Fosca (opera)
Encyclopedia
Fosca is an opera seria
in four acts by Brazil
ian composer Antônio Carlos Gomes
to an Italian language
libretto
by Antonio Ghislanzoni
based on Luigi Capranica's 1869 novel La festa delle Marie.
and supporters of Wagnerian music-drama. Gomes revised it in 1877, and the premiere of the new version (this time described as a melodramma
) on February 7, 1878, also at La Scala, was a success.
Since then, performances of the opera, mostly in Brazil, have been rare. The most recent productions, in both cases of the revised version, were given at the Teatro Amazonas, Manaus
in May 1998, and by Wexford Festival Opera
in October of the same year.
The pirates ask Gajolo about their next raid. He is planning a kidnapping
of brides who are participating in the "Feast of the Marys" at San Pietro
in Venice. Cambro arrives to report that Michele Giotta, father of the pirates’ prisoner, Paolo, is offering a reward for his son’s return. Fosca, who loves Paolo, suggests double-crossing Giotta and claiming the money without releasing Paolo. The pirates reject this dishonourable plan. Gajolo asks Cambro to watch Fosca, and the pirates depart. Paolo, thinking he is to be executed, is brought out of his cell by Fosca. She confesses her love for him, but he rejects her: he is in love with Delia, to whom he is betrothed. Gajolo reappears with Giotta, who has paid Paolo’s ransom
, and, to Fosca’s horror, father and son leave for Venice. Cambro asks Fosca what his reward might be if he can deliver Delia to her. She replies “I will marry you”.
Paolo and Delia are to be married in an hour. Delia is worried that Paolo may have been attracted to Fosca, who nursed him when he was ill during his captivity. Paolo reassures her. Cambro, disguised as a Turkish merchant, offers to sell valuable jewellery to Delia. She declines. Paolo and Delia exchange fond farewells and depart in opposite directions in order to prepare for the wedding. Cambro looks forward to abducting Delia.
Scene 2: A piazza
in front of the church of San Pietro
Cambro, still in disguise, tells Fosca (who is also in disguise) of Paolo's love for Delia and promises that he will avenge her. She invokes demons and rails against God. Gajolo is surprised to find Fosca at the church, but she reassures him that she is not intending to disrupt his raid. The wedding procession arrives and Fosca suddenly attacks Paolo. The pirates restrain her but she reiterates her desire for vengeance. The procession proceeds and some of the pirates carry Delia off, to Fosca's delight. Paolo is also captured, but a group of Venetian nobles overpower Gajolo.
Delia bemoans her fate and her separation from Paolo. Fosca enters and Delia recognises her as her attacker at the church. Fosca tells her that Paolo is now in her power. Delia begs her to save Paolo and offers to die in place of him or to become Fosca's slave. Fosca, moved, relents and declares that it is she who will suffer. The pirates are aghast at the capture of Gajolo. Cambro fuels Fosca's jealousy once more, and she decides that she will rescue Gajolo and honour her promise to Cambro.
The Doge agrees to set Gajolo free. However, if it turns out that Fosca has killed Paolo, Gajolo must return to Venice and be executed. If he does not do so, he will be pursued to the ends of the earth.
Scene 2: The pirates' lair
Paolo, a prisoner again, believes that Delia is dead and longs for his own death. Fosca tells him that he must die unless Delia, whom she produces, takes poison. Delia is in two minds, but Paolo angrily rejects Fosca's proposal. She orders the pirates to kill Paolo, but at that moment Gajolo appears and demands that Paolo be freed. He reveals that when Cambro tried to murder him in Venice, he killed Cambro, and recounts his encounter with the Doge - Paolo and Delia must return to Venice or he will die. Fosca, distraught, pleads for the lovers' forgiveness. They depart, saying that they will pray for her. Fosca takes the poison intended for Delia and, as she dies, the pirates vent their anger at Venice.
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 four acts by Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian composer Antônio Carlos Gomes
Antônio Carlos Gomes
Antônio Carlos Gomes was the first New World composer whose work was accepted by Europe.-Life:He was born in Campinas, Brazil, son of Maestro Manuel José Gomes and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso....
to an Italian language
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...
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 Antonio Ghislanzoni
Antonio Ghislanzoni
Antonio Ghislanzoni was an Italian journalist, poet, and novelist who wrote librettos for Verdi, among other composers, of which the best known are Aida and the revised version of La forza del destino....
based on Luigi Capranica's 1869 novel La festa delle Marie.
Performance history
The opera was premiered at La Scala, Milan on February 16, 1873. It was a failure because of a dispute between lovers of bel cantoBel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
and supporters of Wagnerian music-drama. Gomes revised it in 1877, and the premiere of the new version (this time described as a melodramma
Melodramma
Melodramma is an Italian term for opera, used in a much narrower sense by English writers to discuss developments in the early 19th century Italian libretto...
) on February 7, 1878, also at La Scala, was a success.
Since then, performances of the opera, mostly in Brazil, have been rare. The most recent productions, in both cases of the revised version, were given at the Teatro Amazonas, Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
in May 1998, and by Wexford Festival Opera
Wexford Festival Opera
The Wexford Festival Opera is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in South-Eastern Ireland during the months of October and November.-Festival origins under Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966:...
in October of the same year.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 16, 1873 (Conductor: Franco Faccio Franco Faccio Franco Faccio was an Italian composer and conductor.-Biography:Born in Verona, Faccio became known as a conductor of Verdi's music. He studied music at the Milan Conservatory where he was a pupil of Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti... ) |
Cast of revised version, 7 February 1878 (Conductor: Franco Faccio Franco Faccio Franco Faccio was an Italian composer and conductor.-Biography:Born in Verona, Faccio became known as a conductor of Verdi's music. He studied music at the Milan Conservatory where he was a pupil of Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti... ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gajolo, leader of a band of pirates | bass | Ormondo Maini | Ormondo Maini |
| Fosca, his sister | 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... |
Gabrielle Krauss | Amalia Fossa |
| Cambro, a Venetian Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region... deserter Desertion In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning... , Gajolo's servant |
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... |
Victor Maurel Victor Maurel Victor Maurel was a French operatic baritone who enjoyed an international reputation as a great singing-actor.-Biography:... |
Gustavo Moriami |
| Paolo, a Venetian prisoner of Gajolo | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Carlo Bulterini | Francesco Tamagno Francesco Tamagno Francesco Tamagno was an operatic tenor from Italy who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America. On 5 February 1887, he cemented his place in musical history by creating the role of Otello in Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece of the same name... |
| Delia, betrothed to Paolo | soprano | Cristina Lamare | Adele Garbini |
| Michele Giotta, a Venetian senator, Paolo's father | bass | Angelo De Giuli | Carlo Moretti |
| The Doge of Venice Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city... |
bass | Giovanni Tanzio | Ettore Marcassa |
| Pirates, citizens of Venice | |||
Act 1
The pirates’ lair near PiranPiran
Piran is a city and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The city resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give...
The pirates ask Gajolo about their next raid. He is planning a kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
of brides who are participating in the "Feast of the Marys" at San Pietro
San Pietro di Castello (church)
The Basilica di San Pietro di Castello , commonly called San Pietro di Castello, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica of the Patriarch of Venice located in the Castello sestiere of the Italian city of Venice. The present building dates from the 16th century, but a church has stood on the site since...
in Venice. Cambro arrives to report that Michele Giotta, father of the pirates’ prisoner, Paolo, is offering a reward for his son’s return. Fosca, who loves Paolo, suggests double-crossing Giotta and claiming the money without releasing Paolo. The pirates reject this dishonourable plan. Gajolo asks Cambro to watch Fosca, and the pirates depart. Paolo, thinking he is to be executed, is brought out of his cell by Fosca. She confesses her love for him, but he rejects her: he is in love with Delia, to whom he is betrothed. Gajolo reappears with Giotta, who has paid Paolo’s ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
, and, to Fosca’s horror, father and son leave for Venice. Cambro asks Fosca what his reward might be if he can deliver Delia to her. She replies “I will marry you”.
Act 2
Scene 1: Delia’s house in VenicePaolo and Delia are to be married in an hour. Delia is worried that Paolo may have been attracted to Fosca, who nursed him when he was ill during his captivity. Paolo reassures her. Cambro, disguised as a Turkish merchant, offers to sell valuable jewellery to Delia. She declines. Paolo and Delia exchange fond farewells and depart in opposite directions in order to prepare for the wedding. Cambro looks forward to abducting Delia.
Scene 2: A piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
in front of the church of San Pietro
Cambro, still in disguise, tells Fosca (who is also in disguise) of Paolo's love for Delia and promises that he will avenge her. She invokes demons and rails against God. Gajolo is surprised to find Fosca at the church, but she reassures him that she is not intending to disrupt his raid. The wedding procession arrives and Fosca suddenly attacks Paolo. The pirates restrain her but she reiterates her desire for vengeance. The procession proceeds and some of the pirates carry Delia off, to Fosca's delight. Paolo is also captured, but a group of Venetian nobles overpower Gajolo.
Act 3
A cell in the pirates' lairDelia bemoans her fate and her separation from Paolo. Fosca enters and Delia recognises her as her attacker at the church. Fosca tells her that Paolo is now in her power. Delia begs her to save Paolo and offers to die in place of him or to become Fosca's slave. Fosca, moved, relents and declares that it is she who will suffer. The pirates are aghast at the capture of Gajolo. Cambro fuels Fosca's jealousy once more, and she decides that she will rescue Gajolo and honour her promise to Cambro.
Act 4
Scene 1: The Doge's Palace in VeniceThe Doge agrees to set Gajolo free. However, if it turns out that Fosca has killed Paolo, Gajolo must return to Venice and be executed. If he does not do so, he will be pursued to the ends of the earth.
Scene 2: The pirates' lair
Paolo, a prisoner again, believes that Delia is dead and longs for his own death. Fosca tells him that he must die unless Delia, whom she produces, takes poison. Delia is in two minds, but Paolo angrily rejects Fosca's proposal. She orders the pirates to kill Paolo, but at that moment Gajolo appears and demands that Paolo be freed. He reveals that when Cambro tried to murder him in Venice, he killed Cambro, and recounts his encounter with the Doge - Paolo and Delia must return to Venice or he will die. Fosca, distraught, pleads for the lovers' forgiveness. They depart, saying that they will pray for her. Fosca takes the poison intended for Delia and, as she dies, the pirates vent their anger at Venice.