Bajazet (opera)
Encyclopedia
Bajazet is an Italian
opera
composed by Antonio Vivaldi
in 1735. Its libretto
was written by Agostino Piovene. It was premiered in Verona
, during the Carnival season of that year. This opera (catalog number RV 703) is presented in 3 acts, with a three-movement sinfonia
as an introduction. The story is about the fate of Bajazet (known as Beyazid I) after being captured by Tamerlane (Timur
Lenk). The famous aria
, "Sposa son disprezzata
" is from this opera.
. It was a common practice during Vivaldi's time for composers to borrow and adapt arias from other composers with their own works for an opera. Vivaldi himself composed the arias for the good characters (Bajazet, Asteria and Idaspe) and mostly used existing arias from other composers for the villains (Tamerlano, Irene, Andronico) in this opera. Some of the arias are reused from previous Vivaldi operas. The table below lists the origin of some of the arias used in Bajazet.
conducts Europa Galante
in Brussels for this recording. The singers are:
This recording received the award for Best Opera by Midem Classical Awards 2006 and shortlisted for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards 2006.
Before this release, excerpts from this opera had been performed by other singers such as Cecilia Bartoli
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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...
composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
in 1735. Its 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...
was written by Agostino Piovene. It was premiered in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, during the Carnival season of that year. This opera (catalog number RV 703) is presented in 3 acts, with a three-movement 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...
as an introduction. The story is about the fate of Bajazet (known as Beyazid I) after being captured by Tamerlane (Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
Lenk). The famous aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
, "Sposa son disprezzata
Sposa son disprezzata
Sposa son disprezzata is an Italian aria written by Geminiano Giacomelli. It is used in Vivaldi's pasticcio, Bajazet....
" is from this opera.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Tamerlano, the emperor of the Uzbek Turks | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Maria Maddalena Pieri |
| Bajazet, the emperor of the Ottoman Turks, now a prisoner to Tamerlane | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Marc Antonio Mareschi |
| Asteria, daughter of Bajazet, in love with Andronicus | 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... |
Anna Girò |
| Andronicus, a prince from Greece, ally of Tamerlane | 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... |
Pietro Moriggi |
| Irene, princess of Tresbisond, promised in marriage to Tamerlane | 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... |
Margharita Giacomazzi |
| Idaspe, friend of Andronicus | 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... |
Giovanni Manzoli |
Acts
| Act | Scene | Recitative/Aria | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | Scene 1 | Recitative: Prence Lo so: vi devo | Bajazet, Andronico |
| Aria: Del destin non dee lagnarsi | Bajazet | ||
| Scene 2 | Recitative: Non si perda di vista | Andronico, Idaspe | |
| Aria: Nasce rosa lusinghiera | Idaspe | ||
| Scene 3 | Recitative: Principe, or ora i greci | Tamerlano, Andronico | |
| Aria: In si torbida procella | Tamerlano | ||
| Scene 4 | Recitative: Il Tartaro ama Asteria | Andronico | |
| Aria: Quel ciglio vezzosetto | Andronico | ||
| Scene 5-6 | Recitative: Or sì, fiero destino | Asteria, Tamerlano | |
| Aria: Vedeste mai sul prato | Tamerlano | ||
| Scene 7-8 | Recitative: Non ascolto più nulla | Bajazet, Asteria, Andronico | |
| Aria: Amare un'alma ingrata | Asteria | ||
| Scene 9 | Recitative: Così la sposa il Tamerlano accoglie? | Irene, Andronico, Idaspe | |
| Aria: Qual guerriero in campo armato | Irene | ||
| Scene 10 | Recitative: È bella Irene | Andronico | |
| Aria: Non ho nel sen constanza | Andronico | ||
| Act 2 | Scene 1 | Recitative: Amico, tengo un testimon fedele | Tamerlano, Andronico |
| Scene 2 | Recitative: Sarete or ostinato | Idaspe, Andronico | |
| Aria: Anche il mar par che sommerga | Idaspe | ||
| Scene 3 | Recitative: Gloria, sdegno ed amore | Asteria, Andronico | |
| Aria: Stringi le mie catene | Asteria | ||
| Scene 4 | Recitative: Ah, disperato Andronico! | Andronico | |
| Aria: La sorte mia spietata | Andronico | ||
| Scene 5 | Recitative: Signor, vergine illustre | Idaspe, Tamerlano, Irene, Asteria | |
| Aria: Cruda sorte, avverso fato! | Tamerlano | ||
| Scene 6 | Recitative: Senti, chiunque tu sia | Asteria, Irene | |
| Aria: La cervetta timidetta | Asteria | ||
| Scene 7 | Recitative: Gran cose espone Asteria | Irene, Idaspe | |
| Aria: Sposa, son disprezzata Sposa son disprezzata Sposa son disprezzata is an Italian aria written by Geminiano Giacomelli. It is used in Vivaldi's pasticcio, Bajazet.... |
Irene | ||
| Scene 8 | Recitative: Dov'è mia figlia, Andronico? | Bajazet, Andronico | |
| Aria: Dov'è la figla? | Bajazet | ||
| Scene 9 | Recitative: Asteria, siamo al soglio...; Accompagnato: Odi, perfida | Tamerlano, Asteria, Bajazet, Irene, Andronico | |
| Quartet: Sì crudel! questo è l'amore | Irene, Bajazet, Asteria, Tamerlano | ||
| Act 3 | Scene 1 | Recitative: Figlia, siam rei | Bajazet, Asteria |
| Aria: Veder parmi, or che nel fondo | Bajazet | ||
| Scene 2-3 | Recitative: Andronico, il mio amore | Tamerlano, Andronico, Asteria, Bajazet | |
| Aria: Barbaro traditor | Tamerlano | ||
| Scene 4 | Recitative: Lascerò di regnare | Andronico | |
| Aria: Spesso tra vaghe rose | Andronico | ||
| Scene 5-7 | Recitative: Eccoti, Bajazette | Tamerlano, Asteria, Andronico, Bajazet, Irene | |
| Arioso: Verrò crudel, spietato | Bajazet | ||
| Scene 8 | Recitative: Signor, fra tante cure | Irene, Tamerlano | |
| Aria: Son tortorella | Irene | ||
| Scene 9 | Recitative: Signore, Bajazette | Idaspe, Tamerlano, Andronico | |
| Scene 10 | Accompagnato: È morto, sì, tiranno | Asteria | |
| Aria: Svena, uccidi, abbatti, atterra | Asteria | ||
| Final Scene | Recitative: Deh, tu cauto la segui | Andronico, Irene, Tamerlano | |
| Chorus: Coronata di gigli e rose | All (except Bajazet, who's dead, of course) |
Origin of Arias
Bajazet is a pasticcioPasticcio
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...
. It was a common practice during Vivaldi's time for composers to borrow and adapt arias from other composers with their own works for an opera. Vivaldi himself composed the arias for the good characters (Bajazet, Asteria and Idaspe) and mostly used existing arias from other composers for the villains (Tamerlano, Irene, Andronico) in this opera. Some of the arias are reused from previous Vivaldi operas. The table below lists the origin of some of the arias used in Bajazet.
| Aria | Composer | Opera | Original name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del destin non dee lagnarsi | Antonio Vivaldi | L'Olimpiade | Del destin non vi lagnate |
| Nasce rosa lusinghiera | Antonio Vivaldi | Giustino, also in Farnace Farnace Farnace , is the title of several 18th-century operas set to various librettos. The earliest version was written by Lorenzo Morari with music by Antonio Caldara, first performed at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice in 1703... |
Senti l'aura lusinghiera / Scherza l'aura lusinghiera |
| In sì torbida procella | Geminiano Giacomelli Geminiano Giacomelli Geminiano Giacomelli was an Italian composer.Giacomelli was born in Piacenza. In 1724 he was named to the post of Kapellmeister to the duke of Parma. Beginning with the first performance of his opera Ipermestra, in 1724, he became one of the most popular opera composers of his era... |
Alessandro Severo | |
| Vedeste mai sul prato | Johann Adolf Hasse | Siroe re di Persia | |
| Qual guerriero in campo armato | Riccardo Broschi Riccardo Broschi Riccardo Broschi was a composer of baroque music and the brother of the opera singer Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli.... |
Idaspe | |
| Non ho nel sen costanza | Geminiano Giacomelli | Adriano in Siria | |
| Anche il mar par che sommerga | Antonio Vivaldi | Semiramide | |
| Stringi le mie catene | Antonio Vivaldi | Semiramide | |
| La sorte mia spietata | Johann Adolf Hasse | Siroe re di Persia | |
| La cervetta timidetta | Antonio Vivaldi | Giustino | |
| Dov'è la figlia? | Antonio Vivaldi | Motezuma Motezuma Motezuma is an opera in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Girolamo Giusti. The first performance was given in the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice on 14 November 1733... |
|
| Sposa, son disprezzata | Geminiano Giacomelli Geminiano Giacomelli Geminiano Giacomelli was an Italian composer.Giacomelli was born in Piacenza. In 1724 he was named to the post of Kapellmeister to the duke of Parma. Beginning with the first performance of his opera Ipermestra, in 1724, he became one of the most popular opera composers of his era... |
Merope | Sposa, non mi conosci |
| Sì crudel! questo è l'amore (quartet) | Antonio Vivaldi | Farnace Farnace Farnace , is the title of several 18th-century operas set to various librettos. The earliest version was written by Lorenzo Morari with music by Antonio Caldara, first performed at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice in 1703... |
Io crudel? giusto rigore |
| Veder parmi, or che nel fondo | Antonio Vivaldi | Farnace Farnace Farnace , is the title of several 18th-century operas set to various librettos. The earliest version was written by Lorenzo Morari with music by Antonio Caldara, first performed at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice in 1703... |
"Roma Invitta una clemente" |
| Spesso tra vaghe rose | Johann Adolf Hasse | Siroe re di Persia | |
| Coronata di gigli e di rose | Antonio Vivaldi | Farnace Farnace Farnace , is the title of several 18th-century operas set to various librettos. The earliest version was written by Lorenzo Morari with music by Antonio Caldara, first performed at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice in 1703... |
Selected recordings
The only complete recording of this opera was released by Virgin Classics on May 10, 2005. Fabio BiondiFabio Biondi
Fabio Biondi is an Italian violinist and conductor.Born in Palermo, Sicily, Biondi began his international career at the age of 12 playing a concerto with the RAI Symphony Orchestra. When he was 16, he performed Bach's violin concertos at the Musikverein in Vienna...
conducts Europa Galante
Europa Galante
Europa Galante is an Italian period instrument Baroque orchestra founded by violinist Fabio Biondi in 1990 and directed by him since that time....
in Brussels for this recording. The singers are:
- bass-baritone Ildebrando D'ArcangeloIldebrando D'ArcangeloIldebrando D'Arcangelo is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer.-Biography:A Native of Pescara, Abruzzo, D'Arcangelo began his studies in 1985 at the conservatory of Luisa D'Annunzio in Pescara, under Maria Vittoria Romano, honing his skills under Paride Venturi in Bologna.From 1989 to 1991 he...
as Bajazet - countertenor David Daniels as Tamerlano
- mezzo-soprano Vivica GenauxVivica GenauxVivica Genaux is an American coloratura mezzo-soprano. Her father, an American of Belgian-Welsh descent, was a biochemistry professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and her mother, Mexican-born of Swiss-German extraction, was a language teacher...
as Irene - contralto Marijana Mijanovic as Asteria
- soprano Patrizia CiofiPatrizia CiofiPatrizia Ciofi, born in Casole d'Elsa, Siena, on June 7, 1967, is an Italian operatic soprano. She is married to the conductor Luciano Acocella....
as Idaspe - mezzo-soprano Elīna GarančaElina Garanca-Biography:Garanča was born in the Latvian city of Riga into a musical family, her father a choral director, mother a lieder singer and singing teacher. Her mother Anita is a professor at the Latvian Academy of Music, an associated professor at the Latvian Academy of Culture, a vocal music teacher...
as Andronico
This recording received the award for Best Opera by Midem Classical Awards 2006 and shortlisted for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards 2006.
Before this release, excerpts from this opera had been performed by other singers such as Cecilia Bartoli
Cecilia Bartoli
Cecilia Bartoli is an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist. She is best-known for her interpretation of the music of Mozart and Rossini, as well as for her performances of lesser-known Baroque and classical music...
.