Hob. # |
Genre |
Name |
Libretto |
Instruments / Voices |
28:13 |
Italian Opera Opera seria |
L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice (The Soul of the Philosopher, or Orpheus and Eurydice) |
Carlo Francesco Badini |
2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Cors anglais, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns, 2 Trumpets, Timpani, Harp, Strings & Continuo |
Orpheus and Eurydice. Their story has been told for nearly 2500 years! It was the subject of the very first opera, by the immortal Monteverdi. It was the subject of the first great Reform opera by one of the founding fathers of Classicism, Gluck. Orpheus, symbolic of all that sets music onto its own plane of existence. The London newspapers even called Haydn 'modern-day Orpheus'! What better subject for Haydn's final opera?
We have already seen the fascination which existed in those days for the famous Metamorphoses of the Roman poet Ovid. Haydn had set Philemon and Baucis as a marionette opera, way back in 1773. From the last of Book IX into Book X, we find the story of this Thracian, son of Apollo, who sang and played the lyre so well as to make any person and all of nature enraptured by the sound.
When Haydn made an agreement to go to London with Salomon, the stipulation of six symphonies and an opera was made, but the subject of the opera was left open for Sir John Gallini, Salomon's partner in the venture and owner of the new opera house under construction, to decide on. Haydn himself didn't discover even the subject until after his arrival in London, as we saw in this earlier letter:
[To PRINCE ANTON ESTERHAZY, VIENNA. in German]
Most noble Prince of the Holy Roman Empire !
[snip]… The new opera libretto which I am to compose is entitled Orfeo, in 5 acts, but I shall not receive it for a few days. It is supposed to be entirely different from that of Gluck. [snip] The opera contains only 3 persons, viz. Madam Lops, Davide, and a castrato, who is not supposed to be very special. Incidentally, the opera is supposed to contain many choruses, ballets and a lot of big changes of scenery [snip]
Joseph Haydn [m.p.] ria.
London, 8th January 1791.
In the event, the work itself went through some changes. In the usual way of such things, Haydn and Badini managed to consolidate here and there and came up with four acts instead of five. No doubt this would sit better with an audience. Also, there turned out to be another character, 'Creonte', Eurydice's father.
The reference to Gluck here is probably inevitable. One of Haydn's favorite pieces of music was Che farò senza Eurydice from Gluck's Orfeo…. He quoted it frequently in his works, for example, in Acide, which he wrote just months after the première of Orfeo. He later used it in the baryton part of one of the first Baryton Trios, (Hob 11:5), and in some of Constanze's parts in L'isola disabitata. And while he was doing this, other composers, like Boccherini, were doing the same thing. Even Gluck was quoting Gluck! So one can see the dilemma; when you are doing a remake (as we would say today) of one of the best-known works of the last forty years, one must take some pains to not copy, or at least not to sound like one is copying.
Since a good many of us have forgotten our Ovid (and our Virgil too, for that matter), let us take a look at a synopsis of the opera. To start with, we are not told how and when Orpheus and Eurydice met, not by Ovid or Virgil, so things are already underway when we find…:
SYNOPSIS
ACT I
Scene 1
Eurydice is alone in the depths of the forest. She loves the musician Orpheus but her father, King Creonte, has betrothed her to the beekeeper Arideo. The Chorus (who play a huge part in this play, just like the Greek plays) advises Eurydice to leave the gloomy forest but she resists. Suddenly though, wild forest people appear, intending to sacrifice Eurydice to the Furies. The chorus calls for help, summoning Orpheus, who appears, and playing his lyre, sings an impassioned aria, Rendete a questo Seno. His singing is so beautiful that all the forest inhabitants are appeased. Eurydice is rescued, to the amazement and joy of the chorus. The two lovers make their way back to the palace, while the chorus sings in praise of harmony.
Scene 2
In Creonte's palace, Creonte asks his followers if anyone knows what has happened to his beloved daughter, who has fled the palace. The chorus leader tells him of the events in the preceding scene, adding that Orpheus has saved the life of Eurydice, and that she loves him.
Scene 3
As they can now be married, Eurydice and Orpheus rejoice: 'Neither fate, nor death, can change my love…'
ACT II
Scene 1
Orpheus and Eurydice are married and are surrounded by a chorus of Amorini Divini (Baroque angelic figures, somewhat resembling cupids) happily singing in a pleasant flowery field. A suspicious sound disturbs them and Orpheus leaves to investigate it. While he is gone, an emissary of Arideo, who is lurking, attempts to carry off Eurydice to his master. As she attempts to flee, Eurydice steps upon a poisonous snake which bites her foot. The poison works quickly, and with her dying breath, Eurydice sings the beautiful aria, Del mio Core. Orpheus, returning, finds her lifeless body, and in desperation sings the long recitative and aria, Dove quel Alma Audace. He throws himself upon her body.
Scene 2
A messenger informs Creonte of Eurydice's death. Creonte swears to avenge his daughter.
ACT III
Scene 1
At Eurydice's grave, Orpheus, Creonte, and the chorus mourn the death of Eurydice. Virgins strew flowers on the tomb. Orpheus bewails his fate, saying that now that Eurydice's eyes are closed forever, his world is dark. He calls to Eurydice: 'Beautiful soul, you have flown to heaven, bearing on your wings my hopes and my consolation.' He goes away sadly and in silence. Creonte, expressing sympathy for him sings another aria, Chi spira e non spera, in which he observes that he who despairs without hope is in a sorry state indeed.
Scene 2
An aide tells Creonte that Orpheus is losing his mind. Creonte acknowledges that 'Whoever loses his beloved, loses himself.'
Scene 3
Orpheus seeks the counsel of the ancient prophet, the Sybil, in a cleft in the rocks. In answer to his entreaties a spirit (Genio) appears, who, while advising Orpheus to take his fate philosophically, reveals to him, in the course of a very brilliant bravura aria, Al tuo seno fortunato, that he may attempt to enter the underworld and bring back Eurydice to the upper world. The Genio accompanies him through the cleft, while the chorus sing La Giustizia, telling Orpheus that the Gods are kind to him.
ACT IV
Scene 1
On the banks of Lethe, a river of the Underworld, the Undead menace Orpheus with their misery. Genio impels Orpheus forward, to the ferryman Charon; the Furies haunt them as they go.
Scene 2
Orpheus and Genio arrive at the gates of Pluto, God of the Underworld. Orpheus begs for, and is granted, entry.
Scene 3
The souls of the Worthy, including Eurydice, languish on the Elysian Fields. The Chorus notifies Orpheus that, should he look at Eurydice, he will lose her forever. Eurydice, limping from her wound, approaches. Genio cautions Orpheus to control his desires. As they reach the cleft, Eurydice calls to Orpheus; he looks to her – and loses her a second time. Genio, too, leaves him, calling, 'You are lost; I must abandon you.'
Scene 4
Orpheus grieves: 'Hell is in my heart,' and he calls to the stars: 'Why suffering; such great cruelty?' As Orpheus weeps, a group of Bacchantes, followers of Bacchus, God of Wine and Intoxication, arrive and challenge him to forego sorrow and to seek out pleasure. Orpheus rejects their advances. Angered by Orpheus' refusal, the Bacchantes then force Orpheus to drink 'the nectar of love', actually a cup filled with poison,. He dies in agony and the Bacchantes go into a furious frenzy of delight. As the Bacchantes make their way to the 'island of delights', a violent storm arises on the river Lethe, drowning the frenzied women, and Orpheus' body is borne upon the waters, to find rest on the isle of Lesbos.
If you read the story in Ovid, you will find Badini to have been quite faithful to it. Considering he and Haydn only kept four main characters, they maximized the potential offered by the Chorus and were able to fill the gaps in the story left by such as Charon, Pluto and Persephone. In my opinion, and that of many others, this is probably the most solid libretto Haydn ever had to work with, and he certainly did it justice with the music. Why, then did this wonderful opera only receive its world première in Florence, Italy, in 1951!
Politics is a strange beast, and many things have been sacrificed on its altar over the years. Details are sketchy at best, but whenever opera is concerned, you can bet the machinations in the real world will equal those on the stage! There was a disagreement between King George III and his son, the Prince of Wales, mainly over music, but there were very probably other circumstances involved. George backed a rival opera house, The Pantheon, and felt there was really only room for one Italian Opera in town. Wales was great friends with Gallini. So we see this letter from Haydn to Luigia Polzelli, his erstwhile mistress in Vienna:
[To LUIGIA POLZELLI, VIENNA. Italian, "Tu" form]
London, 14th March 1791.
Most esteemed Polzelli,
[snip out personal things for now] … I have a lot to do, with all the concerts and opera, and I am persecuted the whole time by the subscription concerts. Up to now our opera has not yet opened, and since the King won't give the license, Signor Gallini intends to open it as if it were a subscription concert, for if he doesn't, he stands to lose twenty thousand pounds Sterling. I shan't lose anything, because the bankers Fries in Vienna have already received my money. My opera, entitled L'anima del filosofo, will be staged at the end of May ; [snip]
We now await a yes or a no from the King, and if our theatre is opened, the other theatre, that is, our rivals, will have to close their doors, because the castrato and the prima donna are too old, and their opera didn't please anyone….
The next part of the story comes to us from Dies, in his Biographische Nachrichten von Joseph Haydn. In his Fifteenth Visit he tells us that the talk this day was about L'anima del filosofo, which he welcomed because he wanted to know something about it. Haydn began, saying "It was never performed…" then this:
[Sir John] Gallini had entered into an agreement with several persons to bring about the construction of the new theater. The contractors had, however, neglected to observe one particular point – whether in ignorance or as because of judgment given by false persons, Haydn could not say – namely, to secure permission from King and parliament.
The theater now stood, completed, and the orchestra was gathered together to rehearse the opera Orfeo. Haydn had distributed the parts, and hardly were forty bars played through, when persons in authority entered and in the name of the King and Parliament forbade the opera to take place in any fashion whatsoever, not even in the form of a rehearsal. Orfeo was, as it were, declared to be contraband, and the worst of it was that the performance of all operas in the Theater was forbidden for the future.
This unexpected blow dismayed not only Gallini but the entire orchestra. Gallini, however, did not leave things in this state, but attempted, clever man that he was, to make the occurrence as little damaging as possible. Through his activity he was able to get the thing back on its feet to the extent that musical academies and ballets could be given in the new theater.
Haydn actually went on to complete the opera, even though it was not going to be performed as an opera, he hoped it would be performed as a concert, in the manner of Paisiello's Pirro, which Gallini had done in March as a dress rehearsal, although open to the public, and to great acclaim. But the work itself was proscribed and never heard from again. Or was it? In order to avoid not ever having a copy of his own, doomed work, which was Gallini's property, Haydn had secretly made a copy of it on special paper, what was called 'small sized paper for mailing'. This manuscript copy still exists, it was in Budapest with the remnants of the Esterházy archives when Robbins-Landon examined it. Written in Haydn's hand at the top of Eurydice's tragic 'death aria' Del mio Core, is the date May 27. On May 27, Salomon's Concert #11 was held at the Hanover Square Rooms. In the highlight position, right after the Grand Overture opening the Second Half, is the listing "Cantata – Signor(a) Storace" with no further information. Could it be that the English public actually did, unknowingly, get to hear the highlight aria of the suppressed opera? I sure would like to think so!
Next time we will look at some more concerts, and the music which went with them.
Thanks for reading!