''Roland'' is a

tragédie lyrique This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...

in three acts by the composer

Niccolò Piccinni Niccolò Piccinni (; 16 January 1728 – 7 May 1800) was an Italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music, and opera. Although he is somewhat obscure today, Piccinni was one of the most popular composers of opera—particularly th ...

. The

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 libr ...

was a new setting of a libretto written by

Philippe Quinault Philippe Quinault (; 3 June 1635 – 26 November 1688), French dramatist and librettist, was born in Paris. Biography Quinault was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of ''Marianne''. Quinault's first play w ...

for Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1685, specially adapted for Piccinni by Jean-François Marmontel and based on Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem '' Orlando Furioso'' (''The Frenzy of Orlando''). The opera was first performed on 27 January 1778 by the Académie Royale de Musique ( Paris Opera) at the

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...

Background and performance history

''Roland'' was the first opera Piccinni wrote for Paris. He had been hired by the

Académie royale de musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

in 1776, in spite of his ignorance of the French language. Piccinni still knew no French when he was composing ''Roland'' and had to be helped all the way by his librettist Marmontel, who provided a translation of every word along with details on how to accentuate it correctly. Marmontel also helped Piccinni come to terms with the French style of opera, which was very different from the Italian. The French preferred short

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

s, accompanied

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...

and plenty of dance movements. In spite of these obstacles, ''Roland'' was a great success at its premiere. ''Roland'' forms part of a late 18th-century vogue for resetting libretti Quinault had written for Lully, the first major French opera composer, almost one hundred years before. Another famous example is

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

's '' Armide'' (1776). In fact, Gluck – who was regarded as Piccinni's rival in Paris – was said to have abandoned work on his own setting of ''Roland'' when he learnt of Piccinni's version.Rushton 2001, p. 674. Piccinni went on to set another Quinault libretto, '' Atys'', in 1779.

Roles

Synopsis

Marmontel's revised libretto adheres closely to Quinault's original. The major changes are the omission of the

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

and the reduction of Quinault's five acts to three. For an outline of the plot see ''Roland'' (Lully).

Recordings

*''Roland'' Soloists, Bratislava Chamber Choir, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia conducted by

David Golub David Golub (March 22, 1950 – October 16, 2000) was an American pianist and conductor. Biography Born in Chicago, Golub moved with his family to Richardson, Texas when he was five years old. He began piano lessons not long thereafter wh ...

(Dynamic, 2001) *Médor's demanding Italianate aria, "En butte aux fureurs de l'orage", has been recorded by

Rockwell Blake Rockwell Blake (born January 10, 1951) is an American operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in Rossini operas. He was the first winner of the Richard Tucker Award. Biography Born and raised in Plattsburgh, NY, Blake was the son of a mi ...

on the CD, ''Airs d'Opéras Français'', Orchestre philarmonique de Monte-Carlo, conducted by Patrick Fournillier (EMI, 1994)

References

Notes Sources * Pitou, Spire (1983–1990). ''The Paris Opéra: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers'' (3 volumes). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . *

Rushton, Julian Julian Gordon Rushton (born 22 May 1941) is an English musicologist, born in Cambridge. He has contributed the entry on Mozart in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' and several other articles in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians' ...

(2001). "Niccolò Piccinni", pp. 673–676, in ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', edited by

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...

. New York: Penguin Putnam. . *

Warrack, John John Hamilton Warrack (born 1928, in London) is an English music critic, writer on music, and oboist. Warrack is the son of Scottish conductor and composer Guy Warrack. He was educated at Winchester College (1941-6) and then at the Royal College o ...

; West, Ewan (1992). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. New York: Oxford University Press. .

External links

*
Libretto in French (Paris: Duchene, 1781)
at

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. {{Authority control Operas French-language operas Operas by Niccolò Piccinni 1778 operas Tragédies en musique Operas based on works by Ludovico Ariosto