''Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena'' is a

tragicomic Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...

opera in five acts composed by

Francesco Bartolomeo Conti Francesco Bartolomeo Conti (20 January 1681 or 168219 July 1732) was an Italian composer and player of the mandolin and theorbo. He also wrote the oldest mandolin method book that has survived. Little is known about the biography of Conti. He wa ...

to an Italian libretto by

Apostolo Zeno Apostolo Zeno (11 December 1668 in Venice – 11 November 1750 in Venice) was a Venetian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. Early life Apostolo Zeno was born in Venice to a colonial branch of the Zeno family, an ancient Venet ...

and

Pietro Pariati Pietro Pariati ( Reggio Emilia, 27 March 1665- Vienna, 14 October 1733) was an Italian poet and librettist. He was initially secretary to Rinaldo d'Este (1655–1737), Duke of Modena.Xavier de Courville -''Un artisan de la rénovation théàtral av ...

. The libretto is based on the episodes set in the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

mountains of Spain in Book I of the

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

novel ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

''. The opera premiered on 6 February 1719 at the Hoftheater in Vienna and proved to be one of Conti's most successful ones. It has had several revivals in modern times beginning in 1987 at the

Buxton Festival The Buxton Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music and (since 2000) a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire, England since its beginnings in July 1979. The 2020 festival would have run but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 cri ...

Background and performance history

The opera's librettists, Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati, had written the librettos for many of Conti's Vienna operas, either individually or jointly. On this occasion they remained quite faithful to the text and basic story recounted Book I of ''Don Quixote'' where he travels to the

mountains and has a series of encounters with the wily inhabitants and two pairs of unhappy lovers. Described in the libretto as a ''tragicomedia per musica'' (tragicomedy in music), it is essentially a parody of the ''

opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abo ...

'' genre and its heroic arias.Grout, Donald and Williams, Hermine Weigel (2003)
''A Short History of Opera''
4th edition, p. 234. Columbia University Press. ''Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena'' premiered at 6 February 1719 at the court theatre of

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor , house = Habsburg , spouse = , issue = , issue-link = #Children , issue-pipe = , father = Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg , birth_date ...

in Vienna. The title role was sung by

Francesco Borosini Francesco Borosini (1695 – after 1747) was an Italian opera singer. Although usually described as a tenor, he had an extraordinarily wide vocal range spanning bass to tenor. He was known not only for the quality of his singing but for his ski ...

, who created the leading

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

roles in many of Conti's operas. Although generally described as a tenor, Borosini had an extraordinarily wide vocal range spanning

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

to tenor. Conti's wife, Maria Landini, sang the lead

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

role of Lucinda. The staging was designed by

Giuseppe Galli Bibiena Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (5 January 1696 - 12 March 1757),"Galli-Bibiena, Giuseppe" (dates, with Friedrich the Great), ''Encyclopedia of Austria'', 2006, aeiou-Austria webpage: aeiou-FerdinandoGBibiena. Italian designer, became the most distingu ...

. The production also included two comic ''

intermedi The intermedio (also intromessa, introdutto, tramessa, tramezzo, intermezzo, intermedii), in the Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance or spectacle with music and often dance, which was performed between the acts of a play to cele ...

'' following Acts 2 and 4 and three ballets with music by Nicola Matteis, the Younger—''Dance of the Peasants'' (at the end of Act 1), ''Dance of the Puppeteers'' (at the end of Act 3), and ''Dance of the Servants'' (at the end of Act 5). The opera was an immediate success and was performed 25 times in Vienna between its premiere and 1737. It also had performances in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

in 1720, 1721, and 1738 and in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

in 1720 and 1722.Morier, Denis (2015)
''Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena''
Philharmonie de Paris. Retrieved 16 July 2016 A shortened form of the libretto was used for a set of ''intermedi'' performed in Spain in 1728 and an anonymous libretto published in Germany in 1739 as ''Amor medico, o sia Don Chisciotte'' draws heavily on Zeno and Pariati's work. It is not known if the latter was ever performed. The opera's first performance in modern times was at the

in 1987, where it was sung in English translation with Neill Archer in the title role. It was staged again at the 1992

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music (German: Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik) is a festival of historically informed performances of music from the late Renaissance, Baroque and early Classical periods which takes place annually in ...

with

René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his music ...

conducting and

Nicolas Rivenq Nicolas Rivenq (born 1958) is a contemporary French baritone. Born in London, Rivenq studied music at the "École d'Art lyrique" of the Paris Opéra, as well as the Indiana University. He has participated in numerous productions of baroque mu ...

in the

title role The title character in a Narrative, narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The ...

. On that occasion it was performed in the original Italian but like the Buxton production it was heavily cut. It has had several revivals since then, both staged and in

concert version A concert performance or concert version is a performance of a musical theater or opera in concert form, without set design or costumes, and mostly without theatrical interaction between singers. Concert performances are commonly presented in c ...

, including a fully staged production at the

Caramoor Festival The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Kat ...

in 2004.Fallows, David (October 1987)
"Buxton"
''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...

'', Vol. 128, No. 1736, p. 580. Retrieved 17 July 2016 .

Roles

Synopsis

''Setting: The woods and a local inn in the

mountains of Spain during the 17th century.''This synopsis is based on the libretto printed for the premiere performance and Sayre. Liesel B. (2015)
''Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena'': Résumé de l'action
Philharmonie de Paris. Retrieved 16 July 2016 . Act 1 Don Chisciotte and Sancio are travelling through the Sierra Morena mountains. In the woods they encounter a rocky clearing with a cave and a fountain in front of it. It is the home of the young knight Cardenio who gone mad after his best friend Fernando stole his beloved Lucinda. Cardenio first attacks Sancio and then Don Chisciotte who he thinks is Fernando. Still pining for his idealized love

Dulcinea Dulcinea del Toboso is a fictional character who is unseen in Miguel de Cervantes' novel ''Don Quijote''. Don Quijote believes he must have a lady, under the mistaken view that chivalry requires it. As he does not have one, he invents her, mak ...

, Don Chisciotte decides that he too should become mad from love and begins to act out scenes from ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...

''. Don Chisciotte's friend Lope arrives with his companion Ordogno. They want to bring the Don home and convince Sancho to help them by making Don Chisciotte believe that Dulcinea is pining for him and wants him to return. Dorotea, who had been betrothed to Fernando before he fell in love Lucinda. laments his perfidy. However, Lope tells her that Lucinda had managed to escape from Fernando before the marriage could take place. Overjoyed, Dorotea and Cardenio promise to help Lope and Ordogno in their plan to bring Don Chisciotte home. The act ends with a dance of the Sierra Morena peasants. Act 2 Fernando's guards have found Lucinda. He once again asks her to marry him but she refuses. Alone, Don Chisciotte sings of his love for Dulcinea and how he much he is suffering from their separation. Sancio arrives and recounts how with the aid of magic he was able to fly to Dulcinea who told him that she wants only one thing—Don Chisciotte's return. Lope confirms Sancio's story. Dorotea then appears disguised as the "Queen of Micomicona" accompanied by her "squire" (Ordogno in disguise) and her "tutor" (Cardenio in disguise). She asks Don Chisciotte's help to regain her throne which has been usurped by the giant "Pandafilando". The road to "Micomicona" will pass through Don Chisciotte's homeland,

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to the ...

. As a gesture of thanks for his help and a token of her "love", she will make him the lord of La Mancha. Don Chisciotte promises her his help but not his love. At a nearby inn, Sancio encounters the serving woman Maritorne who tries to seduce him, but he rejects her advances. Act 3 Cardenio rejoices in his reunion with Lucinda but she urges caution. Still a prisoner of Fernando, she plans to escape that night. At the inn, Don Chisciotte meets Rigo the barber. He mistakes Rigo's shaving bowl for the magic helmet of Mambrino (a character in ''Orlando Furioso'') and steals it. Rigo vows revenge. Mendo, the innkeeper, presents a puppet show involving a royal couple pursued by Moors. Don Chisciotte, upset by the couple's impending death, takes out his sword and cuts the heads off all the puppets. The act ends with a dance of the puppeteers. The Enchantment of Don Quixote

Act 4 In a sleep-walking sequence Don Chisciotte believes he sees the giant Pandafilando. He takes out his sword and begins wildly destroying Mendo's bottles of red wine. He then shows Mendo the giant's severed head, which turns out to be a cooking pot. Don Chisciotte is now convinced that he has been the victim of sorcery. Lucinda escapes Fernando's guards and is reunited with Cardenio. Fernando bursts in an angrily draws his sword. Dorotea throws herself between him and Cardenio. Lucinda and Cardenio exclaim that they would rather die than be separated. Fernando is now torn between his love for Lucinda and a sense of duty and loyalty to Dorotea. Maritorne summons Don Chisciotte to his window and asks him to grasp her hand, otherwise she will die. He climbs on a stool to reach her but Rigo pulls it away leaving Don Chisciotte dangling desperately from the window. Act 5 Dorotea tells Fernando to go ahead kill her so there will be no further obstacles to his passion for Lucinda. Dorotea's generosity reawakens Fernando's old love for her and he decides to marry her after all. Ordogno shows up disguised as Pandafilando and defeats Don Chisciotte in a duel. He sentences Don Chisciotte to return to La Mancha and shuts him up in a cage which will take him there. Don Chisciotte 's friends now explain their ruse to him, but he interprets everything that has happened as the result of sorcery. As he is taken away in his cage, the final chorus warns the audience not to make fun of him because there are many people even crazier than he. The act ends with a dance of the hotel servants dressed in various masks and disguises.

Recordings

There are no complete commercial recordings of ''Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena'', but excerpts appear on the following: *''Three Baroque Tenors'' with

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

and the English Consort conducted by Bernard Labadie (contains Don Chisciotte's aria "Qui sto appeso"). Label:

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded musi ...

*''Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: Sventurata Didone'' with the Neue conducted by

Christoph Hammer Christoph Hammer (born 12 June 1966) is a German conductor, forte piano player, musicologist and specialist of historically informed performance. Life Youth Born in Ensdorf, Hammer passed the Abitur at the in 1985. He then studied Germani ...

(contains the opera's overture). Label:

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the ...

References

External links

Complete libretto
printed for the 1719 premiere {{in lang, it
Video extract
from the 2005 production at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music on

France Musique France Musique is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on European classical music, classical music and jazz. Hist ...

Operas 1719 operas Italian-language operas Operas by Francesco Bartolomeo Conti Operas based on Don Quixote