''Salvator Rosa'' is an

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 ...

in four acts composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes 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 ...

in Italian by

Antonio Ghislanzoni Antonio Ghislanzoni (; 25 November 1824 – 16 July 1893) was an Italian journalist, poet, and novelist who wrote librettos for Verdi, among other composers, of which the best known are ''Aida'' and the revised version of ''La forza del des ...

. It premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa on 21 March 1874. The plot is based on

Eugène de Mirecourt Charles Jean-Baptiste Jacquot (19 November 1812 – 13 February 1880), who wrote under the pen name Eugène de Mirecourt, was a French writer and journalist. The main critic of Alexandre Dumas, he contributed novels, short stories and biogra ...

's 1851 adventure novel, ''Masaniello'', in turn loosely based on the lives of the Italian painter and poet,

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th ...

and

Masaniello Masaniello (, ; an abbreviation of Tommaso Aniello; 29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647) was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place of birth Until recent ...

, a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the Spanish

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

rule in Naples.

Background and performance history

''Salvator Rosa'' was Gomes' fifth opera and the third to have its world premiere in Italy. He and his librettist, Ghislanzoni, had originally wanted to call the opera ''Masaniello'', after

's novel on which it is based. However, Auber's 1828, '' La muette de Portici'' set in the same historical period, was already known in Italy by that name. Instead, Ghislanzoni made

(a secondary character in de Mirecourt's novel) the chief protagonist. The central love affair between Isabella and

in the novel became one between Salvator Rosa and Isabella in the opera. Like many fictional works based on the life of Salvator Rosa, de Mirecourt's novel derived from an 1824 biography of the painter by

Lady Morgan Sydney, Lady Morgan (''née'' Owenson; 25 December 1781? – 14 April 1859), was an Irish novelist, best known for ''The Wild Irish Girl'' (1806)'','' a romantic, and some critics suggest, "proto-feminist", novel with political and patriotic ov ...

, ''The Life and Times of Salvator Rosa'', which perpetuated the legends that Rosa had been imprisoned by bandits when he was a young man and that he returned to Naples in 1647 to aid Masaniello in his revolt against Spanish rule. It is the latter legend which forms the basis of Ghislanzoni's libretto. ''Salvator Rosa'' premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice on 21 March 1874 in a performance conducted by Giovanni Rossi with Guglielmo Anastasi in the title role,

Leone Giraldoni Leone Giraldoni (born 4 July 1824, Paris – died 19 September 1897, Moscow) was a celebrated Italian operatic baritone. He created the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti's '' Il duca d'Alba'' (1882) and Verdi's ''Simon Boccanegra'' (1857) as we ...

as Masaniello,

Romilda Pantaleoni Romilda Pantaleoni (1847 – 20 May 1917) was an Italian soprano who had a prolific opera career in Italy during the 1870s and 1880s. She sang a wide repertoire that encompassed bel canto roles, Italian and French grand opera, verismo operas ...

as Isabella, and the French bass as her father, the Duke of Arcos. Following the Genoa premiere, the opera was performed in Italy at the Teatro Regio (Turin) (1875), the

Teatro Riccardi The Teatro Donizetti is an opera house in Bergamo, Italy. Built in the 1780s using a design by architect Giovanni Francesco Lucchini, the theatre was originally referred to as either the Teatro Nuovo or Teatro di Fiera. The first opera to be moun ...

in Bergamo (1876), and the Teatro Regio (Parma) (1882). In South America, it was first performed in Uruguay at the

Teatro Solis Teatro may refer to: * Theatre * Teatro (band) Teatro, Italian for "theatre", is a vocal group signed to the Sony BMG music label. The members of Teatro are Jeremiah James, Andrew Alexander, Simon Bailey and Stephen Rahman-Hughes. Band member ...

in 1876, but it was another six years before the opera was performed in Brazil, Gomes' native country. The Brazilian premiere took place in the city of Belém on 29 July 1882. Although largely forgotten now apart from its great aria for

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 ...

, "Di sposo, di padre", the opera's rare 20th century revivals include those in Rio de Janeiro at the

Theatro Municipal Teatro Municipal, Theatro Municipal, Théâtre Municipal or Teatro Municipale (= Municipal theatre) may refer to: * Théâtre municipal d'Albi * Teatro Municipal de Caracas * Teatro Municipal de Chacao * Théâtre municipal de Grenoble * Théâtre ...

in 1946 (attended by Gomes' daughter and broadcast on Brazilian radio), São Paulo at the

in 1977, and at New York City's

Amato Opera Amato ( Calabrian: ; ) is an Arbëreshë ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. History Amato is one of the oldest towns in Calabria. It is mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle and by the Roman P ...

in 1987. The opera was revived again in 2000 with the

Dorset Opera Dorset Opera Festival is an annual country house opera festival combining amateur and professional performers, which takes place at Bryanston near Blandford Forum in Dorset, England. Operas are staged at the conclusion of a two-week summer sch ...

Fernando del Valle Fernando del Valle (né Brian Stephen Skinner; February 28, 1964) is an American operatic tenor. He is the son of Edward King Skinner II, a Korean War veteran and Concha Marina Meléndez del Valle the cousin of George Melendez Wright. He is th ...

in the title role, and 2004 at the

Festival della Valle d'Itria The ''Festival della Valle d'Itria'' is a summer opera festival held in the south eastern Italian town of Martina Franca in the Apulia region. The Festival was founded in 1975 and performances are given in July and August each summer on a specially ...

in Martina Franca.

Roles

Romilda Pantaleoni by Ganzini circa 1875

Recordings

Disegno per copertina di libretto, disegno di Peter Hoffer per Salvator Rosa (s

*"Mia piccirella", aria from ''Salvator Rosa'', sung by

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

and recorded in 1919. Label: Victor *Gomes: ''Salvator Rosa'' – Michail Milanov (Il Duca d'Arcos), Lisa Livingston (Isabella),

(Salvator Rosa), Michael Gluecksmann (Masaniello);

Orchestra and Chorus; Patrick Shelley, conductor. Recorded from live performances at Sherborne School, Dorset, England, August 11 and 12, 2000. Label: Regis RecordsReview: ''Salvator Rosa'', Dorset Opera recording
musicweb-international.com *Gomes: ''Salvator Rosa'' – Francesco Ellero D’Artegna (Il Duca d'Arcos), Francesca Scaini (Isabella), Mauro Pagano (Salvator Rosa), Gianfranco Cappelluti (Masaniello); Italian International Orchestra; Bratislava Chamber Chorus; Maurizio Benini, conductor. Recorded live at the Ducal Palace, Martina Franca, Italy, July 2004. Label: Dynamic *Gomes: ''Salvator Rosa'' – Dae-Bum Lee (Il Duca d'Arcos), Maria Porubcinova (Isabella), Ray M. Wade, Jr. (Salvator Rosa), Malte Roesner (Masaniello); Staatsorchester Braunschweig; Braunschweig State Theatre Chorus; Georg Menskes, conductor. Recorded live at the

Staatstheater Braunschweig The Staatstheater Braunschweig is a theatre company and opera house in Braunschweig, Germany, presenting and producing music theatre (opera, operetta, musical), Tanztheater, theatre, Theatre for Young Audiences and concerts. The ''Staatstheate ...

, Germany on January 20, 2010. Label: Oehms Classics in co-production with

NDR Kultur Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR; ''Northern German Broadcasting'') is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

and the Braunschweig State Theatre

References

Notes Sources * * * *

External links

Complete libretto
published by Casa Ricordi in the original Italian *
Detailed synopsis
by Cyrene Paparotti {{Portal bar, Opera Operas Operas by Carlos Gomes Italian-language operas 1874 operas Operas set in Italy Operas based on novels Operas set in the 18th century Cultural depictions of 17th-century painters

Background and performance history

Roles

Recordings

References

Further reading

External links