Palmira, Regina di Persia
Palmira, Regina di Persia (Eng. Palmira, Queen of Persia ) is a heroic- comic opera (it. Dramma eroicomico ) in two acts by Antonio Salieri to a text by Giovanni De Gamerra by Desiré Martins La Princesse de Babylone. The premiere took place in Vienna Kärntnertortheater on 14 October 1795.
After his great successes in Paris with Les Danaïdes and Tarare Salieri was to write in 1789, the five-act opera La Princesse de Babylone for the Paris stage. The librettist Desiré Martin wrote this text after Voltaire's eponymous drama. However, the horrors of the French Revolution were Salieri stray from his travel plans, and so it remained for plans and sketches for this work. Years later, Salieri reminded of the text and left him to the poet Giovanni De Gamerra, who designed eroicomico from a two-act dramma.
At the premiere Palmira was granted a tremendous success - not least thanks to the luxurious features (among others was to see a camel on the stage ) and the oriental subjects. Similarly quickly as it had happened in Salieri Axur, Re d' Ormus, the work was soon replayed throughout Europe; numerous translations into German and also in Polish, as well as various piano scores speak for the popularity it enjoyed the opera.
Paraphrases and adaptations
Many composers varied and paraphrased parts of the work, so used about Ignaz Moscheles in his martial Impromptu op 65 a march from the first act of the opera Various arrangements for chamber ensemble have been preserved, including a version of the clarinetist Anton Stadler for three basset horns.
Particularly famous among his contemporaries became the a cappella quartet for male voices " Silenzio facciasi ": Salieri himself used it in purely instrumental version for his Wind Octet Armonia per un Tempio della notte, as well as with the new text " Notte placida e tranquilla " provided for its wedding cantata for Emperor Franz II / I. (1808 ). Other composers and various publishers edited this vocal piece. From France even a version for liturgical context is titled " Veille sur tes enfants! " known. In circles of the Freemasons, the piece was also provided with new lyrics and sung at meetings.
Another example of the great popularity of this opera is the emergence of parody The travestied Palmyra by Franz Xaver Gebel at the Vienna Theater in der Leopoldstadt in 1813.
Appreciation of the work by contemporaries
In his correspondence is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1797-1799 several times to speak enthusiastically to the work. Schiller against it manifests itself particularly on the magnificent facilities and the successful implementation of the staged opera.
The composer Conradin Kreutzer heard the work in Vienna in 1804 and recognized in his enthusiasm for the piece of his calling to the theater composers.
Bettina von Arnim reported in " Clemens Brentano's Spring wreath of youth letters " (1844 ) excited by a visit to the opera.