''Il templario'' is an Italian-language

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 ...

by the German composer Otto Nicolai from a libretto written by based on

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's 1819 novel '' Ivanhoe''. It has been noted that Nicolai's work for the opera stage, which followed the successful ''

Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' (German: ''Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'') is an opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on the play ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' by William Shakespeare. The ...

'' (''The Merry Wives of Windsor)'' (his only German opera), included three others, all of which were in Italian (two being ''Gilippede ed Odoardo'' and ''Il proscritto'') and all "are all firmly cast in the ''bel canto'' style, with gracefully flowing melodies in the manner of Bellini". Marini was a part-time poet when not employed by the government tobacco monopoly, and is best remembered today for being called in to rewrite the third act of Donizetti's '' Adelia.'' ''Il templario'' received its premiere performances at the Teatro Regio, Turin in February 11, 1840, and continued on a successful run through Italy, rivaling Pacini's '' Saffo''. However, it disappeared for over 160 years until it was reconstructed in 2006 and performed in 2008. The success of Nicolai's opera had an unintended contributing indirect effect on the failure of

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's early attempt at the ''opera buffa'' genre, ''

Un giorno di regno ''Un giorno di regno, ossia Il finto Stanislao'' (''A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus'', but often translated into English as ''King for a Day'') is an operatic '' melodramma giocoso'' in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto ...

'', in 1840. The Teatro alla Scala impresario Merelli insisted on using the ''opera seria'' singers previously assembled for Nicolai's opera, which had toured in Milan, thus contributing to the disaster experienced by Verdi.

Performance history

Following its first Italian performances Laviska notes that: : he opera'srenown was so immediate, that productions were immediately scheduled for Genoa, Milan, and Trieste that same year, and in Venice, Vienna, Barcelona, Brescia, and Vicenza the year following. No fewer than seventeen productions were given in 1842, and the opera retained its popularity through the late 1860s, making it – alongside Mercadante's ''La vestale'' and Pacini's ''Saffo'' (both given in Naples, also in 1840) – one of the most lasting and well received Italian operas from this period. After its original highly successful run in Italy, ''Il templario'' was forgotten, as fashion moved on and Nicolai's early death reduced interest in his work outside Germany. His father sold his autographs to

Bote & Bock Bote & Bock is a German publishing house founded in Berlin in 1838 by Eduard Bote and Gustav Bock (1813-1863). The first Gustav Bock was a musically gifted publisher with an eye for opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a f ...

, who then filed and forgot them until 1937 when Joseph Goebbels was seeking pure-German operas to replace the removal of works by composers such as

Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le d ...

from the German stage. Goebels was attracted to the story of Ivanhoe but sought to have Nicolai's opera rewritten to remove the flattering elements around the Jewish heroine Rebecca. However, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

intervened before such a version could be made. The rediscovered opera was again "lost" when the archives of both Bote & Bock in Berlin and

Casa Ricordi Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian composers such as Gioachino Ro ...

in Milan were destroyed during World War II. Re-discovery and reconstruction However interest in Nicolai renewed in the 1990s and the music historian Michael Wittmann was finally able to reconstruct ''Il templario'' from various versions. These included a revision originally deposited with the local censor in Naples but found in the Conservatorio di Musica under the title ''Teodosia'', a German language edition, and also a French piano-vocal score, which allowed for the complete reconstruction in 2006.Lavisca states: "Michael Wittmann discusses the details surrounding this discovery as well as much more information on Nicolai and his career in the wonderfully comprehensive booklet notes to this recording" Following Wittmann's reconstruction, ''Il templario'' was then performed at the Chemnitz Opera in March 2008 conducted by Frank Beermann, with the American tenor Stanley Jackson as Ivanhoe. A live recording of the 7 March performance was later issued.

Synopsis

:Place: England :Time: 12th Century: the conflict between Anglo-Saxon nobles and their Norman conquerors Following the story line of ''Ivanhoe'', Vilfredo d’Ivanhoe is in love with Ravena, the ward of his father Cedrico, who wishes to marry her off for political advantage. Cedrico turns against his son, leading Ivanhoe to leave for the Crusades. Ivanhoe is wounded and cared for by the Jewish Rebecca, who with her father Isacco follows Ivanhoe back to England. Rebecca is in turn loved by Briano, the templar of the opera's title. Briano and Rebecca are both – inexplicably – struck dead in the final scene of the opera, leaving the Anglo-Saxons praising Ivanhoe.

Recordings

References

Notes Sources *Ashbrook, William (1982), ''Donizetti and His Operas'', Cambridge University Press. *Julian Budden, Budden, Julian (1984), ''The Operas of Verdi, Volume 1: From Oberto to Rigoletto''. London: Cassell. *Amanda Holden (writer), Holden, Amanda (Ed.) (2001), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam. *Laviska, David (2010)
Review of the 2008 recording on musicalcriticism.com, 22 June 2010
Retrieved 4 July 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Templario, Il Operas by Otto Nicolai Italian-language operas Operas based on novels Operas based on works by Walter Scott 1840 operas Operas Operas set in England Works based on Ivanhoe