Robert Bruce (opera)
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce is an 1846 pastiche
opera
in three acts, with music by Gioachino Rossini and Louis Niedermeyer
to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer
and Gustave Vaëz, after Walter Scott
's History of Scotland. The music was adapted by Niedermeyer, with the composer's permission, from Rossini's operas La donna del lago
, Zelmira
, Bianca e Falliero
, Torvaldo e Dorliska
and Armida
. The work was premiered on December 30, 1846, at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique.
(1819) had been neglected and would go down well with the French. Rossini went back to his home in Bologna, where he was again visited by Pillet, who was accompanied by librettist Gustave Vaëz, and Louis Niedermeyer
. The result (which also involved Vaëz's regular collaborator Alphonse Royer
as co-librettist) was Robert Bruce, an elaborate pasticcio
, based on La donna del lago but including music from other operas. Niedermeyer apparently wrote the necessary recitatives.
Rossini was clearly involved in the collaboration but did not attend the premiere in Paris on December 30, 1846. It was a moderate success but was the subject of much criticism from Hector Berlioz
, among others.
as part of the Festival della Valle d'Itria
, 2002
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...
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...
in three acts, with music by Gioachino Rossini and Louis Niedermeyer
Louis Niedermeyer
Abraham Louis Niedermeyer was a composer chiefly of church music but also of a few operas, and a teacher who took over the Ecole Choron, duly renamed École Niedermeyer, a school for the study and practice of church music, where several eminent French musicians studied including Gabriel Fauré and...
to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer
Alphonse Royer
Alphonse Royer, was a French author, dramatist and theatre manager, most remembered today for having written the librettos for Gaetano Donizetti's opera La favorite and Giuseppe Verdi's Jérusalem...
and Gustave Vaëz, after Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's History of Scotland. The music was adapted by Niedermeyer, with the composer's permission, from Rossini's operas La donna del lago
La donna del lago
La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...
, Zelmira
Zelmira
Zelmira is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, Zelmire by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas...
, Bianca e Falliero
Bianca e Falliero
Bianca e Falliero, ossia Il consiglio dei tre is a two-act operatic melodramma by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani. The libretto was based on Antoine-Vincent Arnault's play Les Vénitiens, ou Blanche et Montcassin.-Performance history:The opera premiered on December 26,...
, Torvaldo e Dorliska
Torvaldo e Dorliska
Torvaldo e Dorliska is an operatic dramma semiserio in two act by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini, based on Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by the revolutionary Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai, whose work was the source of the Lodoïska libretto set by Luigi Cherubini...
and Armida
Armida (Rossini)
Armida is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based on scenes from Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.-Performance history:...
. The work was premiered on December 30, 1846, at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique.
Background
After Rossini's arrival in Paris in 1843 (for medical treatment), he was visited by Léon Pillet, the Director of the Opéra, who invited him to compose a new opera for the house. Rossini declined, but pointed out that La donna del lagoLa donna del lago
La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...
(1819) had been neglected and would go down well with the French. Rossini went back to his home in Bologna, where he was again visited by Pillet, who was accompanied by librettist Gustave Vaëz, and Louis Niedermeyer
Louis Niedermeyer
Abraham Louis Niedermeyer was a composer chiefly of church music but also of a few operas, and a teacher who took over the Ecole Choron, duly renamed École Niedermeyer, a school for the study and practice of church music, where several eminent French musicians studied including Gabriel Fauré and...
. The result (which also involved Vaëz's regular collaborator Alphonse Royer
Alphonse Royer
Alphonse Royer, was a French author, dramatist and theatre manager, most remembered today for having written the librettos for Gaetano Donizetti's opera La favorite and Giuseppe Verdi's Jérusalem...
as co-librettist) was Robert Bruce, an elaborate 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...
, based on La donna del lago but including music from other operas. Niedermeyer apparently wrote the necessary recitatives.
Rossini was clearly involved in the collaboration but did not attend the premiere in Paris on December 30, 1846. It was a moderate success but was the subject of much criticism from Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, among others.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, December 30, 1846 (Conductor: -) |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Bruce Robert I of Scotland Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and... , King of Scotland |
baritone | Paul Barroilhet Paul Barroilhet Paul-Bernard Barroilhet was a French operatic baritone.-Career:Barroilhet studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and then with Davide Banderali in Milan... |
| Édouard II Edward II of England Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II... , King of England |
tenor | Paulin |
| Douglas James Douglas, Lord of Douglas Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:... , Lord of Douglas |
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... |
Anconi |
| Marie, his daughter | 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... |
Rosine Stoltz Rosine Stoltz Rosine Stoltz was a French mezzo-soprano. A prominent member of the Paris Opéra, she created many leading roles there including Ascanio in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, Marguerite in Auber's Le lac des fées, the title role in Marie Stuart, and two Donizetti heroines, Leonor in La favorite and... |
| Dickson, a highlander Gàidhealtachd The Gàidhealtachd , sometimes known as A' Ghàidhealtachd , usually refers to the Scottish highlands and islands, and especially the Scottish Gaelic culture of the area. The corresponding Irish word Gaeltacht however refers strictly to an Irish speaking area... of Stirling Stirling Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth... |
bass | Bessin |
| Nelly, his daughter | 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... |
Maria Nau |
| Arthur, an official in the service of Édouard | 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... |
Jémérie Bettini |
| Morton, an English captain | bass | Rommy |
| Édouard's page | musichetto | Moisson |
| A bard | bass | |
| English knights, soldiers and pages, ladies of the Court of England, Scottish bards, Bruce's knights and soldiers, gypsies, jugglers | ||
Recording
Nicolas Rivenq (Robert Bruce), Iano Tamar (Marie), Davide Cicchetti (Edouard II), Massimiliano Chiarolla (Douglas) et al.; Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, Bratislava Chamber Choir, conductor Paolo Arrivabene. Dynamic CDS 421/1-2 {2CDS} (2003). Recorded at performances in the Palazzo Ducale, Martina FrancaMartina Franca
Martina Franca is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, Apulia , Italy. It is the second most populated city of the province after Taranto....
as part of the Festival della Valle d'Itria
Festival della Valle d'Itria
The Festival della Valle d’Itria is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially constructed stage in the outdoor courtyard of the...
, 2002