'' Il Giustino'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in three acts by composer

Giovanni Legrenzi Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...

. The work uses an Italian language

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 ...

Nicolò Beregan Count Nicolò Beregan (also ''Berengani'' and ''Bergani''; 1627-1713) was an Italian nobleman, lawyer and amateur opera librettist. His ''Giustino'' was first set to music in 1683 by composer Giovanni Legrenzi for '' Il Giustino'', and later reused ...

based on the life of

Emperor Justin I Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...

. The opera premiered on 7 February 1683 at the Teatro San Salvador in Venice.

Background and performance history

Considered one of Legrenzi's finest compositions, the work includes more than 70 arias. The opera tells the story of Giustino's rise from the position of a simple poor farmer to being crowned the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

. For several decades following its 1683 premiere at the Teatro San Salvador, ''Il Giustino'' was one of the most widely performed Venetian operas. According to musicologist Reinhard Strohm, its music was still being discussed as late as 1720 in Marcello's ''Il teatro alla moda''. On 26 April 2007, ''Il Giustino'' had its first modern revival at the

Schwetzingen Festival The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany. In 1952, the broadca ...

in a production directed by Nicolas Brieger with set designer Katrin Nettrod and costume designer Jorge Jara. Musicologist and conductor

Thomas Hengelbrock Thomas Hengelbrock (born 9 June 1958) is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor. Born in Wilhelmshaven, Hengelbrock studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul. He started his career in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau. ...

prepared the performance score for the production, and also led the

Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble Thomas Hengelbrock (born 9 June 1958) is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor. Born in Wilhelmshaven, Hengelbrock studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul. He started his career in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau. ...

in performances of the work. Soprano Elisabeth Kulman led the cast in the title role of Giustino, with Georg Nigl as Ariannas, Cornelia Ptassek as Arianna,

Terry Wey Terry Wey (born 15 September 1985) is a classical countertenor, specialising in historically informed performance. As a boy soprano, he was a soloist of the Wiener Sängerknaben. Born in Bern in a Swiss-American family of musicians, Wey began hi ...

as Andronico/Flavia,

Delphine Galou Delphine Galou (born 1977) is a French contralto. She was the "Discovery of the Year" of the French Association for the Promotion of Young Artists in 2004. Galou's outstanding vocal technique combined with noble bearing allow her performances of t ...

as Eufemia,

Peter Kennel Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

as Vitaliano, and

Hermann Oswald Hermann Oswald is a German tenor in opera and concert. Oswald received his first musical training as a member of the Tölzer Knabenchor. Among his operatic roles were Monostatos in Mozart’s ''Zauberflöte'' under Achim Freyer in Schwetzingen an ...

as Amantio.

Roles

References

{{Authority control Operas 1683 operas Italian-language operas Operas by Giovanni Legrenzi