I Puritani

I puritani (in French: the Puritans ) is a opera in 3 acts of Vincenzo Bellini on a booklet of Carlo Pepoli, based on a historical drama of Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Boniface (Saintine), round Têtes and Riders .

Roles

Arturo (Tenor)
Elvira (Soprano - Mezzo-soprano in the Neapolitan version)
Riccardo (Baritone - tenor in the Neapolitan version)
Giorgio (low)
Enrichetta (mezzo-soprano)
Gualtiero Valton (low)
Bruno (tenor)

Birth of the opera

Bellini composed its last opera in nine months, of April 1834 in January 1835: an extraordinarily long gestation for the time. During this period, dramaturgy sudden of the radical transformations, and the type-setter guided step by step the work of the inexperienced librettist.

Initially structured in two acts, the opera was subdivided in three acts little before the first representation. To this occasion, on the councils of Rossini, Bellini added a duet between Giorgio and Riccardo, like final of the new second act to replace a court Récitatif.

The day before the first representation, the excessive length of the spectacle imposed the cut of 3 great outdoors, often taken again today at the time of a new setting in scene:

the trio between Arturo, Riccardo and Enrichetta (act I) it destino has you to me invola
the duet between Arturo and Elvira (act III) Da what a dì ch' io Ti reflected
the final air (act III) Ah! sento O me bell' angelo

Creation

The first representation took place with the Theater-Italian of Paris the January 25th 1835, where it accepted a reception triomphal.
La distribution is extraordinary:

Giulia Grisi in the role of Elvira
Giovan Battista Rubini in that of Arturo
Antonio Tamburini in that of Riccardo
Luigi Lablache in that of Giorgio

The opera will be taken again each season in Paris and London, always with the same distribution, becoming the legendary quartet of the Puritains .

The Neapolitan version

There exists a version alternate, made up for Maria Malibran and intended for the Teatro San Carlo of Naples, in which, in addition to the absence of the duet between Giorgio and Riccardo, presents several minor differences, particularly in the tonality and the melody lines, which had with the difference of the distribution of the roles with Elvira Mezzo-soprano and Riccardo Ténor. This version was never assembled during the 19th century, but was represented only the April 2nd 1986, with the Teatro Petruzzelli of Bari.

Weave

The action proceeds close to Plymouth, in England during the 17th century, at the time of Oliver Cromwell. The history of love is tied at the time of a meeting between political enemies, a partisan of the Puritains and that of the Stuart, after the decapitation of the king Charles Ier.

Act I

The fortress of Plymouth: the news that Elvira Valton will marry Arturo Talbot saddens to sir Riccardo Forth, with which Gualtiero Valton had a promised time the hand of his/her daughter.

Whereas all is ready for the ceremony, Arturo, in favor of Stuart, recognizes in mysterious captive queen déchue, Henriette de France (Marie Henriette de Bourbon), that it must accompany with the court.

By making it pass for his wife thanks to a veil that Elvira, by play, posed to him on the head, Arturo succeeds in jumping the wall with the captive one. Before fleeing, the couple falls on Riccardo, which lets them leave, quite happy to be released from its rival.

To the news that its promised fled with a lady, Elvira falls insane.

Act II

In a room of the castle, the good uncle Giorgio tells with pain with the assistance the madness of Elvira. Shortly after the young girl appears, delirious and claiming its liked, Arturo.

Giorgio tries to convince Riccardo not to translate the rival in front of the court, since he is not the only person in charge of the escape of Enrichetta.

The occasion of the settling of score will be rather the imminent battle between Puritains and Stuarts.

Act III

The scene is held in a filled up garden of thickets, near to the house of Elvira. Under a terrible hurricane, fugitive Arturo, tracked by the puritan soldiers, tries to join the house of sound liked, of which he hears the remote voice entoner their song of love.

Arturo answers him with the same melody, and finally Elvira recognizes it and joined it. The emotion is such as it makes waver its reason. But peace is of short duration: the army makes irruption, stops and encircles the two in love ones. For Arturo, the death sentence was already marked, when a ringing of trumpets announces the final defeat of Stuart.

To celebrate the victory, Cromwell pronounces an amnesty: the tribulations of Arturo and Elvira are finally finished.

Great outdoors

Ale erta! , choruses (act I)
Ah, per sempre io Ti perdei , Cavatine Riccardo (act I)
has you, O will cara , cavatine Arturo (act I)
Its vergin vezzosa , cavatine Elvira (act I)
Ah, vieni Al tempio , Concertato (act I)
Cinta di fiori , lovesong Giorgio (act II)
Which it voce sweated soave… Vien diletto, E in sky the luna , aria Elvira (act II)
Suoni the tromba, E intrepido , Cabaletta duet between Giorgio and Riccardo (act II)
Corre has valle, corre has assembles , Chanson Arturo (act III)
Vieni FRA queste braccia , cabaletta duet between Arturo and Elvira (act III)
Credeasi, will misera , Arturo, Elvira, choruses (act III). This air requires of the tenor who interprets the role of Arturo against-F (fa4, F5), the acutest note ever written for a tenor.

References discographics

Tullio Serafin (leader), Maria Fixed (Elvira), Giuseppe Di Stefano (Arturo), Rolando Panerai (Riccardo), Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Giorgio), Angelo Mercuriali (Bruno), Carlo Forti (Gualtiero Valton), Aurora Cattelani (Enrichetta), orchestra and chœu of the Theater of Scala of Milan (EMI - edizione pesantemente tagliata)
Richard Bonynge (leader), Joan Sutherland (Elvira), Luciano Pavarotti (Arturo), Piero Cappuccilli (Riccardo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Giorgio), chorus beyond Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Symphony Orchestrated (Decca)
Riccardo Muti (leader), Montserrat Caballé (Elvira), Alfredo Kraus (Arturo), Matteo Manuguerra (Riccardo), Agostino Ferrin (Giorgio), Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philarmonia Orchestra (EMI 1980)
Gabriele Ferro (leader), Katia Ricciarelli (Elvira), Chris Merritt (Arturo), Juan Luque Carmona (Riccardo), Roberto Scandiuzzi (Giorgio) (Fonic Cetra, public recording, April 10th, 1986 - Neapolitan, but partial edition.

Booklet

The Italian booklet is consultable here.

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