especially at its climax. For a moment Fedld achieves that kind of breatlless suspeNion, that utter psychic isolation which is the icy accolade of genuine ly$c tragedy. Tercsa Belloc. who was at the very end ofher career and tle heiSht ofher powers, reached a 9

nearlv unbelEvable aDex m fils . ' a shamed and shimeflrl m"rro+opt-o Fedra rs boffd b) an inpure flame to a soprano (Adelaide Tosi, as h€r stepson lppolito) which not everyone will consider to b€ an mprov€ment on the lppolito of Paisiello who lras a .l Can this be dascribed as Romantro? But Fedl' dses above the limitations ofits day. ls Ma)r a Romantic? Almost all his operas po overboard. not onlv on local colour b on a tanglble e\cess of Eehaviour. Donuetu cenainly Inened anenuvel) ro lhs ra [f Ma]r could b€ said to hav€ had a ;€curreot iheme it would be that his h€roines are dwaded by events beyond their control, occuli in Medea Nd Feba' volaalnc h Cira, dubio ly romantio oo th€ sudaoe ' seldom admitting of the compulsion to breai the chains and aI 'too complisnt l-ith the political clunare of his da). bLrl Fedra s sheer extremity of emolion (o oulsize otr the Romandc podrun ;ualfies' her aI Dlace Nothure especrally innovahve is urdicated by th€ slructure oflhe opera A$ I ha;igit items including the sinfonia, Act II is slightlv shorter with seven items-(but the autogaph s"ote includes an instrumental uterlude which creates a balarce) if somewhat deceptively.

i sinfonia Luso/allegro mollo agildo ActI

2 con coro Ter.m.ne Recit 'Cad .mici' Cmtabile. 'S. b@c oltBggio'

3 Coro dello damiSclle 'Dagii oochipiove /Di Fedre il pi'nro

Cavalim: 'Che maircn feoe' Cabal.tta'?er quell'Adon, che amasti'

5 Coro dc segu&ci d'lPpolito .d .lirata lpPolito Co.o 'Na uoor qui giunse IpPolito' R.cit 'Conpagfl, ffiici, addio' Prino lempo 'Nd nd da voi non mj dividt' cantabil€ 'D'Aricia, il mio b€ne' Cabrletla'Ch.sorfiglioio solram€nto' La Scala 1o susP@d th. of the 6rst p'rfom6ce (this was the momenrlhat obliged 'an

6 Duelro lppolito/F.dra Recit E dsolvarsi rai' Irimo tmpo'Se orror di 1e non hai' Cantabile. 'Ah, che i etil'(a2) Srr.ita. Forse chi sa,/Lo steeno appaga' -1-;il;;6i!:r@ .".,o-.oo'do ano va/ La d' y .xd.an; r"r"""i rri" r*o,. '5€ "'ranb Mrur bv Vhbno D.lla Cr@ Iinl Don'zori Sodolv Jouma 6 2a{6 . . pa,isie,rir"a., IDr6lro bv Aiai6 rvairo sa'{on arlerBaonels.cano.Naoo6'733) Gl"sepgroor6d 1 759) i;Ih.1tas tppolno ad'Alicil lrbreno bv CarLo lnno6nl6 Frugoni (Ducale, Pma 10

7. Coro di popolo /ent ata Teseo Coro 'Delle troobe d $on festivo' cavatina. Spiaggc mene, ove io SriL vidi' Cabalerla Gli ,fimi, le pene, con gioja ram.nto'

Quartetto. Cato runoBi' Iedrrlppolito/T eo/Idmene 'Anl qual fi.so.' (Tutti) Conc.nato 'Qu.l t$ si4 nero tume incl.meote (Tutti) Ad TI I I.lroduzione (Coro) Ai pari lri'

'Dal 1uo duolo o Prenc.' Sr€ ..'Sent. numi, s cui d'ogni altn.' (! l) lppolholF.dE/Idam.d. (M.rr id.nded an di. for Atid. io follow this ('Sotrid€ndo, pii ritroli') bul it i! not prest in thc aulogr.ph solc md may [av. b€.n supr.$.d aner lh. PriM?)

?dmo tempo. 'Io oonosco, ecidtibssti' C.nt&bil. 'ILr du. riYali !f.tii' T.mpo dim.zzo. Ebbd Tc@' Stretta 'Di Giovc iltulmin ' (a 2)

Rccit Gtrooeitato)'l.ti.l enlcMol' Canlabil. 'softhci !.ra l.gnmi' Cab6l.us. (a Teseo) 'Troppa da mc costaMrln tsla di p.n.' (Msyr wot. . second vdsion of rhh du.r wfth thc cut.bilc a6od.d lnd with s oabal.tt.'Dch ra]n,nmla" ramm.ot.' (coD ooro)

5 tuia Teseo con co.o R.cit. 'Ch€ f.ci mai Qual ncbbia si dir.da hi.i sguddi ' Ari.. 'Mesb inc.rto, co!ftso, dall'onde tgilato' Coro.'Un roro dall'ond.' Cabal.us. Ms il brando, ch'io stingo' llnstrum.ntal interlud. aU.gro/au.sro oon motol

Coro Pd qual ci guidi' (Dome) R@it I hio pensido? a gid compilo, io norte' caDrabile Qual son tu!€Eo ' (I€dra) Duertioo T.rmene . che tu?...n pidgi?' (I.dra/Term@) Cdtabile 'G€los,4 dispetto, afmno, tuo velen, dioBi, amore (F.dra) Aria 6Mlc Fedra'Sifiero,Ippolito' Iide ancclie eco iloonmto' (a Teseo) Spevstwole l. none/Mi ss.bbe, ove tu se/Dispdsta i giomi dei/ Vado altrove a t6minar' cori. (a r.da) 'vme pur con qu.lle sone' (Uoni.i) t2

Delth by belc.dto The La Scala cast at the prima was at the hrghest level, Fed.a was sung by Teresa Belloc, fes?o by Nicold Tacchinardi , Ippolito by Adelaide Tosi, Tetukene by Pio Botticelli, with rhe small rcles of by Ma,ietta Casngliod and Filocle by P],eto centili in a settrng (of course) by Alerrandro Sanqurco Bul the pflr?a was one ofrhe most extraordioary ever exp€rienced even in that theatre. Given on S.Stefano, that is 26 December 1820, it was a hrmultuous milestone even for that stage the roccoco reputation of whlch surviv€s effortlessly to our day (as we all know) The ope.a opened smoothly, the fine overtue and the aria of Teramene wer€ received wamly, as too was the .rorrta of Teresa Belloc (even though she had come drecdy from London where she had been singing Ang€lina b C.nerentola - not pethaps the best preparation for this draina). The music got as far as Scene V and the norid oabaletta of Adelaide Tosi in a flue-brush helmet and minlskin as Ippolito. This local aspirant for fame, her dCbut in fact, sxng beforc an ominously sileflt throng, got to end of the reprise ofher 'Che son figlio io sol rammento' when the entire auditorium explodcd, oheers, counter-cheers, deafening cries, stamping, more stamping, more che€rs, a pandemonirun. Cries for bis More cries. Th€ stage fiozc ,nd the management appeared at thc footlights to appeal for the opera to continue, but the speaker was (howned and igrcred. Atuempt afrer altempt to r.store order went for nothhg, th€ cheering cootinued Another appeal, useless. The curtain was lowered, then raised again but the shouiing was unbrok€n After more than an hour of (now) hoarse cries, det€rmined disruption, fieDzi€d enthusiaim, adulation, ard fuitless appea.ls for calm, th€ perfomance was abandoftd, dle lidts extinguished and the chcenng fanatics pushed out (not without difficulty) into the stse€t. Thus the fust performance af May's Fedra consisted ofone quart€r or so ofAct l. Happily for 0le composq on th€ next niSht the rest of his music was permitted to ma]

Letal bevandal For those who cherish this composer we see here how he linlcd his two masterpieces I Medea ih Cointo and Fedla are a sequence, the tust corurands the demie ofthe eighteenth cenhny, the second ofiers a fatal insemination for the vittima heroines of the oentury to follow.. . Alexrnder Weathersotr t._1, iA, l;Er a Ii-rar.t.'Ili-rf $r,rc.atfr*.. EO, Fh. d- srrf. ntdc.ll.ill.o,ll . rir?.,r tonio..c,4 ,iardje iaiaato fio l,;ii.:""|lppot,tlo, atro rl.lrrknrnlirr ilcllcAorroni, . i:,t,,csn' it t"n,r,,^;i- dtii- l,i#.'Lal"' ;;';;:#;t':- ',i,fliii,il,";iiii,IEiii'*#*.$,ffilrnr-^rurns,roic.ir"tproriro. ro srdr'o .rroro iL pa,ana,Eio 'triiti#!*r##i{,##ffiil^''J*',.#'[];','J:F;.,r A.ricio. i}I^;l SiE. Pin BoIi..lU. rttcdne: d.m.. t -iD hct , cha pct diydr. E- I ITILOCLE. reruecc di T6to. fr2h:i"::i,""i#"",trfl#:;,ltrtrE1:r rii. Pi.roG.ntiri 1 ,cct per sampli.e racc,onro. avrtStrc ,i-n ;^-i t (:-nicri_ mrrrci di Tos+o. bordz.o, an,i che nto, aU' siotoln a.ionc, I @e- ,. ) Gccier",i. raiurci d lppolito. __r,o -r(reo arsotrrd,.o lo dd a. ta db i^ r- I - ) Da-irltc.'

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