Medea (Pacini)
{{Short description|Opera composed by Giovanni Pacini}}
{{Other uses|Medea (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox opera
| name = Medea
| composer = Giovanni Pacini
| image = Giovanni Pacini cropped.jpg
| caption = Pacini
| librettist = Benedetto Castiglia
| language = Italian
| based_on = {{based on|Médée|Corneille}}
| premiere_date = {{Start date|1843|11|28|df=y}}
| premiere_location = Teatro Carolino, Palermo
}}
Medea is an opera in three acts composed by Giovanni Pacini to a libretto by Benedetto Castiglia. It premiered on 28 November 1843 at the {{ill|Teatro Carolino|it|Teatro Bellini (Palermo)}} in Palermo, conducted by the composer with Geltrude Bortolotti in the title role. The libretto is based on the plays Medea by Euripides and Médée by Pierre Corneille.{{Almanacco|dmy=28-11-1843|match=Medea}}
Performance history
Following its premiere on 28 November 1843 at the Teatro Carolino on Palermo, Pacini revised the work for its performance at the {{ill|Teatro Eretenio|it}} in Vicenza in 1845. It was further revised for its first performance at La Fenice in Venice on 9 March 1850.{{Almanacco|dmy=09-03-1850|match=Medea}} The final and definitive version premiered at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on 26 February 1853.{{Almanacco|dmy=26-02-1853|match=Medea}} For two decades Pacini's Medea enjoyed considerable popularity in Italy, Russia and South America.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} It then fell into obscurity, eclipsed by Bellini's Norma which has a similar story and Cherubini's Médée.
However, it has had some modern revivals, most notably the 1993 performance at the {{ill|Teatro Gabriello Chiabrera|it}} in Savona conducted by Richard Bonynge with Jolanta Omilian in the title role (a live recording was released on the Agora label), and the 2006 semi-staged production at the ancient theatre of Taormina conducted by Tyrone Paterson with Simona Baldolini in the title role.
Roles
| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}} !Premiere castAccording to the original libretto | ||
| Medea, a sorceress and Giasone's wife | soprano | Geltrude Bortolotti |
| Cassandra, a priestess | soprano | Giovanna Austin |
| Licisca, Medea's servant | soprano | Adelaide Orlandi |
| Giasone, former leader of the Argonauts | tenor | Giovanni Battista Pancani |
| Creonte, King of Corinth | bass | Luigi Valli |
| Calcante, a priest | bass | Secondo Torre |
| colspan="3"|Choirs and walkers-on: Glauca.According to Pessina, soprano. Girls. Women. Boys. People. Curetes. Priests. Archons. Matrons. Soldiers |
Synopsis
:Setting: Corinth in Ancient Greece
The heroic warrior Giasone plans to abandon his wife Medea to marry Glauca the daughter of Creonte, the king of Corinth. In revenge Medea murders their two children and then commits suicide.
Notable arias and duets
References
Notes
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- Pessina, Marino, "Medea", in Gelli, Piero & Poletti, Filippo (ed.), Dizionario dell'Opera 2008, Milano, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, pp. 828–829, {{ISBN|978-88-6073-184-5}} (in Italian).
- Original libretto: [https://opacplus.bsb-muenchen.de/Vta2/bsb10580108/bsb:BV011391493 Medea. Tragedia lirica], Palermo, Reale Stamperia, 1845
Further reading
- Balthazar, S. L., Rose, Michael, and Kaufman, T., "Pacini, Giovanni", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition, 2001. {{ISBN|0-333-60800-3}}
- Pacini, Giovanni, [https://books.google.com/books?id=1hsWAAAAYAAJ&q=Medea Le mie memorie artistiche], G. G. Guidi, 1865
External links
- {{IMSLP|work=Medea (Pacini, Giovanni)|cname=Medea (Pacini)}}
{{Giovanni Pacini}}
{{Medea}}
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Category:Italian-language operas
Category:Operas based on Medea (Euripides play)
Category:Operas based on plays