[32] Its original run of 27 performances was extraordinary for that time. She then claims that her efforts to secure the throne for Nero had all along been a ruse to safeguard the throne for Claudius ("Se vuoi pace"). Three early manuscript copies, probably dating from 1710, are held in Vienna; one of these may have been a gift from Grimani to the future Emperor Charles VI. Agrippina is considered Handel's first operatic masterpiece;[1] according to Winton Dean it has few rivals for its "sheer freshness of musical invention". Italian. Composed for the 1709-10 Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of her son as emperor. Agrippina … [48][52] However, Handel's style would change very little in the next 30 years,[36] a point reflected in the reviews of the Tully Hall performance of Agrippina in 1985, which refer to a "string of melodious aria and ensembles, any of which could be mistaken for the work of his mature London years". Agrippina (libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani.Composed for the 1709–10 Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of her son as emperor. Poppaea swears revenge ("Ingannata una sol volta", alternate aria "Pur punir chi m'ha ingannata") but is distracted when Nero comes forward and declares his love for her. Composer. [19] Echoes of "Ti vo' giusta" (one of the few arias composed specifically for Agrippina) can be found in the air "He was despised", from Handel's Messiah (1742). 26 December 1709, Venice (Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo) Cast. All the characters existed in history, but this libretto is a completely fictional baroque tale of … Handel's autograph score survives, with the Sinfonia and first recitatives missing, but it shows significant differences from the libretto, due to changes made for the first performances. [36] However, when interest in Handel's operas awakened in the 20th century, Agrippina received several revivals, beginning with a 1943 production at Handel's birthplace, Halle, under conductor Richard Kraus at the Halle Opera House. AGRIPPINA Speak then, reveal your thoughts. Agrippina (HWV 6) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani.Composed for the 1709–10 Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina… Agrippina advises Poppaea to turn the tables on Otho by telling the Emperor that Otho has ordered her to refuse Claudius's attentions. Agrippina (opera) 3-act opera seria by G. F. Händel with libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani about Agrippina, the mother of Nero, who plots the downfall of Claudius to install Nero as emperor; premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on 26 Dec. 1709. It premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on 26 December 1709. During his years in Italy, Handel absorbed the music of his contemporaries and mastered new stylistic trends. Dean and Knapp describe this, and Otho's aria which follows, as "the peak of the opera". Production a gift of Dunard Fund USA. Vincenzo Grimani Premiere. The situations in which they find themselves are sometimes comic, but never farcical—like Mozart in the Da Ponte operas, Handel avoids laughing at his characters. Agrippina. [51], Handel made more use than was then usual of orchestral accompaniment in arias, but in other respects Agrippina is broadly typical of an older operatic tradition. PALLAS Ah, if only I could speak my mind! The date of Agrippina's first performance, about which there was at one time some uncertainty, has been confirmed by a manuscript newsletter as 26 December 1709. Carli evidently was able to utilise an exceptionally wide range; the part descends to C below the stave. Terms | Despite the evident public enthusiasm for the work, Handel did not promote further stagings. Soon Nero arrives to press his love on her ("Coll'ardor del tuo bel core"), but she tricks him into hiding as well. [4], Handel then spent time in Rome, where the performance of opera was forbidden by Papal decree,[5] and in Naples. Agrippina was Handel's sixth opera and the last he premiered in Italy. [21], The instrumentation for Handel's score follows closely that of all his early operas: two recorders, two oboes, two trumpets, three violins, two cellos, viola, timpani, contrabassoon and harpsichord. Agrippina est le troisième opéra dun jeune compositeur de 24 ans qui fait preuve dune étonnante maturité musicale et dun sens théâtral le prédisposant déjà à simposer comme le meilleur dramaturge musical de son époque. In this performance the alto role of Otho, composed for a woman, was changed into a bass accompanied by English horns, "with calamitous effects on the delicate balance and texture of the score", according to Winton Dean. Agrippina, aware that Claudius also loves Poppaea, sees a new opportunity of furthering her ambitions for Nero. Agrippina receives a letter … No. [14] This practice of adapting and borrowing was common at the time but is carried to greater lengths in Agrippina than in almost all of Handel's other major dramatic works. Co-production with Bayerische Staatsoper (München), Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London) and Staatsoper Hamburg. It proved an immediate success and an unprecedented series of 27 consecutive performances followed. "Handel on the London Stage". 5 George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) Programme note Agrippina, HWV6 (1709) An opera in three acts, based on a libretto by Vincenzo Grimani Apostolo Zeno and soon Vincenzo was turning his own hand to writing opera librettos. ('Long live the beloved Saxon!') AGRIPPINA Your loyalty is pleasing to me. Agrippina is married to her third husband, the Roman emperor Claudius. Singers | [68] It presents a German adaptation of the recitatives and written out embellishments for the da capo arias as well as numerous cuts. However, Poppaea is touched by her former beloved's grief, and wonders if he might not be guilty ("Bella pur nel mio diletto"). [44] Joyce DiDonato has performed the title role in productions in London at The Royal Opera in 2019[46] and at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 2020,[47] among other venues. The men in Agrippina are generally weak and easily manipulated, especially by means of sex. No one is satisfied with this arrangement, as their desires have all changed, so Claudius in a spirit of reconciliation reverses his judgement, giving Poppaea to Otho and the throne to Nero. Opera in three acts (1709) Sung in Italian Libretto Vincenzo Grimani. Composed for the 1709-10 Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, … A manuscript from the 1740s known as the "Flower score" is described by Dean as "a miscellany in haphazard order". [58] In Otho's "Coronato il crin" the agitated nature of the music is the opposite of what the "euphoric" tone of the libretto suggests. The opera charts her attempts to secure the imperial succession for … His wife Agrippina … A comprehensive study guide of George Frideric Handel's AGRIPPINA, featuring Principal Characters, Brief Story Synopsis, Story Narrative with Music Highlight Examples, Libretto with Italian-English translation in parallel, side-by-side, and Burton D. Fisher's insightful and in … ... Libretto by Vincenzo … Title Dramma per musica in tre atti Composer Porpora, Nicola Antonio: Opus/Catalogue Number Op./Cat. Felicity Palmer took the title role. Agrippina is an unscrupulous schemer; Nero, while not yet the monster he would become, is pampered and hypocritical; Claudius is pompous, complacent, and something of a buffoon, while Poppaea, the first of Handel's sex kittens, is also a liar and a flirt. It is based on the 1709 version, with ballet music borrowed from Rodrigo, and contains two appendices with added and reconstructed music as well as deleted versions from the autograph.[70]. When Claudius arrives at Poppaea's house she denounces what she believes is Otho's treachery. This production runs: Saturday, Feb 29. Otho is devastated and appeals to Agrippina, Poppaea, and Nero for support, but they all reject him, leaving him in bewilderment and despair ("Otton, qual portentoso fulmine" followed by "Voi che udite il mio lamento"). Three centuries on, “Agrippina” remains bracing in its bitterness, with few glimmers of hope or virtue in the cynical darkness. [3] All the main characters, with the sole exception of Claudius's servant Lesbus, are historical, and the broad outline of the libretto draws heavily upon Tacitus's Annals and Suetonius' Life of Claudius. Contribute | Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel with a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. Pallas and Narcissus realize that Agrippina has tricked them into supporting Nero and decide to have no more to do with her. Time. Nero is unenthusiastic about this project, but consents to his mother's wishes ("Con saggio tuo consiglio"). In 1983 the opera returned to Venice, for a performance under Christopher Hogwood at the Teatro Malibran. She advises Claudius that he should end Otho's ambitions once and for all by abdicating in favour of Nero. 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