''Axur, re d'Ormus'' ("Axur, king of Ormus") is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic dramma tragicomico in five acts by

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

was by

Lorenzo Da Ponte Lorenzo Da Ponte (; 10 March 174917 August 1838) was an Italians, Italian, later American, opera libretto, librettist, poet and Catholic Church, Roman Catholic priest. He wrote the libretti for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Wolfgan ...

. ''Axur'' is the Italian version of Salieri's 1787 French-language work ''

Tarare Tarare is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies on the Turdine river, 28 miles west-northwest of Lyon by rail. History The city was founded at the beginning of the 12th century, as the priory of Tarare by the Savigny ...

'' which had a libretto by

Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French playwright and diplomat during the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for his three Figaro plays, at various times in his life he was also a watchmaker, invent ...

Synopsis

Axur, King of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

kingdom of

Ormus The Kingdom of Ormus (also known as Hormoz or Hormuz; ; ) was located in the eastern side of the Persian Gulf and extended as far as Bahrain in the west at its zenith. The Kingdom was established in the 11th century initially as a dependency of ...

, orders one of his soldiers, Altamor, to abduct Aspasia, the wife of Atar, the heroic commander of Axur's army. Not knowing who kidnapped Aspasia but suspecting an overseas enemy, Atar speaks with the king and begs for justice. Moved by his appeal, Axur allows Atar to take a ship and seek his wife. Before Atar leaves, Axur's slave-servant, Biscroma, tells the general that the king has abducted Aspasia and hidden her in the royal

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

. Enemy troops now threaten to invade Ormus, and the people plead with Atar to save them. Axur undermines Atar by telling the people that the general has better things to do than lead the army. Enraged, Atar declares himself ready to stand at the head of the army and wipe out the nation's enemies. While a feast is being held prior to the battle, Biscroma disguises Atar as a

Nubia Nubia (, Nobiin language, Nobiin: , ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the confluence of the Blue Nile, Blue and White Nile, White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), and the Cataracts of the Nile, first cataract ...

n and smuggles him into the harem. Axur discovers "the Nubian" in the harem, but does not realize who he is. Axur decides to marry Aspasia to the Nubian as punishment for being unfaithful to Atar. Axur then changes his mind, and instead sends a squad of soldiers into the harem to kill "the Nubian". The soldiers discover "the Nubian's" true identity. They decide not to kill Atar, because they only have orders to kill "the Nubian" and not the general of the army. But they have orders to arrest Atar, so they do so and bring him before the king. Atar is dragged into court as Axur is wooing Aspasia. The husband and wife embrace. Axur sentences Atar to death for violating the royal harem, and Atar is dragged off to the place of execution. But a crowd surrounds the palace and demands Atar's freedom so that he can save the nation. Axur, realizing he has lost the love of the people, removes his crown and commits suicide. The people proclaim Atar the new King of Ormus.

Performance history

''Axur'' premiered at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

in Vienna on 8 January 1788, the title role being sung by

Francesco Benucci Francesco Benucci (c. 1745 – 5 April 1824) was an Italian bass singer of the 18th century. He sang a number of important roles in the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri and other composers. Life Historical background and early ...

, Mozart's first Figaro. It became one of the most famous operas in Vienna. The finale of ''Axur'' appears in the 1984 film ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...

.'' The film is incorrect in presenting ''Axur'' as being performed soon after the ninth and final performance of Mozart's ''

Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna ...

'' in 1786, and before the death of Mozart's father

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist, and music theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer grün ...

on 28 May 1787. Also, the end of the aria "Son Queste Le Speranze" appears briefly at the beginning of the film, Salieri remembering

Caterina Cavalieri Caterina Magdalena Giuseppa Cavalieri (18 March 1755 – 30 June 1801) was an Austrian soprano. Born as Katharina Magdalena Josepha Cavalier in Lichtental, Vienna, Cavalieri studied voice with composer Antonio Salieri. Her stage debut was in 1775 ...

singing this, as he demonstrates various pieces he wrote to the priest.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Roles

Recordings

* 1989 – Andrea Martin (Axur), Curtis Rayam (Atar),

Eva Mei Eva Mei (born March 3, 1967) is an Italian coloratura soprano. Life and career Eva Mei was born on March 3, 1967 in Fabriano, Italy. She graduated from the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in Florence in 1989. In 1990, at the Mozart Competition in ...

(Aspasia), Ettore Nova (Biscroma), Ambra Vespasiani (Fiammetta), Massimo Valentini (Arteneo), Michele Porcelli (Altamor), Mario Cecchetti (Urson), Sonia Turchetta (Elamir), Giovanni Battista Palmieri (Arlecchino) – Coro "Guido d'Arezzo",

Russian Philharmonic Orchestra Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, René Clemencic – 3 CDs

Nuova Era Nuova Era was an Italian classical record label founded by Marco Rho in 1985. It is primarily known for recordings of live performances from Italian opera houses and broadcast performances from the RAI archives.New York Times 198Operatic Raritie ...

Clemencic's recording was and still is the only recording of the complete opera, but it was criticised for its bad sound quality and overall mediocre orchestral playing. In 1984,

Sir Neville Marriner Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English conductor and violinist. Described as "one of the world's greatest conductors", Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ran ...

recorded two excerpts from ''Axur, re d'Ormus'' for the film ''

–'' the aria "Son queste le speranze" and the finale – with the soprano Suzanne Murphy and the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields. The finale was featured in the release of the film's album, with the aria being included in only select albums as a bonus track. The overture was recorded in 1992 by the

Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (), previously known as Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and CSR Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony radio orchestra based in Bratislava, Slovakia. Founded in 1929 to serve Slovak Radio, the orchestra beca ...

under Michel Dittrich on the

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

label, and the aria "Son queste le speranze" was recorded in 2014 with the soprano Sen Guo and the Musikkollegium Winterthur under

Douglas Boyd Douglas Boyd (born 1959, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British oboist and conductor. Biography Boyd studied oboe at the Royal Academy of Music, London, as a pupil of Janet Craxton. He later was a student with Maurice Bourgue in Paris. In 1984 he w ...

on the MDG label.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Axur, Re D Ormus Operas Italian-language operas Operas by Antonio Salieri 1788 operas Opera world premieres at the Burgtheater Operas set in ancient Persia Libretti by Lorenzo Da Ponte