Il corsaro
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| Operas by Giuseppe Verdi |
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Oberto (1839) |
Il corsaro (The Corsair) is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron's poem The Corsair. The first performance was given at the Teatro Grande in Trieste on 25 October 1848.
The composer expressed interest in Byron's poem The Corsaire as early as 1844, but it was several years before he got around to composing the opera, working with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Meanwhile, Verdi was caught up in a squabble between two publishers doing battle over his work. Il Corsaro was written for the publisher who lost that battle — at least in the composer's eyes — and Verdi may have been anxious to get past it. In any case, when he finished the score in 1848, and turned it over to the publisher, he apparently had no idea where or when it would be produced. When it premiered at the Teatro Grande (now the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi) in Trieste later that year, Verdi did not attend the first performance. He may have known exactly what he was doing. As it turns out, the opera was poorly received — an unusual occurrence for Verdi. It quickly fell out of favor and even today it is very much of a rarity. [1]
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[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 25, 1848[2] (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Corrado, captain of the Pirates | tenor | Gaetano Fraschini |
| Medora, Corrado's young lover | soprano | Carolina Volpini |
| Pasha Seid, Pasha of Coron | baritone | Achille De Bassini |
| Gulnara, Seid's favorite slave | soprano | Marianna Barbieri-Nini |
| Giovanni, a pirate | bass | Giovanni Volpini |
| Aga Selimo, Official of the Pasha | tenor | Giovanni Petrovich |
| A Black Eunuch | tenor | Francesco Cucchiari |
| Slave | tenor | Stefano Albanassich |
[edit] Synopsis
The story is set in the early 1800s, with the action taking place on a Greek island in the Aegean and in the Turkish city of Corone.[3]
[edit] Act 1
The Greek island
The island is controlled by the corsairs, or pirates. An offstage chorus introduces Corrado, the chief corsair, who is in exile. He receives a letter containing military intelligence about the Turkish Pasha, Seid. It convinces him to set sail with his comrades, and he immediately starts rallying the troops.
The next scene takes place at the home of Medora, Corrado's girlfriend. She is alone, and anxious for his return. She picks up her harp and starts singing a beautiful, but vaguely sinister aria. Some sixth sense seems to be telling her that things are bound to turn out badly. When Corrado finally arrives, the two sing a duet that captures both the serenity of their love and the uncertainty of their future. Corrado then leaves to confront the Pasha.
[edit] Act 2
Corone
The slave girls in Pasha Seid's harem are looking after Gulnara, the Pasha's favorite. However, Gulnara is unhappy about the Pasha's attentions. She chafes at life in the harem, and longs for freedom and true love. A eunuch brings Gulnara an invitation to a celebratory banquet – anticipating the Pasha's victory in the impending sea battle with the corsairs.
At the banquet, a slave asks the Pasha if a Dervish might be admitted. The Dervish has apparently escaped from the corsairs. Seid grants him an audience, and questions him. Suddenly everyone notices flames at sea. The Pasha's fleet is burning. The Dervish whips off his disguise, and reveals that he is Corrado. His corsairs invade the banquet, and a battle takes place. At first, it seems Corrado and his men will win, but he makes a fatal mistake. Seeing that the harem is burning, Corrado decides to rescue Gulnara and the other women. This gives the Pasha and his men time to regroup. They take Corrado prisoner, and he is condemned to a grisly death.
[edit] Act 3
Corone
Seid is enjoying his victory, but is not entirely satisfied since he is in love with Gulnara, and is afraid she has fallen for the dashing Corrado. He sends for her, and she tells him that he is right. Seid threatens Gulnara, but she defies him and the Pasha storms out of the room.
Meanwhile, Corrado is in prison and assumes he is doomed. Gulnara bribes a guard to let her into his cell. She vows to help him, saying she herself will kill Seid. Corrado turns down her offer, citing his honor as a combatant. He also senses her deep feelings for him, and tells her that he is in love with Medora. Gulnara leaves, and in a brief interlude we again hear the stormy music that opened the Prelude. This time, the music accompanies a murder. Gulnara returns, and says she has killed the Pasha. With their enemy gone, she and Corrado resolve to escape together to the corsairs' island.
The Greek island
Near death after taking poison, Medora is convinced and she will never see Corrado again. The ship carrying Gulnara and Corrado appears in the distance. When they arrive, Corrado and Medora throw themselves into each other's arms, but their joy does not last for long. Medora dies. With his men trying to stop him, Corrado leaps from a cliff into the sea as the opera ends.
[edit] Noted arias
- "Sì, di Corsari il fulmine" - Corrado in Act I, Scene 1
- "Tutto parea sorridere" - Corrado in Act I, Scene 1
- "Non so le tetre immagini" - Medora in Act I, Scene 2
- "Ah conforto è sol la speme" - Gulnara in Act II, Scene 1
- "Vola talor dal carcere" - Gulnara in Act II, Scene 1
- "Salve, Allah! tutta quanta" - Seid in Act II, Scene 2
- "Cento leggiadre vergini" - Seid in Act III, Scene 1
- "S'avvincina il tuo momento" - Seid in Act III, Scene 1
[edit] Notes
- ^ Background excerpted from NPR's "The World of Opera"
- ^ List of singers taken from Budden, Julian: The Operas of Verdi (Cassell), vol 1, p. 362.
- ^ Synopsis taken from NPR's The World of Opera
