Rossini's Tancredi

Baltimore Concert Opera presents: Rossini’s Tancredi The Gist of the Story: Who was Gioachino Rossini? Setting: the city of Syracuse on the Island of Sicily excerpts from Sir Denis Forman’s A Night at the – about the year 1000 AD, based on Voltaire's Opera: an irreverent guide to the plots, the W HO? play Tancrède (1760). singers, the composers, the recordings, Random House (1998). Composer: A heroic nobleman’s daughter, Amenaide, is Gioachino Rossini caught in the middle of the politics of the men HIS HABITAT: Pesaro, Naples, the theatres of (1792 – 1868) surrounding her. Her father Argirio, his sworn Italy and then Paris, with his permanent home in Librettist: Gaetano Rossi local enemy, and a foreign Saracen invader use Bologna. her as a pawn in their machinations. Her refusal COMMENTS ON THE COMPOSER: “Rossini (1774 – 1855) to betray her secret love for Tancredi, (sung by a invented Italian opera as we know it today. For W HAT? mezzo-soprano in a ‘pants’ role), leads to her two decades he wrote two operas a year, most of Heroic opera seria imprisonment. Tancredi pledges to defend them smash hits. He was feted in the capital cities Amenaide in a duel, but the star-crossed lovers of opera. His tunes were whistled in every street (Noble subject matter + must face more trials before they are finally from Moscow to Cadiz.” clear structure of arias, reconciled. In BCO’s presentation, two versions “Rossini brought discipline to Italian opera. He recitatives, and ensembles) of the ending of this story will be offered: first, the gave an opera, an act, an aria, a definite tragic ending more reflective of Voltaire’s play -- structure. His plans worked, his operas came off WHEN? performed in Ferrara in March 1813 -- and then, punctually, precisely and in a manner just as the Premiered on the original happy ending of the premiere will be audience expected and liked. He brought to opera February 6, 1813 offered. Hear both versions and choose which an abundance of tunes, many of them amongst finale you prefer! the best in the operatic repertoire. He conjured WHERE? new sounds out of the orchestra. He gave his First performance at The Characters singers the flashiest numbers that could be Teatro La Fenice in Venice, devised by man. But the most amazing thing ORBAZZANO, ARGIRIO, about Rossini is that he began with a vision of Agirio’s Italy Syracusan what opera could be, that he realized that vision Syracusan rival, nobleman, and set going a tradition that is still the heart and betrothed of father of soul of the repertory more than a hundred and fifty Did you know? Amenaide Amenaide years later.” A “pants role” or “trouser role” is a male Ethnocentrism and the word character meant by the AMENAIDE, daughter composer to be played of nobleman Agirio “Saracen” an excerpt from Michelle Sauer's, by a woman. In opera, The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry Before 1600 (2008). “The word Saracen is an usually this character is a young man or ISAURA, friend English adaptation of the Greek word sarakenos adolescent boy. to Amenaide (easterner). It was used…to refer to any non- TANCREDI, Christian, non-Jewish person, usually from the Besides Tancredi and exiled Syracusan Middle East but also possibly from North Africa or Roggiero in this opera, knight, secret love other famous examples of Amenaide, even Spain; Arab or Muslim are rough synonyms. SOLAMIR, an of ‘pants roles’ include (pants role!) The use of the term is usually pejorative and Cherubino in Mozart’s invading Saracen indicates an opponent of Christianity. It is seldom Marriage of Figaro or general who wants attached to actual cultural knowledge; instead, most Amenaide’s hand in even the title role in the ROGGIERO, literary depictions of Saracens involve simple marriage, later her musical Peter Pan! Tancredi’s behavioral stereotypes (treachery, greed, suspected secret squire (pants cowardice), either for comic effect or as part pro- lover role!) Christian propaganda.” Baltimore Concert Opera Read more about Tancredi 11 W. Mount Vernon Pl. Hadlock, Heather, "Tancredi and Semiramide", in Emanuele Senici (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Baltimore, MD, 21201 Rossini, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Osborne, Charles, The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland: Amadeus Press, 1994. baltimoreconcertopera.com Servadio, Gaia, Rossini, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. .

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