''Demetrio e Polibio'' (; ''Demetrius and Polybius'') is a two-act
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 ...
tic ''dramma serio'' by
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
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
Vincenzina Viganò-Mombelli. The opera was orchestrated for flute, oboes, clarinets, basson, horns, trumpets, and strings.
[IMSLP manuscript copy Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella]
''Demetrio e Polibio'' was Rossini's first attempt at a full-scale opera, "assembled piecemeal"
during his student days at the
Philharmonic Academy of Bologna
The Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna ("philharmonic academy of Bologna"; sometimes known in English as the Bologna Academy of Music) is a music education institution in Bologna, Italy.
The Accademia de' Filarmonici was founded as an associ ...
in 1806. Because it was commissioned by tenor Domenico Mombelli (whose wife wrote the libretto) and was performed privately by Mombelli and his two daughters, a performance which Rossini did not attend, it was not his first fully staged opera.
The opera was not professionally staged until 18 May 1812, when it premiered at Rome's
Teatro Valle
Teatro may refer to:
* Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific p ...
.
[Osborne, Richard 1998, p. 119]
Roles
Synopsis
:Time: 2nd Century, B.C.
:Place: Parthia
Act 1
The good Polybius, King of
Parthia
Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...
, is the protector of both his own daughter Lisinga and her lover Siveno. Everyone believes Siveno to be the son of Minteus, a minister of King Demetrius of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, but he is actually the long estranged son of Demetrius. Demetrius, holding Minteus responsible for his son's disappearance, arrives at the court of Parthia in the guise of Eumeno, a royal messenger, and demands that Siveno be turned over to Syria. Polybius refuses. Siveno and Lisinga celebrate their marriage. Polybius confides to Siveno that he is worried about what has happened, but Siveno reassures him. Meanwhile, Eumene (Demetrius) plots to kidnap Siveno and bring him back to Syria. He bribes the servants and guards and at night manages to enter the Parthian court. However, when he arrives in the bed-chamber of the young couple, he finds Lisinga alone and kidnaps her instead. Polybius and Siveno try in vain to stop him.
Act 2
Polybius and Siveno plead for Lisinga's release. In reply, Euemeno (Demetrius) threatens to kill her unless Siveno is turned over to him. In turn, Polybius threatens to kill Siveno unless Lisinga is released. The situation starts to resolve when Eumene (Demetrius), looks at an old medallion and realizes that Siveno is actually his lost son. Meanwhile, Polybius does not want to lose Lisinga, and Eumene (Demetrius) only wants Siveno. Desperate at their impending separation, Lisinga tries to kill Eumene, but he finally reveals his true identity as King Demetrius and announces that Siveno is his son. Peace is restored, and the couple live happily ever after.
[This synopsis is translated from '' Demetrio e Polibio'' in the Italian Wikipedia]
Recordings
References
Notes
Cited sources
*Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "''Demetrio e Polibio''" in
Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam.
*Kennedy, Michael (2007)
"Demetrio e Polibio" ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. (By subscription:''Oxford Reference Online''). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 December 2013
*Osborne, Charles (1994), ''The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini'', Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press.
*Osborne, Richard (1998), "''Demetrio e Polibio''", in
Stanley Sadie
Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...
(Ed.), ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...
'', Vol. One. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc.
Other sources
*Osborne, Richard (1990), ''Rossini'', Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press.
*Osborne, Richard (2008)
''Demetrio e Polibio'', ''
Grove Music Online
''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...
'', Retrieved on 21 March 2008
External links
Libretto Deutsche Rossini Gesellschaft. Accessed 23 March 2008.
manuscript copy from the Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro Majella IMSLP.
{{Authority control
Operas
1812 operas
Operas by Gioachino Rossini
Italian-language operas
Operas set in the Middle East