In boitos case mefistofele whisks faust off to the temptations of troy and helen. Libretto by arrigo boito based on the faust legend. He was an admirer of richard wagner and, like him, chose to write his own libretto, something which was virtually unheard of in italian opera up to that time. He is secure and commanding vocally and portrays an intriguing and multifaceted character.
The libretto, extensive and bulky, was published several weeks before the premiere and contained a. Boito definition, italian opera composer, poet, and novelist. The son of an italian father and a polish mother, arrigo boito was born in. Bonaventura somma, tullio serafin, orchestra and chorus of the accademia di santa. By 1966, ghiaurov had sung boitos devil in milan, chicago and at carnegie hall and was the leading interpreter of mefistofele in the world. Roland schwabs bayerische staatsoper productionhis debut at that theater, recorded in 2015sets the entire opera in a dark netherworld, neither here nor there, with heaven and earth occupying the same bare, stygian space. Arrigo boito of the faust story bob jones university. Con il mefistofele 1868, del quale ha composto musica e libretto, arrigo boito intende presentare unopera darte totale, risultato della perfetta fusione tra le.
If you can ignore the tedious staging, the singing is good. Samuel ramey is ideal in the role of mephistopheles. Boitos score is full of attractive music and several strong dramatic characterizations. The lord of creation has plummeted into the darkest depths and is now so weak that i lack the desire to incite him to do evil. Mefistofele basso faust tenore margherita soprano marta mezzosoprano elena soprano pantalis mezzosoprano nereo tenore prologo in cielo. Figlio di silvestro boito e fratello minore di camillo, e noto soprattutto per i suoi libretti dopera, considerati tra i massimi capolavori del genere, e per il suo melodramma mefistofele. A presentation of arrigo boitos treatment of the faust legend. Brief summary of the plot, by each of its five sections. The production is from belgiums royal opera of wallonie. It says a lot for boito, who was verdis librettist for otello and falstaff, that in mefistofele he seems to be trying to write for the voice in a distinctive way, not merely aping verdi, and certainly not heading wagnerwards either. It did not come to my mind that this particular weekend. We have here fausts lament, giunto sol passo extremo nearing the utmost limit. Tullio serafin leads the orchestra and choirs of saint cecilia academy of rome in performances that are mostly strong.
Il 5 marzo 1868, alla scala di milano, andava in scena ilmefistofeledi arrigo boito. Bonaventura somma, tullio serafin, orchestra and chorus of the accademia di santa cecilia, arrigo boito mefistofele. This 1989 production by the san francisco opera of boito s great opera mefistofele is an excellent one, and the opera is given absolutely complete. Italian libretto german translation spanish translation hungarian translation. Oddly, the massive prologue in heaven, scored for multiple choirs and childrens choir, and grandly orchestrated, comes across as somewhat underpowered here, but things pick up when the action moves to the streets of medieval frankfurt for act i. My plan coming to munich to see mefistofele by previously undiscoved composer arrigo boito, whom i have known as librettist for last operas of verdi. I do agree with those who think this opera is a less than ideal masterpiece. Boito mefistofele arena, ramey, benackova, san francisco. Short essay on arrigo boito 18421918 and the development of this opera. Some consider it a semimasterpiece, but it is definitely the masterpiece among the few operas that boito composed. Bayerisches staatsorchester, chorus and childrens chorus of the bayerische staatsoper.
Arrigo boito retells the story of the original, faustian bargain from the devils point of view in the colorful drama mefistofele. Samuel ramey, mefistofele by arrigo boito libretto by the composer after goethes faust march 2006 these study materials are produced for use with the bob jones university opera association production. Publication date 1989 topics vhs, opera, faust, san francisco opera publisher. Mefistofele has lost his wager, and holy influences have prevailed. This 1989 production by the san francisco opera of boitos great opera mefistofele is an excellent one, and the opera is given absolutely complete. Mefistofele, an album by arrigo boito, tullio serafin, orchestra dellaccademia nazionale di santa cecilia on spotify. Arrigo boito bio, albums, pictures naxos classical music. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Jun 04, 2017 if you can ignore the tedious staging, the singing is good. Mefistofele basso faust tenore margherita soprano marta mezzosoprano elena soprano pantalis mezzosoprano nereo. It is a resigned, often cynical devil who arrigo boito also known for being the librettist for verdis later masterpieces otello and falstaff distilled from goethes twopart faust tragedy and turned into the protagonist of his only finished opera. Mefistofele is one of many pieces of classical music based on the faust legend and, like many other composers, boito used goethes version as his starting point. Rene pape, joseph calleja, kristine opolais, karine babajanyan. Like rossini, who wrote three dozen operas by his midthirties and spent the next 40 years of his life unable or unwilling to complete another, boito underwent some kind of crisis early, and worked for 54 years, unsuccessfully, at completing his second opera.
Bonaventura somma, tullio serafin, orchestra and chorus of the accademia di santa cecilia, arrigo boito. And if you decide to acquire it, the golden analogue age issue is the one to own. It is characterized by its rich orchestral sounds, beautifully punctuated with lyrical passages and choral interludes. Ramey, who has sung the role in over 100 performances, sang it first at bob jones university in 1976. Mefistofele prologo ave, signor degli angeli e dei santi. Doubtless, decca presented ghiaurov in a highlights disc because the label didnt wish to compete with its extant 1958 complete set of the opera, starring cesare siepi under tullio serafins baton. There has been no lack of recordings of mefistofele, but the participation of three of the leading singers of the midtwentieth century baritone cesare siepi, tenor mario del monaco, and soprano renata tebaldi make londons reissue of this 1958 recording a welcome addition to the catalog. Mefistofele, an album by arrigo boito, stefano ranzani on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Falstaff and otello, was mostly driven by weekend performance date to fit the work schedule. Mefistofele is, on balance, good enough to be on the short list of preferred recordings of this opera. Read the libretto of the italian opera mefistofele by arrigo boito on. Mefistofele, an album by arrigo boito, stefano ranzani on spotify. Track list that identifies the characters who are singing and provides timings. Mefistofele, an album by arrigo boito, tullio serafin, orchestra dellaccademia nazionale di santa cecilia on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes.
649 1198 219 1567 1505 771 1069 887 1151 596 165 1433 49 156 288 324 271 987 1363 942 761 1429 509 995 401 961 167 1375 345 748 603 911 902 1261 890 222 319 156 984 717