Arbace is an opera seria in three acts by Francesco Bianchi. The libretto was by Gaetano Sertor.
| Arbace | |
|---|---|
| Opera seria by Francesco Bianchi | |
.jpg) The composer in 1805 | |
| Librettist | Gaetano Sertor |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | 20 January 1781 Teatro di San Carlo, Naples |
The opera was forward looking in its structure, with tension gradually mounting, via an exciting prison scene ("a fore-shadowing of romanticism"[1]) to a considerable climax. Marita P. McClymonds remarks on "The use of tonality, modality, chromaticism and strong dynamic contrasts for expressive purposes, as well as the liberal use of wind instruments ..."[1]
Performance history
editThe opera was first performed at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples on 20 January 1781. It was revived again in the same theatre on 4 November that same year.
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 20 January 1781 (Conductor: Michele Nasci) |
|---|---|---|
| Arbace (Arbaces) | soprano castrato | Luigi Marchesi |
| Semiri, Arbace's wife | soprano | Maria Balducci |
| Scitalce (Sardanapalus), ruler of Assyria | tenor | Antonio Pini |
| Alsinda, Scitalce's sister | soprano | Elisabetta Minghelli |
| Idaspe | soprano castrato | Calogero Barbarini |
| Argante | soprano castrato | Antonio Rubinacci |
Synopsis
editArbace's wife Semiri is in the hands of the lascivious Assyrian tyrant Scitalce. Arbace tries to rescue her by pretending to be his own assassin. Eventually they are rescued by Idaspe, Scitalce dies in a conflagration, and Arbace becomes the new ruler of Assyria.
References
edit- ^ a b McClymonds, Marita P (1992), 'Arbace' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera vol 1 p 162
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Arbace, 20 January 1781". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- McClymonds, Marita P (1992), 'Arbace' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7