''Armida'' is an opera in three acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini to an Italian

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

('' dramma per musica'') by Giovanni Schmidt, based on scenes from '' Gerusalemme liberata'' by Torquato Tasso.

Performance history

''Armida'' was written to be performed at the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, on 11 November 1817 to celebrate the opening of the rebuilt opera house, which had been destroyed by fire the previous year. Isabella Colbran sang the title role, which is one of the longest and most demanding that Rossini wrote, with difficult

coloratura Coloratura is an elaborate melody with runs, trills, wide leaps, or similar virtuoso-like material,''Oxford American Dictionaries''.Apel (1969), p. 184. or a passage of such music. Operatic roles in which such music plays a prominent part, an ...

passages of every kind during the entire opera. The most notable are to be found in "D'amore al dolce impero" during Act 2, in the duets between Armida and Rinaldo, and in parts of the Act 3 finale. The first modern staging took place at the Teatro Comunale of Florence on 26 April 1952, during the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, with

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

and Francesco Albanese in the leading roles and Tullio Serafin conducting. More recently, performances were given in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

in 1988, with June Anderson, Rockwell Blake,

Raúl Giménez Raúl Giménez (born September 14, 1950), is an Argentine operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian bel canto vocal style. Giménez was born in Carlos Pellegrini, Province of Santa Fe, Argentina. He studied at the Music Conservato ...

, under conductor Gianfranco Masini, and at the

Rossini Opera Festival The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international music festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini. Its aim, in addition to studying the musical heritage of the composer, is to r ...

in 1993, with Renée Fleming and Gregory Kunde, under conductor Daniele Gatti. The United States premiere was given in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 29 February 1992 in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Rossini's birth with a cast the included

Christine Weidinger Christine Weidinger (born March 31, 1946) is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1970s. Her career started at the Metropolitan Opera, after which she was active as a residen ...

in the title role, Thomas Young as Rinaldo, and

Ronald Naldi Ronald Naldi is an American lyric tenor who has sung on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Arena di Verona, Salzburger Landestheater, L'Opéra Français, and New Jersey State Opera, under the baton of maestri James Levi ...

as Ubaldo. A conjoint production by Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, and the

Tulsa Philharmonic The Tulsa Philharmonic was an American symphony orchestra located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The orchestra was founded in 1948 by H. Arthur Brown who was principal conductor from 1948 till 1958. The original Tulsa Philharmonic grew out of a small group ...

, the work was staged by Nicholas Muni, designed by John Boesche, conducted by Richard Bradshaw, and recorded for national broadcast on NPR. The Metropolitan Opera premiere took place on 12 April 2010, with Renée Fleming in the title role. ''Armida'' was performed at the

in Pesaro in August 2014 in a new production by Luca Ronconi.

Roles

Synopsis

:Time: The Crusades :Place: Near JerusalemOsborne, Charles 1994, pp. 76—77

Act 1

Goffredo, commander of the Christian forces, comforts and rallies the Frankish soldiers, who are mourning the recent death of their leader. A noblewoman appears and introduces herself as the rightful ruler of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. She claims that her throne has been usurped by her evil uncle Idraote and asks for help and protection. In fact she is the sorceress Armida and in league with Idraote, who has entered with her in disguise. Their plan is to weaken the Crusaders by enslaving some of their best soldiers. The men are so dazzled by Armida's beauty that they convince Goffredo to help her. Goffredo decides that the Franks must choose a new leader, who will then pick ten soldiers to go with Armida. They elect Rinaldo, much to the jealousy of the knight Gernando ("Non soffrirò l'offesa"). Armida and Rinaldo, who is the Crusaders’ best soldier, had met once before, and she is secretly in love with him. She now confronts him and reminds him how she saved his life on that occasion. When she accuses him of ingratitude, he admits that he's in love with her (Duet: "Amor… possente nome!"). Gernando sees them together and insults Rinaldo as a womanizer in front of the other men. They duel and Rinaldo kills Gernando. Horrified by what he has done, he escapes with Armida before Goffredo can punish him.

Act 2

Astarotte, one of the princes of Hell, has led a group of demons into a forest to help Armida. She arrives there with Rinaldo, who's completely enthralled by her (Duet: "Dove son io!"). Even when she tells him about Idraote's plot, he doesn't turn against her. To Rinaldo's amazement, Armida then turns the forest into a vast pleasure palace. Armida muses on the power of love ("D’Amore al dolce impero") and offers for Rinaldo's entertainment a pantomime about a warrior being seduced by nymphs. Rinaldo, having lost all thoughts of military honor, gives himself over to Armida's enchantment.

Act 3

Two of Rinaldo's fellow knights, Ubaldo and Carlo, have been sent on a mission to save him. When they arrive in Armida's enchanted gardens, they are overwhelmed by the beauty of them, even though they know it's all an illusion. With the help of a magical golden staff, they ward off the nymphs that try to seduce them, then hide when Rinaldo and Armida appear. Rinaldo is still captivated by the sorceress, but once he is alone, Ubaldo and Carlo confront him. When they show him his reflection in a shield, he's horrified to realize that he no longer recognizes himself as the honorable warrior he once was (Trio: "In quale aspetto imbelle"). Still torn by his love for Armida, Rinaldo prays for strength, then leaves with his comrades. Armida calls upon the powers of Hell to bring her lover back but finds herself helpless. She rushes off in pursuit of the men. Armida reaches the three soldiers before they can sail away. She begs Rinaldo not to desert her and even offers to go into battle with him. Ubaldo and Carlo restrain Rinaldo, trying to bolster his strength, and ultimately drag him away from her. Armida struggles between love and desire for revenge ("Dove son io?… Fuggì!"). She chooses revenge, destroying the pleasure palace and flying away in a rage.Synopsis from the Met's website
, retrieved 3 April 2010

Celebrated numbers

*''Sinfonia'' Act 1 *''"Sventurata! Or che mi resta?"'' - quartetto (Armida, Eustazio, Goffredo and Idraote) *''"Amor ! Possente nome !"'' - duetto (Rinaldo and Armida) *''"Se pari agli accenti"'' - duetto (Rinaldo and Gernando) Act 2 *''"D'amore al dolce impero"'' - rondo finale secondo (Armida) *''Danza e coro generale'' Act 3 *''"In quale aspetto imbelle"'' - terzetto (Rinaldo, Ubaldo, and Carlo) *''"Se al mio crudel tormento"'' - rondo finale terzo (Armida)

Recordings

References

Sources

Gossett, Philip Philip Gossett (September 27, 1941 – June 12, 2017) was an American musicologist and historian, and Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor of Music at the University of Chicago. His lifelong interest in 19th-century Italian opera bega ...

; Brauner, Patricia (2001), " ''Armida'' " in Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam. * Osborne, Charles (1994), ''The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini'', London: Methuen; Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. *Osborne, Richard (1990), ''Rossini'', Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. *Osborne, Richard (1998), "''Armida''", in

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

, (Ed.), '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Vol. One, p. 199. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. *Osborne, Richard (2004), "Rossini's Life", in Emanuele Senici (Ed.) '' The Cambridge Companion to Rossini'', Cambridge University Press. . *Servadio, Gaia (2003), ''Rossini'', New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. *

Toye, Francis John Francis Toye (27 January 1883 – 13 October 1964) was an English music critic, teacher, writer and educational administrator. After early efforts as a composer and novelist, and service in naval intelligence in World War I, he became music ...

(re-issue 1987), ''Rossini: The Man and His Music'', Dover Publications, 1987. ,

External links

Piano reduction (vocal) score of ''Armida'' at IMSLP

Libretto of ''Armida''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armida (Rossini) Operas by Gioachino Rossini Italian-language operas 1817 operas Operas Operas set in the Levant Operas based on works by Torquato Tasso Opera world premieres at the Teatro San Carlo Works about the Crusades Cultural depictions of Godfrey of Bouillon