|
Hob. # |
Genre |
Libretto |
Instruments / Notes |
|
28:03 |
Opera buffa Lo Speziale (Der Apotheker) (The Pharmacist) |
Based on a libretto by Goldoni |
2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Horns, Bassoon, Strings & Continuo (Harpsichord) |
In late summer of the year, an event which would slowly but surely change life at Eszterháza took place, amid all the pomp and circumstance which Nicholas was able to conjure. When we first saw an opera at Eisenstadt, in January 1763, it was Acide, which was performed either in the garden or in the 'music room'. This was followed in 1766 by La Cantarina, the performance of which we know taking place in Pressburg during Carnival. It seems clear for a man of Nicholas' tastes that an opera house was in order. And so it was! As you can discern from the drawing, it was an imposing structure, completely to the Princely taste, and reportedly equipped with all the amazing machinery and accoutrements which any metropolitan would boast of. Naturally!
More than being a hobby for Nicholas, though, opera became a virtual obsession for the next 20 years. Incredibly, by the late 1770's and through the 1780's, one hundred or more opera performances per season were being produced in the little opera house at Eszterháza by Süttör. As we will see in future years, Haydn's cumulative duties as an impresario became the greatest part of his life. In addition to composing a dozen operas for the Prince, he also had full responsibility for every aspect of staging all of the other operas which were performed, even unto composing replacement arias to suit the talents of his own singers. As the opera category comes up in years when Haydn composed one, I will try to illustrate different aspects of these responsibilities.
When you read about Lo speziale, you will see it called by different genres. In places it is a dramma giocoso, which is what its author, Carlo Goldoni, would have called it. In the Italian tradition, operas were either serious (opera seria) or comic (opera buffa). There were conventions attached to each of these genre whereby the characters had to act a certain way depending upon their social class, and the music was tailored to those conventions. So, a buffa style character couldn't sing an aria in the noble style. If these conventions were unduly breached, then the audience would be at a loss since the agreed-upon cues, which hinted at the motivations of the characters and suggested hidden things about them, suddenly became all wrong. In short, Goldoni gained his fame by successfully combining the two genres into one which he called dramma giocoso (joking drama). "So, Gurn, why is this an opera buffa?" you ask. Well, due to a critical shortage of singers in Eszterháza, Haydn had to trim the five buffa parts and two seria parts down to just four buffa parts. What is left, however, is the entire kernel of the opera, stripped of all its excess. The result is actually quite brilliant on several levels, not least that the opera retains all of Goldoni's humorous characterizations and situations, Haydn's excellent music, and the whole thing lasts less than 70 minutes, which must be some sort of record for an opera of any stripe!
So this, then was the grand opener for the new opera house. I suggest you follow the link above in order to read a very cogent synopsis of the opera. The players were Haydn's usual top-line stars. Note for the second consecutive opera, Barbara Dichtler was playing a 'pants role'. The tradition of women playing men's parts was well entrenched in Italian opera, and as a mezzo, Dichtler must have been well-suited vocally for these roles. Another name I will point out, if only to test your memory. Maddalena Spangler. We haven't run across this eighteen year old singer's name so far, but the last name
|
Role |
Voice type |
Premiere Cast, 1768 |
|
Sempronio, an old apothecary |
tenor |
Carlo Friberth |
|
Grilletta, Sempronio's ward |
soprano |
Maddalena Spangler |
|
Mengone, Sempronio's apprentice |
tenor |
Leopoldo Dichtler |
|
Volpino, a young rich dandy |
mezzo-soprano |
Barbara Dichtler |
should remind you of someone we've met on our odyssey. Any bells ringing? No. Well, fortunately for young Maddalena, Haydn's memory and his gratitude for past kindnesses rendered led him to hire and train the daughter who was a babe-in-arms of the Spangler's of Vienna, who, when Haydn was booted out of the St. Stephen's Knabenchor, offered him a place to sleep other than in the alley. Eighteen years later he was able to return the favor.
In the event, the opera was a hit. The quality must have contributed to the Prince's growing enthusiasm for opera, a devotion which would shortly surpass the current fad of the baryton. One wonders what Haydn himself thought of this apparent new trend. It would be hard to imagine anyone voluntarily taking on the tremendous workload which would soon devolve onto his shoulders, yet writing vocal music was his passion, and in lieu of sacred music, very little of which he wrote specifically for the Esterházy's, secular opera may have been the next best thing.
So, this is 1768. A huge year musically, but still just a harbinger of the years ahead. Still, one could sit back and enjoy this year's works for quite some time, if only a string quartet or two would pop up. For that, we will have to wait until next year!
Thanks for reading!