Agrippina (opera)
Encyclopedia
Agrippina is an opera seria
in three acts by George Frideric Handel
, from a libretto
by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani
. Composed for the Venice Carnevale
season, the opera
tells the story of Agrippina
, the mother of Nero
, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor
Claudius
and the installation of her son as emperor. Grimani's libretto, considered one of the best that Handel set, is an "anti-heroic satirical comedy", full of topical political allusions. Some analysts believe that it reflects the rivalry of Grimani with Pope Clement XI
.
Handel composed Agrippina at the end of a three-year visit to Italy. It premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
on 26 December 1709, and was an immediate success. From its opening night it was given a then-unprecedented run of 27 consecutive performances, and received much critical acclaim. Observers were full of praise for the quality of the music—much of which, in keeping with the contemporary custom, had been borrowed and adapted from other works, including some from other composers. Despite the evident public enthusiasm for the work, Handel did not promote further stagings. There were occasional productions in the years following its premiere but, when Handel's operas fell out of fashion in the mid-18th century, it and his other dramatic works were generally forgotten.
In the 20th century, Handelian opera began a revival which, after productions in Germany, saw Agrippina premiered in Britain and in America. In recent years performances of the work have become more common, with innovative stagings at the New York City Opera
and the London Coliseum
in 2007. Modern critical opinion is that Agrippina is Handel's first operatic masterpiece, full of freshness and musical invention which have made it one of the most popular operas of the continuing Handel revival.
. In 1706 he travelled to Italy where he remained for three years, learning the Italian style of music and developing his compositional skills. Initially he stayed in Florence
where he was introduced to Alessandro
and Domenico Scarlatti
, and where his first Italian opera was composed and performed. This was Rodrigo
(1707, original title Vincer se stesso ê la maggior vittoria), in which the Hamburg and Mattheson influences remained prominent. The opera was not particularly successful, but was part of Handel's process of learning to compose opera in the Italian style
and to set Italian words
to music.
After Florence, Handel spent time in Rome, where the performance of opera was forbidden by Papal decree, and in Naples. He was able to apply himself to the composition of cantata and oratorio
; at that time there was little difference (apart from increasing length) between cantata, oratorio and opera, which are all based on the alternation of secco recitative
and aria da capo
. Works from this period include Dixit Dominus, and the dramatic cantata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo
, written in Naples. While in Rome, Handel had become acquainted with Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani
, probably through Alessandro Scarlatti. The Cardinal was a distinguished diplomat who wrote libretti in his spare time, and acted as an unofficial theatrical agent for the Italian royal courts. He made Handel his protégé, and gave him his libretto for Agrippina. It has been surmised that Handel took the libretto to Naples where he set it to music. However, according to John Mainwaring
, Handel's first biographer, it was written very rapidly after Handel's arrival in Venice in November 1709. This theory is supported by the autograph manuscript's Venetian paper. Grimani arranged to present the opera in Venice, at his family-owned theatre, the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, as part of the 1709–10 Carnevale season. A similar story had been used before, as the subject of Monteverdi
's 1642 opera L'incoronazione di Poppea
, but Grimani's libretto centred on Agrippina, a character who does not appear in Monteverdi's darker version. This was Handel's second Italian opera, and probably his last composition in Italy.
, Arcangelo Corelli
and Jean-Baptiste Lully
. This adapting and borrowing was common practice at the time, but its extent in Agrippina is greater than in almost all the composer's other major dramatic works. The overture
, which is a French-style two-part work with a "thrilling" allegro, and all but five of the vocal numbers, are based on earlier works, in many cases after significant adaptation and reworking.
Examples of recycled material include Pallas's "Col raggio placido", which is based on Lucifer's aria from La resurrezione
(1708), "O voi dell' Erebo", which was itself adapted from Reinhard Keiser's 1705 opera Octavia. Agrippina's aria "Non hò cor che per amarti" was taken, almost entirely unadapted, from "Se la morte non vorrà" in Handel's earlier dramatic cantata Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio
(1707); Narcissus's "Spererò" is an adaptation of "Sai perchè" from another 1707 cantata, Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
; and parts of Nero's Act 3 aria "Come nube che fugge dal vento" are borrowed Handel's oratorio Il trionfo del tempo
(all from 1707). Later, some of Agrippina's music was used by Handel in his London operas Rinaldo
(1711) and the 1732 version of Acis and Galatea, in each case with little or no change. The first music by Handel heard in London may have been Agrippina's "Non hò che", transposed into Alessandro Scarlatti's opera Pirro è Dimitrio which was performed in London on 6 December 1710. The Agrippina overture and other arias from the opera appeared in pasticcio
s performed in London between 1710 and 1714, with additional music provided by other composers. Echoes of "Ti vo' giusta" (one of the few arias composed specifically for Agrippina) can be found in the air "He was despised", from Handel's Messiah
(1742).
Two of the main male roles, Nero and Narcissus, were written for castrati
, the "superstars of their day" in Italian opera. The opera was revised significantly before and possibly during its run. For example, in Act III Handel originally had Otho and Poppaea sing a duet, "No, no, ch'io non apprezzo", but he was dissatisfied with the music and replaced the duet with two solo arias before the first performance. Again, during the run Poppaea's aria "Ingannata" was replaced with another of extreme virtuosity
,"Pur punir chi m'ha ingannata", either to emphasise Poppaea's new-found resolution at this juncture of the opera or, as is thought more likely, to flatter Scarabelli by giving her further opportunity to show off her vocal abilities.
The instrumentation for Handel's score follows closely that of all his early operas, and consists of two recorders, two oboes, two trumpets, three violins, two cellos, viola, timpani, contrabassoon and harpsichord. By the later standards of Handel's London operas this scoring is light, but there are nevertheless what Dean and Knapp describe as "moments of splendour when Handel applies the full concerto grosso treatment."
and Zeno
. The favourable reception given to the opera may, according to critic Donald Jay Grout, owe much to Grimani's work in which "irony, deception and intrigue pervade the humorous escapades of its well-defined characters." All the main characters, with the sole exception of Claudius's servant Lesbus, are historical, and the broad outline of the libretto draws heavily upon Tacitus
's Annals
and Suetonius
' Life of Claudius. It has been suggested that the comical, amatory character of the Emperor Claudius is a caricature of Pope Clement XI
, to whom Grimani was politically opposed. Certain aspects of this conflict are also reflected in the plot: the rivalry between Nero and Otho mirror aspects of the debate over the War of the Spanish Succession
, in which Grimani supported the Habsburgs, and Pope Clement XI France and Spain.
in the lead bass role; Margherita Durastanti
, who had recently sung the role of Mary Magdalene in Handel's La resurrezione
; and Diamante Scarabelli
, whose great success at Bologna
in the 1697 pasticcio
Perseo inspired the publication of a volume of eulogistic verse entitled La miniera del Diamante.
Agrippina proved extremely popular, and established Handel's international reputation. Its original run was for 27 performances, extraordinarily long for that time. Handel's biographer John Mainwaring wrote of the first performance: "The theatre at almost every pause resounded with shouts of Viva il caro Sassone! ('Long live the beloved Saxon!') They were thunderstruck with the grandeur and sublimity of his style, for they had never known till then all the powers of harmony and modulation so closely arranged and forcibly combined." Many others recorded overwhelmingly positive responses to the work. Between 1713 and 1724 there were productions of Agrippina in Naples, Hamburg, and Vienna, although Handel himself never revived the opera after its initial run. The Naples production included additional music by Francesco Mancini
.
, under conductor Richard Kraus at the Halle Opera House
. In this performance the alto role of Otho, composed for a woman, was changed into a bass accompanied by English horns, "with calamitous effects on the delicate balance and texture of the score". The Radio Audizioni Italiane
produced a live radio broadcast of the opera on 25 October 1953, marking the first time that Agrippina was communicated in a medium other than the stage. The cast included Magda László
in the title role and Mario Petri
as Claudius, and the performance was conducted by Antonio Pedrotti
.
A 1958 performance in Leipzig
, and several more stagings in Germany, preceded the British première of the opera at Abingdon, Oxfordshire
, in 1963. In 1965 it was performed at Ledlanet, Scotland. In 1983 the opera returned to Venice, for a performance under Christopher Hogwood
at the Teatro Malibran
. In the United States a concert performance had been given on 16 February 1972 at the Academy of Music
in Philadelphia, but the opera's first fully staged American performance was in Fort Worth, Texas
in 1985. That same year it reached New York, with a concert performance at Alice Tully Hall
, the opera still being described at that time as a "genuine rarity". The Fort Worth performance was quickly followed by further American stagings in Iowa City
and Boston
. The so-called "Early Music Movement
", which advocates historically accurate performances of Baroque
and early works, promoted two major productions of Agrippina in 1985 and 1991 respectively. Both were in Germany, the first was in the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
, the other at the Göttingen International Handel Festival.
(ENO) staged an English-language version in February 2007, directed by David McVicar
, which received a broadly favourable critical response, although critic Fiona Maddocks identified features of the production that diminished the work: "Music so witty, inventive and humane requires no extra gilding". These recent revivals have used countertenor
s in the roles written for castrati, as did the 1997 Gardiner recording.
, has died in a storm at sea, Agrippina plots to secure the throne for Nero
, her son by a previous marriage. Nero is unenthusiastic about this project, but assents to his mother's wishes ("Con saggio tuo consiglio"). Agrippina obtains the support of her two freedmen, Pallas
and Narcissus
, who hail Nero as the new Emperor before the Senate
.
With the Senate's assent Agrippina and Nero begin to ascend the throne, but the ceremony is interrupted by the entrance of Claudius's servant Lesbus. He announces that his master is alive ("Allegrezza! Claudio giunge!"), saved from death by Otho
, the commander of the army. Otho himself confirms the story, and reveals that Claudius has promised him the throne as a mark of gratitude. Agrippina is confounded, until Otho secretly confides to her that he loves the beautiful Poppaea
more than he desires the throne. Agrippina, aware that Claudius also loves Poppaea, sees a new opportunity of furthering her ambitions for Nero. She goes to Poppaea and tells her, falsely, that Otho has struck a bargain with Claudius whereby he, Otho, gains the throne but gives Poppaea to Claudius. Agrippina advises Poppaea to turn the tables on Otho by telling the Emperor that Otho has ordered her to refuse Claudius's attentions. This, Agrippina believes, will make Claudius revoke his promise to Otho of the throne.
Poppaea believes Agrippina. When Claudius arrives at Poppaea's house she reveals what she believes is Otho's treachery. Claudius departs in fury, while Agrippina cynically consoles Poppaea by declaring that their friendship will never be broken by deceit ("Non hò cor che per amarti").
However, Poppaea is touched by her former beloved's grief, and wonders if he might not be innocent ("Bella pur nel mio diletto"). She devises a plan, which involves pretended sleep and, when Otho approaches her, sleep-talking what Agrippina has told her earlier. Otho, as intended, overhears her and fiercely protests his innocence. He convinces Poppaea that Agrippina has deceived her. Poppaea swears revenge ("Ingannata una sol volta"), but is distracted when Nero comes forward and declares his love for her. Meanwhile Agrippina has lost the support of Pallas and Narcissus, but manages to convince Claudius that Otho is still plotting to take the throne. She advises him that he should end Otho's ambitions once and for all by abdicating in favour of Nero. Claudius, eager to be with Poppaea again, agrees.
At the palace, Nero tells Agrippina of his troubles, and decides to renounce love for political ambition ("Come nubbe che fugge dal vento"). But Pallas and Narcissus have by now revealed Agrippina's original plot to Claudius, so that when Agrippina urges the Emperor to yield the throne to Nero, he accuses her of treachery. She then claims that her efforts to secure the throne for Nero had all along been a ruse to safeguard the throne for Claudius ("Se vuoi pace"). Claudius believes her; nevertheless, when Poppaea, Otho, and Nero arrive, Claudius announces that Nero and Poppaea will marry, and that Otho shall have the throne. No one is satisfied with this arrangement, as their desires have all changed, so Claudius in a spirit of reconciliation reverses his judgement, giving Poppaea to Otho and the throne to Nero. He then summons the goddess Juno
, who descends to pronounce a general blessing ("V'accendano le tede i raggi delle stelle").
1. Sinfonia
Act I
2. "Con saggio tuo consiglio" (Nero)
3. "La mia sorte fortunata" (Pallas)
4. "Volo pronto e lieto il core" (Narcissus)
5. "L'alma mia frà le tempeste" (Agrippina)
6. "Qual piacere a un cor pietoso" (Nero)
7. "Il tuo figlio/La tua prole" (Quartet: Nero, Pallas, Narcissus, Agrippina)
8. "Allegrezza! Allegrezza!" (Lesbus)
9. "Tu ben degno sei dell'allor" (Agrippina)
10. "Lusinghiera mia speranza" (Otho)
11. "Vaghe perle, eletti fiori" (Poppaea)
12. "È un foco quel d'amore" (Poppaea)
13. "Ho un non sò che nel cor" (Agrippina)
14. "Fà quanto vuoi, gli schemi tuoi" (Poppaea)
15. "Pur ritorno a rimirarvi" (Claudius)
16. "Vieni, oh cara" (Claudius)
17. "E quando mai" (Trio: Poppaea, Claudius, Lesbus)
18. "Non hò cor che per amarti" (Agrippina)
19. "Se giunge un dispetto" (Poppaea; there are two settings)
Act II
20. "Coronato il crin d'alloro" (Otho)
21. "Di timpani e trombe" (Chorus of the principals)
22. "Cade il mondo soggiogato" (Claudius)
23. "Nulla sperar da me" (Agrippina)
24. "Tuo ben è l'trono" (Poppaea)
25. "Sotto il lauro ch'hai sul crine" (Nero; two settings)
26. Accompagnato
: "Otton, qual portentoso fulmine è questo?" (Otho)
27. "Voi che udite il mio lamento" (Otho)
28. "Bella pur nel mio diletto" (Poppaea)
29. "Vaghe fonti, che mormorando" (Otho)
30. "Ti vo' giusta e non pietosa" (Otho)
31. "Ingannata una sol volta" (Poppaea) (The libretto gives "Pur punir chi m'ha ingannata" instead)
32. "Col peso del tuo amor" (Poppaea)
33. "Quando invita la donna l'amante" (Nero)
34. "Pensieri, voi mi tormentate" (Agrippina)
35. "Col raggio placido della speranza" (Pallas)
36. "Spererò, poichè mel dice" (Narcissus)
37. "Basta che sol tu chieda" (Claudius) (Libretto: "Vagheggiar de tuoi bei lumi")
38. "Ogni vento ch'al porto la spinga" (Agrippina)
Act III
39. "Tacerò pur che fedele" (Otho) (Libretto: "Chi ben ama" (Poppaea))
40. "Coll' ardor del tuo bel core" (Nero) (Libretto: "Esci O mia vita" (Poppaea))
41. "Io di Roma il Giove sono" (Claudius)
42. "Pur ch'io ti stringa al sen" (Libretto: "No, no, ch'io non apprezzo") (Otho)
43. "Bel piacere e godere fido amor" (Libretto: "Sì, sì ch'il mio diletto")(Poppaea)
44. "Come nube che fugge dal vento" (Nero)
45. "Se vuoi pace" (Agrippina)
46. "Lieto il Tebro increspi l'onda" (Chorus of the principals)
47. "V'accendano le tede i raggi delle stelle" (Juno)
and da capo arias. In accordance with 18th-century opera convention the plot is mainly carried forward in the recitatives, while the musical interest and exploration of character takes place in the arias—although on occasion Handel breaks this mould by using arias to advance the action. With one exception the recitative sections are secco ("dry"), where a simple vocal line is accompanied only by harpsichord
and violoncello. The anomaly is Otho's "Otton, qual portentoso fulmine", where he finds himself robbed of the throne and deserted by his beloved Poppaea; here the recitative is accompanied by the orchestra, as a means of highlighting the drama. Dean and Knapp describe this, and the Otho's aria which follows, as "the peak of the opera". The 19th-century musical theorist Ebenezer Prout
singles out Agrippina's "Non hò che per amarti" for special praise. He points out the range of instruments used for special effects, and writes that "an examination of the score of this air would probably astonish some who think Handel's orchestration is wanting in variety."
Handel made more use than was then usual of orchestral accompaniment in arias, but in other respects Agrippina is more typical of an older operatic tradition. For the most part the arias are brief, there are only two short ensembles, and in the quartet
and the trio
the voices are not heard together. However, Handel's basic style when had matured, and would change very little in the next 30 years, a point reflected in the reviews of the Tully Hall performance of Agrippina in 1985, which refer to a "string of melodious aria and ensembles, any of which could be mistaken for the work of his mature London years".
in the Da Ponte
operas, Handel avoids laughing at his characters.
In Agrippina the da capo aria is the musical form used to illustrate character in the context of the opera. The first four arias of the work exemplify this: Nero's "Con raggio", in a minor key and with a descending figure on the key phrase "il trono ascendero" ("I will ascend the throne") characterises him as weak and irresolute. Pallas's first aria "La mia sorte fortunata", with its "wide-leaping melodic phrasing" introduces him as a bold, heroic figure, contrasting with his rival Narcissus whose introspective nature is displayed in his delicate aria "Volo pronto" which immediately follows. Agrippina's introductory aria "L'alma mia" has a mock-military form which reflects her outward power, while subtle musical phrasing establishes her real emotional state. Poppaea's arias are uniformly light and rhythmic, while Claudius's short love song "Vieni O cara" gives a glimpse of his inner feelings, and is considered one of the gems of the score.
, which Handel reflects in the music. His settings sometimes illustrate both the surface meaning, as characters attempt to deceive each other, and the hidden truth. For instance, in her Act I aria "Non hò che per amarti" Agrippina promises Poppaea that deceit will never mar their new friendship, while tricking her into ruining Otho's chances for the throne. Handel's music illuminates her deceit in the melody and minor modal key
, while a simple, emphasised rhythmic accompaniment hints at clarity and openness. In Act III, Nero's announcement that his passion is ended and that he will no longer bound by it (in "Come nubbe che fugge dal vento") is set to bitter-sweet music which suggests that he is deceiving himself. In Otho's "Coronato il crin" the agitated nature of the music is the opposite of what the "euphoric" tone of the libretto suggests. Contrasts between the force of the libretto and the emotional colour of the actual music would develop into a constant feature of Handel's later London operas.
Agrippina is considered Handel's first operatic masterpiece; according to Winton Dean it has few rivals for its "sheer freshness of musical invention". Grimani's libretto has also come in for much praise: The New Penguin Opera Guide describes it as one of the best Handel ever set, and praises the "light touch" with which the characters are vividly portrayed. Agrippina as a whole is, in the view of scholar John E. Sawyer, "among the most convincing of all the composer's dramatic works".
; one of these may have been a gift from Grimani to the future Emperor Charles VI
. These copies, presumably based on the lost performing score, show further changes from the autograph. A Manuscript from the 1740s known as the Flower score is "a miscellany in haphazard order".
In about 1795 the British composer Samuel Arnold
produced an edition that agrees with the early copies; this edition, while it contains errors and inaccuracies, has been called "probably a reasonable reflection of early performances". The Chrysander
edition of 1874 has a tendency to "sweep Arnold aside when he is right and follow him when he is wrong." Musicologist Anthony Hicks
calls it "an unfortunate attempt to reconcile the autograph text with Arnold and the wordbook, the result being a composite version of no authority." It is widely available online.
In 1950 Barenreiter published Hellmuth Christian Wolff
's edition, prepared for the 1943 Halle revival and reflecting the casting of basses for Otto and Narcissus, even when they sing what would otherwise be the alto part in the last chorus. It presents a German adaptation of the recitatives and written out embellishments for the da capo aria
s as well as numerous cuts. The B flat fugue G 37 appears as an act II overture
along with other instrumental music.
The Hallische Händelausgabe volume devoted to Agrippina has not yet appeared.
}
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
in three acts by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
, from a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and opera librettist.Grimani was born either in Venice or Mantua....
. Composed for the Venice Carnevale
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
season, the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tells the story of Agrippina
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, the mother of Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
and the installation of her son as emperor. Grimani's libretto, considered one of the best that Handel set, is an "anti-heroic satirical comedy", full of topical political allusions. Some analysts believe that it reflects the rivalry of Grimani with Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
.
Handel composed Agrippina at the end of a three-year visit to Italy. It premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo
The Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, now known as the Teatro Malibran, is an opera house in Venice. Founded in 1678 by the Grimani family, it was founded primarily to provide entertainment for the aristocracy and to advance the social position of the Grimani family, and was not expected to be a...
on 26 December 1709, and was an immediate success. From its opening night it was given a then-unprecedented run of 27 consecutive performances, and received much critical acclaim. Observers were full of praise for the quality of the music—much of which, in keeping with the contemporary custom, had been borrowed and adapted from other works, including some from other composers. Despite the evident public enthusiasm for the work, Handel did not promote further stagings. There were occasional productions in the years following its premiere but, when Handel's operas fell out of fashion in the mid-18th century, it and his other dramatic works were generally forgotten.
In the 20th century, Handelian opera began a revival which, after productions in Germany, saw Agrippina premiered in Britain and in America. In recent years performances of the work have become more common, with innovative stagings at the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
and the London Coliseum
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
in 2007. Modern critical opinion is that Agrippina is Handel's first operatic masterpiece, full of freshness and musical invention which have made it one of the most popular operas of the continuing Handel revival.
Composition history
Handel's earliest opera compositions, in the German style, date from his Hamburg years, 1704–06, under the influence of Johann MatthesonJohann Mattheson
Johann Mattheson was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist.Mattheson was born and died in Hamburg. He was a close friend of George Frideric Handel, although he nearly killed him in a sudden quarrel, during a performance of Mattheson's opera Cleopatra in 1704...
. In 1706 he travelled to Italy where he remained for three years, learning the Italian style of music and developing his compositional skills. Initially he stayed in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
where he was introduced to Alessandro
Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...
and Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
, and where his first Italian opera was composed and performed. This was Rodrigo
Rodrigo (opera)
Rodrigo is an opera in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel. Its original title was Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria . The opera is based on the historical figure of Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king of Hispania...
(1707, original title Vincer se stesso ê la maggior vittoria), in which the Hamburg and Mattheson influences remained prominent. The opera was not particularly successful, but was part of Handel's process of learning to compose opera in the Italian style
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
and to set Italian words
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
to music.
After Florence, Handel spent time in Rome, where the performance of opera was forbidden by Papal decree, and in Naples. He was able to apply himself to the composition of cantata and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
; at that time there was little difference (apart from increasing length) between cantata, oratorio and opera, which are all based on the alternation of secco recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
and aria da capo
Da capo aria
The da capo aria is a musical form, which was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and oratorio...
. Works from this period include Dixit Dominus, and the dramatic cantata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo is a dramatic cantata—also called a serenata—by George Frederic Handel. It was first performed at Naples on 19 July 1708; the completed score is dated to 16 June 1708...
, written in Naples. While in Rome, Handel had become acquainted with Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and opera librettist.Grimani was born either in Venice or Mantua....
, probably through Alessandro Scarlatti. The Cardinal was a distinguished diplomat who wrote libretti in his spare time, and acted as an unofficial theatrical agent for the Italian royal courts. He made Handel his protégé, and gave him his libretto for Agrippina. It has been surmised that Handel took the libretto to Naples where he set it to music. However, according to John Mainwaring
John Mainwaring
John Mainwaring was an English theologian and the first biographer of the composer Georg Friedrich Händel in any language. He was a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and became rector of the parish of Church Stretton, Shropshire, and, later professor of Divinity at Cambridge...
, Handel's first biographer, it was written very rapidly after Handel's arrival in Venice in November 1709. This theory is supported by the autograph manuscript's Venetian paper. Grimani arranged to present the opera in Venice, at his family-owned theatre, the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, as part of the 1709–10 Carnevale season. A similar story had been used before, as the subject of Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
's 1642 opera L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea is an Italian baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts, first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. The music, attributed to Claudio Monteverdi, is a setting of a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello...
, but Grimani's libretto centred on Agrippina, a character who does not appear in Monteverdi's darker version. This was Handel's second Italian opera, and probably his last composition in Italy.
Composing Agrippina
In composing the opera Handel borrowed extensively from his earlier oratorios and cantatas, and from other composers including Reinhard KeiserReinhard Keiser
Reinhard Keiser was a popular German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas, and in 1745 Johann Adolph Scheibe considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann , but his work was largely forgotten for many...
, Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...
and Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
. This adapting and borrowing was common practice at the time, but its extent in Agrippina is greater than in almost all the composer's other major dramatic works. The overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
, which is a French-style two-part work with a "thrilling" allegro, and all but five of the vocal numbers, are based on earlier works, in many cases after significant adaptation and reworking.
La Resurrezione
La resurrezione is a sacred oratorio by George Frideric Handel, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece . Capece was court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. It was first performed on the Easter Sunday of 1708 at Rome, with the backing of the Marchese...
(1708), "O voi dell' Erebo", which was itself adapted from Reinhard Keiser's 1705 opera Octavia. Agrippina's aria "Non hò cor che per amarti" was taken, almost entirely unadapted, from "Se la morte non vorrà" in Handel's earlier dramatic cantata Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio
Ero e Leandro
Ero e Leandro, also known after its first line as Qual ti reveggio, oh Dio , is a 1707 Italian-language cantata by George Frideric Handel, composed during his stay in Rome to a libretto believed to be written by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. It is a reworking of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander, with...
(1707); Narcissus's "Spererò" is an adaptation of "Sai perchè" from another 1707 cantata, Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno, Cantata a tre, HWV 96, subtitled Cor fedele in vano speri , is a 1707 comic cantata by George Frideric Handel. The subject is a pretty shepherdess who loves two young men, but loses both when they discover her fickleness...
; and parts of Nero's Act 3 aria "Come nube che fugge dal vento" are borrowed Handel's oratorio Il trionfo del tempo
The Triumph of Time and Truth
The Triumph of Time and Truth is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel which saw three iterations across 50 years of Handel's career.HWV 46a is an Italian oratorio from 1707. In 1737 Handel revised and expanded the oratorio to create HWV 46b...
(all from 1707). Later, some of Agrippina's music was used by Handel in his London operas Rinaldo
Rinaldo (opera)
Rinaldo is an opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1711. It is the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage. The libretto was prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill. The work was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's...
(1711) and the 1732 version of Acis and Galatea, in each case with little or no change. The first music by Handel heard in London may have been Agrippina's "Non hò che", transposed into Alessandro Scarlatti's opera Pirro è Dimitrio which was performed in London on 6 December 1710. The Agrippina overture and other arias from the opera appeared in pasticcio
Pasticcio
In music, a pasticcio or pastiche is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, or inauthentic.-Etymology:The term is first attested in the...
s performed in London between 1710 and 1714, with additional music provided by other composers. Echoes of "Ti vo' giusta" (one of the few arias composed specifically for Agrippina) can be found in the air "He was despised", from Handel's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
(1742).
Two of the main male roles, Nero and Narcissus, were written for castrati
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
, the "superstars of their day" in Italian opera. The opera was revised significantly before and possibly during its run. For example, in Act III Handel originally had Otho and Poppaea sing a duet, "No, no, ch'io non apprezzo", but he was dissatisfied with the music and replaced the duet with two solo arias before the first performance. Again, during the run Poppaea's aria "Ingannata" was replaced with another of extreme virtuosity
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
,"Pur punir chi m'ha ingannata", either to emphasise Poppaea's new-found resolution at this juncture of the opera or, as is thought more likely, to flatter Scarabelli by giving her further opportunity to show off her vocal abilities.
The instrumentation for Handel's score follows closely that of all his early operas, and consists of two recorders, two oboes, two trumpets, three violins, two cellos, viola, timpani, contrabassoon and harpsichord. By the later standards of Handel's London operas this scoring is light, but there are nevertheless what Dean and Knapp describe as "moments of splendour when Handel applies the full concerto grosso treatment."
Libretto
Grimani's libretto avoids the "moralizing" tone of the later opera seria libretti written by acknowledged masters such as MetastasioMetastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.-Early life:...
and Zeno
Apostolo Zeno
Apostolo Zeno was a Venetian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters.-Early life:Apostolo Zeno was born of Cretan Greek descent in Venice in 1669...
. The favourable reception given to the opera may, according to critic Donald Jay Grout, owe much to Grimani's work in which "irony, deception and intrigue pervade the humorous escapades of its well-defined characters." All the main characters, with the sole exception of Claudius's servant Lesbus, are historical, and the broad outline of the libretto draws heavily upon Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
's Annals
Annals (Tacitus)
The Annals by Tacitus is a history of the reigns of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The surviving parts of the Annals extensively cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this...
and Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
' Life of Claudius. It has been suggested that the comical, amatory character of the Emperor Claudius is a caricature of Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
, to whom Grimani was politically opposed. Certain aspects of this conflict are also reflected in the plot: the rivalry between Nero and Otho mirror aspects of the debate over the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, in which Grimani supported the Habsburgs, and Pope Clement XI France and Spain.
Premiere
The date of Agrippinas first performance, about which there was at one time some uncertainty, has been confirmed by a manuscript newsletter as 26 December 1709. The cast consisted of some of Northern Italy's leading singers of the day, including Antonio CarliAntonio Francesco Carli
Antonio Francesco Carli was an Italian bass singer, primarily of operatic roles. He is best remembered for having sung the role of Claudius in the original production of George Frideric Handel's early success Agrippina...
in the lead bass role; Margherita Durastanti
Margherita Durastanti
Margherita Durastanti was an Italian singer of the 18th century. Vocally, she is best described as a soprano, though later in her career her tessitura descended to that of a mezzo-soprano. First heard of professionally in Mantua in 1700-01, she later appeared in Bologna and Reggio Emilia , Milan...
, who had recently sung the role of Mary Magdalene in Handel's La resurrezione
La Resurrezione
La resurrezione is a sacred oratorio by George Frideric Handel, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece . Capece was court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. It was first performed on the Easter Sunday of 1708 at Rome, with the backing of the Marchese...
; and Diamante Scarabelli
Diamante Maria Scarabelli
Diamante Maria Scarabelli was an Italian soprano singer of the later 17th century and early 18th. She is best remembered for having sung the part of Poppea in George Frederic Handel's opera Agrippina, a role that requires a wide vocal range, a fairly high tessitura, and a highly-developed virtuoso...
, whose great success at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in the 1697 pasticcio
Pasticcio
In music, a pasticcio or pastiche is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, or inauthentic.-Etymology:The term is first attested in the...
Perseo inspired the publication of a volume of eulogistic verse entitled La miniera del Diamante.
Agrippina proved extremely popular, and established Handel's international reputation. Its original run was for 27 performances, extraordinarily long for that time. Handel's biographer John Mainwaring wrote of the first performance: "The theatre at almost every pause resounded with shouts of Viva il caro Sassone! ('Long live the beloved Saxon!') They were thunderstruck with the grandeur and sublimity of his style, for they had never known till then all the powers of harmony and modulation so closely arranged and forcibly combined." Many others recorded overwhelmingly positive responses to the work. Between 1713 and 1724 there were productions of Agrippina in Naples, Hamburg, and Vienna, although Handel himself never revived the opera after its initial run. The Naples production included additional music by Francesco Mancini
Francesco Mancini (composer)
Francesco Mancini was an Italian composer from Napoli.-Biography:He was an important teacher and managed to obtain his greatest duty during Alessandro Scarlatti's absence from Neapolitan court, between 1702 and 1708...
.
Later performances
In the late 18th and throughout the 19th century, Handel's operas fell into obscurity, and none were staged between 1754 and 1920. However, when interest in Handel's operas awakened in the 20th century, Agrippina received several revivals, beginning with a 1943 production at Handel's birthplace, HalleHalle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, under conductor Richard Kraus at the Halle Opera House
Halle Opera House
The Halle Opera House is an opera house in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. Originally named the Halle Town Theatre , the theatre was built in 1886. A bomb attack on 31 March 1945 destroyed much of the original building. Restorative work ensued a few years later, and the theatre reopened in 1951 under the...
. In this performance the alto role of Otho, composed for a woman, was changed into a bass accompanied by English horns, "with calamitous effects on the delicate balance and texture of the score". The Radio Audizioni Italiane
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
produced a live radio broadcast of the opera on 25 October 1953, marking the first time that Agrippina was communicated in a medium other than the stage. The cast included Magda László
Magda László
Magda László was a Hungarian operatic soprano particularly associated with 20th century operas.She studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and made her debut at the Budapest Opera in 1943, as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, later singing Amelia in Simon Boccanegra.In 1946, she settled in...
in the title role and Mario Petri
Mario Petri
Mario Petri was an Italian operatic bass particularly associated with Mozart and Rossini roles....
as Claudius, and the performance was conducted by Antonio Pedrotti
Antonio Pedrotti
Antonio Pedrotti was an Italian conductor and composer.He studied literature at the university and music at the conservatory in Rome. In 1924 he completed his composition studies under Ottorino Respighi and continued studying conducting with Bernardino Molinari...
.
A 1958 performance in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, and several more stagings in Germany, preceded the British première of the opera at Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, in 1963. In 1965 it was performed at Ledlanet, Scotland. In 1983 the opera returned to Venice, for a performance under Christopher Hogwood
Christopher Hogwood
Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD , born 10 September 1941, Nottingham, is an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer and musicologist, well known as the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music.-Biography:...
at the Teatro Malibran
Teatro Malibran
The Teatro Malibran, formerly known as the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, is an opera house in Venice known for its operatic importance in the 17th and 18th centuries...
. In the United States a concert performance had been given on 16 February 1972 at the Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
in Philadelphia, but the opera's first fully staged American performance was in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
in 1985. That same year it reached New York, with a concert performance at Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
, the opera still being described at that time as a "genuine rarity". The Fort Worth performance was quickly followed by further American stagings in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The so-called "Early Music Movement
Early Music Revival
See Early music and Historically informed performance for a more detailed explanation of this topic.The general discussion of how to perform music from ancient or earlier times did not become an important subject of interest until the 19th century, when Europeans began looking to ancient culture...
", which advocates historically accurate performances of Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
and early works, promoted two major productions of Agrippina in 1985 and 1991 respectively. Both were in Germany, the first was in the Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
Schlosstheater Schwetzingen is a theater in Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The historic building, opened in 1753, is part of the Schwetzingen Castle and since 1952 the principal venue of the Schwetzingen Festival. It is also called Hoftheater , Hofoper , and Comoedienhaus...
, the other at the Göttingen International Handel Festival.
Contemporary revivals
There have been numerous productions in the 21st century, including a 2002 "ultramodern" staging by director Lillian Groag at the New York City Opera. This production, revived in 2007, was described by the New York Times critic as "odd ... presented as broad satire, a Springtime for Hitler version of I, Claudius", although the musical performances were generally praised. In Britain, the English National OperaEnglish National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
(ENO) staged an English-language version in February 2007, directed by David McVicar
David McVicar
David McVicar is a Scottish opera and theatre director. He attended Netherlee Primary School and then Williamwood High School. He studied as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1989...
, which received a broadly favourable critical response, although critic Fiona Maddocks identified features of the production that diminished the work: "Music so witty, inventive and humane requires no extra gilding". These recent revivals have used countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
s in the roles written for castrati, as did the 1997 Gardiner recording.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere cast, 26 December 1709 (Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : unknown) |
|---|---|---|
| Agrippina Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty... |
soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Margherita Durastanti Margherita Durastanti Margherita Durastanti was an Italian singer of the 18th century. Vocally, she is best described as a soprano, though later in her career her tessitura descended to that of a mezzo-soprano. First heard of professionally in Mantua in 1700-01, she later appeared in Bologna and Reggio Emilia , Milan... |
| Nero Nero Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death.... (Italian: Nerone) |
soprano castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's... |
Valeriano Pellegrini Valeriano Pellegrini Valeriano Pellegrini was an Italian soprano castrato singer of the 18th century. He is largely remembered today for his association with the composer George Frederic Handel, whom he sung for in Italy and then later followed to London... |
| Pallas Pallas (freedman) Marcus Antonius Pallas was a prominent Greek freedman and secretary during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. His younger brother was Marcus Antonius Felix, a procurator of Iudaea Province... (Pallante) |
bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi was an Italian bass singer - though in modern terms a baritone - of the 18th century. He is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whom he worked for in both Italy and London.During the first decade of the century he is known to have... |
| Narcissus Tiberius Claudius Narcissus Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the freedmen who formed the core of the imperial court under the Roman emperor Claudius. He is described as praepositus ab epistulis .... (Narciso) |
alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,... castrato |
Giuliano Albertini |
| Lesbus (Lesbo) |
bass | Nicola Pasini |
| Otho Otho Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :... (Ottone) |
contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Francesca Vanini-Boschi Francesca Vanini-Boschi Francesca Vanini-Boschi was an Italian contralto singer of the 18th century. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, whom she sung for at both Italy and London, though she also sang in operas by Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Bononcini. She... |
| Poppaea Poppaea Sabina Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho... (Poppea) |
soprano | Diamante Maria Scarabelli Diamante Maria Scarabelli Diamante Maria Scarabelli was an Italian soprano singer of the later 17th century and early 18th. She is best remembered for having sung the part of Poppea in George Frederic Handel's opera Agrippina, a role that requires a wide vocal range, a fairly high tessitura, and a highly-developed virtuoso... |
| Claudius Claudius Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy... (Claudio) |
bass | Antonio Francesco Carli Antonio Francesco Carli Antonio Francesco Carli was an Italian bass singer, primarily of operatic roles. He is best remembered for having sung the role of Claudius in the original production of George Frideric Handel's early success Agrippina... |
| Juno Juno (mythology) Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera... (Giunone) |
contralto | unknown |
Act 1
On hearing the news that her husband, the Emperor ClaudiusClaudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, has died in a storm at sea, Agrippina plots to secure the throne for Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, her son by a previous marriage. Nero is unenthusiastic about this project, but assents to his mother's wishes ("Con saggio tuo consiglio"). Agrippina obtains the support of her two freedmen, Pallas
Pallas (freedman)
Marcus Antonius Pallas was a prominent Greek freedman and secretary during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. His younger brother was Marcus Antonius Felix, a procurator of Iudaea Province...
and Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the freedmen who formed the core of the imperial court under the Roman emperor Claudius. He is described as praepositus ab epistulis ....
, who hail Nero as the new Emperor before the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
.
With the Senate's assent Agrippina and Nero begin to ascend the throne, but the ceremony is interrupted by the entrance of Claudius's servant Lesbus. He announces that his master is alive ("Allegrezza! Claudio giunge!"), saved from death by Otho
Otho
Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...
, the commander of the army. Otho himself confirms the story, and reveals that Claudius has promised him the throne as a mark of gratitude. Agrippina is confounded, until Otho secretly confides to her that he loves the beautiful Poppaea
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...
more than he desires the throne. Agrippina, aware that Claudius also loves Poppaea, sees a new opportunity of furthering her ambitions for Nero. She goes to Poppaea and tells her, falsely, that Otho has struck a bargain with Claudius whereby he, Otho, gains the throne but gives Poppaea to Claudius. Agrippina advises Poppaea to turn the tables on Otho by telling the Emperor that Otho has ordered her to refuse Claudius's attentions. This, Agrippina believes, will make Claudius revoke his promise to Otho of the throne.
Poppaea believes Agrippina. When Claudius arrives at Poppaea's house she reveals what she believes is Otho's treachery. Claudius departs in fury, while Agrippina cynically consoles Poppaea by declaring that their friendship will never be broken by deceit ("Non hò cor che per amarti").
Act 2
Pallas and Narcissus realize that Agrippina has tricked them into supporting Nero, and decide to have no more to do with her. Otho arrives, nervous about his forthcoming coronation ("Coronato il crin d'allore"), followed by Agrippina, Nero and Poppaea, who have come to greet Claudius. All combine in a triumphal chorus ("Di timpani e trombe"), as Claudius enters. Each in turns pays tribute to the Emperor, but Otho is coldly rebuffed as Claudius denounces him as a traitor. Otho is devastated, and appeals to Agrippina, Poppaea, and Nero for support, but they all reject him, leaving him in bewilderment and despair ("Otton, qual portenso fulminare" followed by "Vol che udite il mio lamenti").However, Poppaea is touched by her former beloved's grief, and wonders if he might not be innocent ("Bella pur nel mio diletto"). She devises a plan, which involves pretended sleep and, when Otho approaches her, sleep-talking what Agrippina has told her earlier. Otho, as intended, overhears her and fiercely protests his innocence. He convinces Poppaea that Agrippina has deceived her. Poppaea swears revenge ("Ingannata una sol volta"), but is distracted when Nero comes forward and declares his love for her. Meanwhile Agrippina has lost the support of Pallas and Narcissus, but manages to convince Claudius that Otho is still plotting to take the throne. She advises him that he should end Otho's ambitions once and for all by abdicating in favour of Nero. Claudius, eager to be with Poppaea again, agrees.
Act 3
Poppaea now plans some deceit of her own, in an effort to divert Claudius's wrath from Otho with whom she is now reconciled. She hides Otho in her bedroom with instructions to listen carefully. Soon Nero arrives to press his love on her ("Coll ardor del tuo bel core"), but she tricks him into hiding as well. Then Claudius enters; Poppaea tells him that he had earlier misunderstood her: it was not Otho but Nero who had ordered her to reject Claudius. To prove her point she asks Claudius to pretend to leave, then she summons Nero who, thinking Claudius has gone, resumes his passionate wooing of Poppaea. Claudius suddenly reappears, and angrily dismisses the crestfallen Nero. After Claudius departs, Poppaea brings Otho out of hiding and the two express their everlasting love in separate arias.At the palace, Nero tells Agrippina of his troubles, and decides to renounce love for political ambition ("Come nubbe che fugge dal vento"). But Pallas and Narcissus have by now revealed Agrippina's original plot to Claudius, so that when Agrippina urges the Emperor to yield the throne to Nero, he accuses her of treachery. She then claims that her efforts to secure the throne for Nero had all along been a ruse to safeguard the throne for Claudius ("Se vuoi pace"). Claudius believes her; nevertheless, when Poppaea, Otho, and Nero arrive, Claudius announces that Nero and Poppaea will marry, and that Otho shall have the throne. No one is satisfied with this arrangement, as their desires have all changed, so Claudius in a spirit of reconciliation reverses his judgement, giving Poppaea to Otho and the throne to Nero. He then summons the goddess Juno
Juno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
, who descends to pronounce a general blessing ("V'accendano le tede i raggi delle stelle").
List of arias and musical numbers
The index of Chrysander's edition (see below) lists the following numbers, excluding the secco recitatives. Variants from the libretto are also noted.1. Sinfonia
Sinfonia
Sinfonia is the Italian word for symphony. In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite...
Act I
2. "Con saggio tuo consiglio" (Nero)
3. "La mia sorte fortunata" (Pallas)
4. "Volo pronto e lieto il core" (Narcissus)
5. "L'alma mia frà le tempeste" (Agrippina)
6. "Qual piacere a un cor pietoso" (Nero)
7. "Il tuo figlio/La tua prole" (Quartet: Nero, Pallas, Narcissus, Agrippina)
8. "Allegrezza! Allegrezza!" (Lesbus)
9. "Tu ben degno sei dell'allor" (Agrippina)
10. "Lusinghiera mia speranza" (Otho)
11. "Vaghe perle, eletti fiori" (Poppaea)
12. "È un foco quel d'amore" (Poppaea)
13. "Ho un non sò che nel cor" (Agrippina)
14. "Fà quanto vuoi, gli schemi tuoi" (Poppaea)
15. "Pur ritorno a rimirarvi" (Claudius)
16. "Vieni, oh cara" (Claudius)
17. "E quando mai" (Trio: Poppaea, Claudius, Lesbus)
18. "Non hò cor che per amarti" (Agrippina)
19. "Se giunge un dispetto" (Poppaea; there are two settings)
Act II
20. "Coronato il crin d'alloro" (Otho)
21. "Di timpani e trombe" (Chorus of the principals)
22. "Cade il mondo soggiogato" (Claudius)
23. "Nulla sperar da me" (Agrippina)
24. "Tuo ben è l'trono" (Poppaea)
25. "Sotto il lauro ch'hai sul crine" (Nero; two settings)
26. Accompagnato
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
: "Otton, qual portentoso fulmine è questo?" (Otho)
27. "Voi che udite il mio lamento" (Otho)
28. "Bella pur nel mio diletto" (Poppaea)
29. "Vaghe fonti, che mormorando" (Otho)
30. "Ti vo' giusta e non pietosa" (Otho)
31. "Ingannata una sol volta" (Poppaea) (The libretto gives "Pur punir chi m'ha ingannata" instead)
32. "Col peso del tuo amor" (Poppaea)
33. "Quando invita la donna l'amante" (Nero)
34. "Pensieri, voi mi tormentate" (Agrippina)
35. "Col raggio placido della speranza" (Pallas)
36. "Spererò, poichè mel dice" (Narcissus)
37. "Basta che sol tu chieda" (Claudius) (Libretto: "Vagheggiar de tuoi bei lumi")
38. "Ogni vento ch'al porto la spinga" (Agrippina)
Act III
39. "Tacerò pur che fedele" (Otho) (Libretto: "Chi ben ama" (Poppaea))
40. "Coll' ardor del tuo bel core" (Nero) (Libretto: "Esci O mia vita" (Poppaea))
41. "Io di Roma il Giove sono" (Claudius)
42. "Pur ch'io ti stringa al sen" (Libretto: "No, no, ch'io non apprezzo") (Otho)
43. "Bel piacere e godere fido amor" (Libretto: "Sì, sì ch'il mio diletto")(Poppaea)
44. "Come nube che fugge dal vento" (Nero)
45. "Se vuoi pace" (Agrippina)
46. "Lieto il Tebro increspi l'onda" (Chorus of the principals)
47. "V'accendano le tede i raggi delle stelle" (Juno)
Style
Stylistically, Agrippina follows the standard pattern of the era by alternating recitativeRecitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
and da capo arias. In accordance with 18th-century opera convention the plot is mainly carried forward in the recitatives, while the musical interest and exploration of character takes place in the arias—although on occasion Handel breaks this mould by using arias to advance the action. With one exception the recitative sections are secco ("dry"), where a simple vocal line is accompanied only by harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
and violoncello. The anomaly is Otho's "Otton, qual portentoso fulmine", where he finds himself robbed of the throne and deserted by his beloved Poppaea; here the recitative is accompanied by the orchestra, as a means of highlighting the drama. Dean and Knapp describe this, and the Otho's aria which follows, as "the peak of the opera". The 19th-century musical theorist Ebenezer Prout
Ebenezer Prout
Ebenezer Prout , was an English musical theorist, writer, teacher and composer, whose instruction, afterwards embodied in a series of standard works, underpinned the work of many British musicians of succeeding generations....
singles out Agrippina's "Non hò che per amarti" for special praise. He points out the range of instruments used for special effects, and writes that "an examination of the score of this air would probably astonish some who think Handel's orchestration is wanting in variety."
Handel made more use than was then usual of orchestral accompaniment in arias, but in other respects Agrippina is more typical of an older operatic tradition. For the most part the arias are brief, there are only two short ensembles, and in the quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
and the trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
the voices are not heard together. However, Handel's basic style when had matured, and would change very little in the next 30 years, a point reflected in the reviews of the Tully Hall performance of Agrippina in 1985, which refer to a "string of melodious aria and ensembles, any of which could be mistaken for the work of his mature London years".
Character
Of the main characters, only Otho is not morally contemptible. Agrippina is an unscrupulous schemer; Nero, while not yet the monster he would become, is pampered and hypocritical; Claudius is pompous, complacent, and something of a buffoon, while Poppaea, the first of Handel's sex kittens, is also a liar and a flirt. The freedmen Pallas and Narcissus are self-serving and salacious. All, however, have some redeeming features, and all have arias that express genuine emotion. The situations in which they find themselves are sometimes comic, but never farcical—like MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
in the Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
operas, Handel avoids laughing at his characters.
In Agrippina the da capo aria is the musical form used to illustrate character in the context of the opera. The first four arias of the work exemplify this: Nero's "Con raggio", in a minor key and with a descending figure on the key phrase "il trono ascendero" ("I will ascend the throne") characterises him as weak and irresolute. Pallas's first aria "La mia sorte fortunata", with its "wide-leaping melodic phrasing" introduces him as a bold, heroic figure, contrasting with his rival Narcissus whose introspective nature is displayed in his delicate aria "Volo pronto" which immediately follows. Agrippina's introductory aria "L'alma mia" has a mock-military form which reflects her outward power, while subtle musical phrasing establishes her real emotional state. Poppaea's arias are uniformly light and rhythmic, while Claudius's short love song "Vieni O cara" gives a glimpse of his inner feelings, and is considered one of the gems of the score.
Irony
Grimani's libretto is full of ironyIrony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, which Handel reflects in the music. His settings sometimes illustrate both the surface meaning, as characters attempt to deceive each other, and the hidden truth. For instance, in her Act I aria "Non hò che per amarti" Agrippina promises Poppaea that deceit will never mar their new friendship, while tricking her into ruining Otho's chances for the throne. Handel's music illuminates her deceit in the melody and minor modal key
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
, while a simple, emphasised rhythmic accompaniment hints at clarity and openness. In Act III, Nero's announcement that his passion is ended and that he will no longer bound by it (in "Come nubbe che fugge dal vento") is set to bitter-sweet music which suggests that he is deceiving himself. In Otho's "Coronato il crin" the agitated nature of the music is the opposite of what the "euphoric" tone of the libretto suggests. Contrasts between the force of the libretto and the emotional colour of the actual music would develop into a constant feature of Handel's later London operas.
Agrippina is considered Handel's first operatic masterpiece; according to Winton Dean it has few rivals for its "sheer freshness of musical invention". Grimani's libretto has also come in for much praise: The New Penguin Opera Guide describes it as one of the best Handel ever set, and praises the "light touch" with which the characters are vividly portrayed. Agrippina as a whole is, in the view of scholar John E. Sawyer, "among the most convincing of all the composer's dramatic works".
Editions
Handel's autograph score survives, with the Sinfonia and first recitatives missing, but is significantly different from the libretto which reflects changes made for the first performances. Handel's performing score is lost. Three early manuscript copies, probably dating from 1710, are held in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
; one of these may have been a gift from Grimani to the future Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
. These copies, presumably based on the lost performing score, show further changes from the autograph. A Manuscript from the 1740s known as the Flower score is "a miscellany in haphazard order".
In about 1795 the British composer Samuel Arnold
Samuel Arnold (composer)
Samuel Arnold was an English composer and organist.Arnold was born in London , and began writing music for the theatre in about 1764. A few years later he became director of music at the Marylebone Gardens, for which much of his popular music was written...
produced an edition that agrees with the early copies; this edition, while it contains errors and inaccuracies, has been called "probably a reasonable reflection of early performances". The Chrysander
Friedrich Chrysander
Karl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.Born at Lübtheen, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Chrysander was the son...
edition of 1874 has a tendency to "sweep Arnold aside when he is right and follow him when he is wrong." Musicologist Anthony Hicks
Anthony Hicks
Anthony Hicks was a Welsh musicologist, music critic, editor, and writer.Born in Swansea, Hicks read mathematics at King's College London during the mid-1960s and worked for roughly a quarter of century as a computer systems analyst at the University of London...
calls it "an unfortunate attempt to reconcile the autograph text with Arnold and the wordbook, the result being a composite version of no authority." It is widely available online.
In 1950 Barenreiter published Hellmuth Christian Wolff
Hellmuth Christian Wolff
Hellmuth Christian Wolff was a German composer and musicologist. As a young man he studied music in Berlin and Kiel. He later taught music in Leipzig from 1954-1971. He is particularly remembered for his numerous publications on the history of opera and in particular the subject of baroque opera...
's edition, prepared for the 1943 Halle revival and reflecting the casting of basses for Otto and Narcissus, even when they sing what would otherwise be the alto part in the last chorus. It presents a German adaptation of the recitatives and written out embellishments for the da capo aria
Da capo aria
The da capo aria is a musical form, which was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and oratorio...
s as well as numerous cuts. The B flat fugue G 37 appears as an act II overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
along with other instrumental music.
The Hallische Händelausgabe volume devoted to Agrippina has not yet appeared.
Recordings
| Year | Cast Claudius, Agrippina, Nero, Poppaea, Otho |
Conductor and Orchestra | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Lisa Saffer, Capella Savaria, Sally Bradshaw, Wendy Hill, Drew Minter |
Nicholas McGegan Nicholas McGegan Nicholas McGegan OBE is a British harpsichordist, flautist, conductor and early music expert.... , Capella Savaria Capella Savaria The Capella Savaria are a Hungarian ensemble that perform chamber music on original instruments .Established in 1981, in Szombathely, they most often perform music from the 17th and 18th centuries, and have performed around Europe, as well as making a number of recordings, and in 1991, they... |
3 CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... s: Harmonia Mundi, Cat. No. 907063/5 |
| 1997 | Alastair Miles, Della Jones Della Jones Della Jones , is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well-known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten.-Life and career:Della Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales... , Derek Lee Ragin Derek Lee Ragin Derek Lee Ragin is an American countertenor.Ragin studied as a piano major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. While at Oberlin he took secondary voice lessons with Richard Anderson. He began his operatic career at Oberlin in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream as Oberon... , Donna Brown, Michael Chance Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE is an English countertenor.Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing up as a chorister he attended Eton College, Berkshire, and later King's College, Cambridge... |
John Eliot Gardiner John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique... , English Baroque Soloists English Baroque Soloists The English Baroque Soloists is a chamber orchestra playing on period instruments, formed in 1978 by English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Its repertoire comprises music from the early Baroque period to the Classical period... |
3 CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... s: Philips Philips Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company.... , Cat. No. 438 009-2 1991 performance |
| 2000 | Gunther Von Kannen, Margarita Zimmerman, Martine Dupey, Carmen Balthrop Bernadette Manca di Nissa |
Christopher Hogwood Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD , born 10 September 1941, Nottingham, is an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer and musicologist, well known as the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music.-Biography:... , Orchestra Giovanile del Veneto "Pedrollo" di Vicenza |
3 CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... s: Mondo Musica, Cat. No. MFOH 10810 1983 performance |
| 2004 | Nigel Smith, Véronique Gens Véronique Gens Véronique Gens is a French soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music.... , Philippe Jaroussky Philippe Jaroussky Philippe Jaroussky is a French sopranist countertenor. He began his musical career with the violin, winning an award at the Versailles conservatory and then took up the piano before turning to singing... , Ingrid Perruche, Thierry Gregoire Thierry Gregoire -Biography:Gregoire studied at the Ecole Nationale De Musique - Charleville Mezieres, where he won 1st Prize in the class of Mme Josette Barreaud. He also studied under James Bowman, Paul Esswood, Henri Ledroit, Margreet Honig and Hubert Weller. At the suggestion of Henri Ledroit he auditioned as a... |
Jean-Claude Malgoire Jean-Claude Malgoire Jean-Claude Malgoire is a French conductor.He was born in Avignon, France and studied music locally and at the Paris Conservatory. His early musical career was as an oboist.... , La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy |
3 CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... s: Dynamic Dynamic (record label) Dynamic is an Italian independent record label located in Genoa. Founded in 1978, it specialises in classical music and opera, especially rarely performed works and has produced several world premiere recordings... , Cat. No. CDS431 2 DVD: Dynamic Dynamic (record label) Dynamic is an Italian independent record label located in Genoa. Founded in 1978, it specialises in classical music and opera, especially rarely performed works and has produced several world premiere recordings... , Cat. No. 33431 |
| 2011 | Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Jennifer Rivera Sunhae Im Bejun Mehta Marcos Fink Neal Davies Dominique Visse Daniel Schmutzhard |
René Jacobs, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin is a German chamber orchestra founded in East Berlin in 1982... |
3 CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... s: Harmonia Mundi, Cat. No. HMC952088.90> |
Further reading
- Harris, Ellen T. (ed.) (1989), The Librettos of Handel's Operas (13 vols). Garland PublishingRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, Inc. ISBN 0-8240-3863-0. - Meynell, Hugo (1986), The Art of Handel's Operas. The Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 0-88946-425-1
External links
- Friedrich ChrysanderFriedrich ChrysanderKarl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.Born at Lübtheen, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Chrysander was the son...
's edition (Leipzig 1874), based on Samuel ArnoldSamuel Arnold (composer)Samuel Arnold was an English composer and organist.Arnold was born in London , and began writing music for the theatre in about 1764. A few years later he became director of music at the Marylebone Gardens, for which much of his popular music was written...
's c. 1795 edition and the printed libretto as well as Handel's autograph, is available from Kalmus ReprintsEdwin F. KalmusEdwin F. Kalmus was an American music publisher. In 1926, he founded his eponymous publishing house in New York which quickly became one of the largest self-contained publishing houses in the United States...
, as well as the following online collections, all with different navigators:- Agrippina score, Indiana University School of MusicJacobs School of MusicThe Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music...
collection - Agrippina score, Bavarian State LibraryBavarian State LibraryThe Bavarian State Library in Munich is the central "Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria and one of Europe's most important universal libraries. With its collections currently comprising around 9.39 million books, it ranks among the best research libraries...
collection
- Agrippina score, Indiana University School of Music
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- Aria Database gives description of 15 arias from the opera
- List of upcoming performances of Agrippina from Operabase.