''Orlando finto pazzo'' (; ''Orlando, the Fake Madman'') is an opera (''
dramma per musica
Dramma per musica (Italian, literally: ''drama for music'', plural: ''drammi per musica'') is a libretto. The term was used by dramatists in Italy and elsewhere between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries. In modern times the same meaning of ''dra ...
'') in three acts composed by
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
to a
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 ...
by
Grazio Braccioli
Grazio Braccioli (1682–1752) was an Italian jurist, poet and librettist. Born in Ferrara, he wrote 9 libretti for operas produced at the Teatro Sant'Angelo in Venice between 1711 and 1715. Among them were the libretti for Vivaldi's '' Orlando fu ...
. The plot is based on an episode in
Matteo Boiardo
Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem ''Orlando innamorato''.
Early life
Boiardo was born in 1440, 's unfinished epic poem ''
Orlando Innamorato
''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a roman ...
'' (). The second of Vivaldi's known operas, ''Orlando finto pazzo'' premiered in November 1714 (dedication 10 November) at the
Teatro Sant'Angelo
The Teatro San Angelo (in Venetian dialect) or Teatro Sant' Angelo (in Italian) was once a theatre in Venice which ran from 1677 until 1803.
It was the last of the major Venetian theatres to be built in the 1650s–60s opera craze following Teat ...
in Venice. Vivaldi acted as
impresario
An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer.
Hist ...
(in partnership with his father Giovanni Battista) as well as composer. Apparently the opera did not meet much approval from the audience and was billed only on few dates, just to be replaced, on 1 December, by a reworking of
Giovanni Alberto Ristori
Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 - 7 February 1753) was an Italian opera composer and conductor.
He was the son of Tommaso Ristori, the leader of an opera troupe belonging to the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony August II the Strong (based in ...
’s ''Orlando furioso'' (), an opera that the Vivaldi "''impresa''" had very successfully staged in 1713.
[A good deal of the music of ''Orlando finto pazzo'' (as well as further music by Vivaldi) was interpolated into the revived work, so that it should be considered a fully-fledged new opera by Vivaldi (Strohm, I, p. 122).]
''Orlando finto pazzo'' is listed as RV 727 in the Vivaldi catalogue.
Roles
*Orlando, ''a knight in the service of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
'', created by
Antonio Francesco Carli (
bass)
*Brandimarte, ''Orlando's friend'', created by Andrea Guerri (
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 ...
castrato
A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...
)
*Ersilla, ''queen and sorceress'', created by Margherita Gualandi, called "la Campioli" (soprano)
*Argillano, ''Ersilla's champion and secretly in love with her'', created by Andrea Pacini (
contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
castrato)
*Tigrinda, ''a priestess, in love with Argillano'', created by Elisabetta Denzio (soprano)
*Grifone, ''secretly in love with Tigrinda'', created by Francesco Natali (soprano castrato)
*Origille, ''in love with Grifone'', created by Anna Maria Fabbri (contralto)
Synopsis
Act 1
Ersilla dedicates a sword to the destruction of Orlando, and entrusts the sword and mission to Argillano, who secretly loves her. Ersilla’s enemies, Brandimarte, Grifone and Origille spy on the rituals. As the ceremony ends, Tigrinda, priestess of potions, tries unsuccessfully to tell Argillano she loves him. Grifone follows Tigrinda, who he in turn secretly loves. Argillano challenges Grifone, who is protected by Origille – she pretends that he is her young sister, “Leodilla.” Origille, who is pledged to Grifone, challenges his obvious love for Tigrinda, then vows her revenge. Orlando defeats but spares Argillano, leaving the magic sword on the ground as he severs the golden branch, thus opening the way for everyone into Ersilla’s garden. Ersilla notices the sword, and infers Argillano’s defeat. As her fairies bewitch Orlando with their songs, Ersilla becomes smitten with Brandimarte, who uses this to rescue Orlando.
Act 2
Grifone tries to capitalise on his reluctant disguise to get closer to Tigrinda by becoming her handmaiden. Origille, now disguised as a man, “Ordauro,” interrupts them. Ersilla ignores Tigrinda’s pleas for Argillano’s release (imprisoned because of his defeat,) but now smitten with “Ordauro,” releases him at “Ordauro’s” suggestion. Spurned by Ersilla, Argillano vows to betray her, and to gain an accomplice, falsely pledges his love to Tigrinda. On seeing Origille, Orlando blows his cover, but is neatly manoeuvred by Brandimarte into concealing his true identity by pretending to be mad, under the illusion that he is Orlando. Under cover of “madness,” Orlando tells the bizarre story of how Origille betrayed him last time they met. When Argillano disappears to warn Ersilla of his suspicions, Origille begs forgiveness, and Orlando acquiesces. Argillano tells Ersilla that “Leodilla” is Grifone, and she interrogates him. Grifone gives nothing away, and so is imprisoned.
Act 3
Origille has smashed through Grifone’s prison wall with a pickaxe, and confronts him with her ardent love. Grifone’s pledges of love are rejected by Tigrinda, who then plots with a reluctant Argillano to poison Ersilla with a magic potion. Ersilla’s darkest ceremony fails to reveal Orlando’s true identity, so she conjures up a counterfeit Angelica to provoke him. Brandimarte again rescues Orlando, this time by pretending himself to be the warrior. Ersilla captures the two men, but is mortified to believe she loves her enemy. Orlando vows to abandon such deception in favour of honourable confrontation. Argillano rejects Tigrinda, who then drinks her own potion. Grief-stricken, Grifone, too poisons himself. Origille, seeing the corpse of her beloved, vows revenge. Orlando smashes his fetters, releases Brandimarte, and by destroying Ersilla’s castle, breaks all her spells. Grifone, Tigrinda, and all her other victims reawaken and are cured, Tigrinda is united with Argillano, Origille with Grifone, and all ends happily.
Recording
*''Orlando finto pazzo (RV 727)'': Antonio Abete, Gemma Bertagnolli, Marina Comparato,
Sonia Prina
Sonia Prina (born 30 November 1975) is an Italian operatic contralto who has had an active career in concerts and operas since the mid-1990s. She is particularly known for her appearances in Baroque operas and for her performances of the Baroque c ...
, Martin Oro, Marianna Pizzolato; Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro De Marchi; Naïve OP30392
References
Notes
Sources
*Bucciarelli, Melania; Dubowy, Norbert; and Strohm, Reinhard (2006)
''Italian Opera in Central Europe'', Volume 1 BWV Verlag.
*Selfridge-Field, Eleanor (2007)
''A new chronology of Venetian opera and related genres, 1660-1760'' Stanford University Press.
*Strohm, Reinhard (2008)
''The Operas of Antonio Vivaldi'', Issue 1 L.S. Olschki.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlando Finto Pazzo
1714 operas
Matter of France
Operas by Antonio Vivaldi
Operas
Operas based on works by Ludovico Ariosto