Re Lear

Re Lear ( King Lear ) is an opera project by Giuseppe Verdi ( 1813-1901 ), which was not completed. Verdi has the drama King Lear by William Shakespeare since 1843 repeatedly pulled over almost 50 years as a material for an opera, a consideration, but ultimately never completed. In the 1850s, Verdi worked with Antonio Somma even a complete libretto, but for which there is no written composition. Speculation, there would be a lost score of the Re Lear, could not be confirmed.

Unrealized Verdi's operas

In addition to the 27 completed operas Verdi has numerous other substances for operas drawn throughout his 60 years of service into consideration and for different reasons discarded in different stages of execution; around 90 such projects are detectable. Until the stage of a text concept came, among other Lorenzino de ' Medici and the ancestress, based on the play by Franz Grillparzer. One realization came closest to Re Lear, dealt with the Verdi and his librettist more almost 50 years, in several sessions. Not least interested Verdi to Shakespeare's play, the father-daughter theme that his work in all phases of a recurring theme of his first opera, Oberto (1839 ) Nabucco (1842 ), Giovanna d' Arco (1845 ), Luisa Miller ( 1849), Stiffelio (1849 ), Rigoletto (1851 ), Simon Boccanegra ( 1857/1881 ) and La forza del destino ( 1862/1869 ) by pulling up to Aida (1871 ). In addition, Verdi of his life was an avowed Shakespeare fan, even if he ultimately realized only three Shakespeare operas than 34 years of Macbeth (1847 ), and finally his last two operas Otello (1887 ) and Falstaff (1893 ) at the age of 73 and 79 years. Two further offered to him Shakespeare substances rejected Verdi: The Tempest ( 1850) and Hamlet ( also in 1850 and again in 1871).

Working at Re Lear

The topic Re Lear appeared in 1843 for the first time in Verdi's correspondence on, even before the composition of Macbeth. Significantly, Verdi already had clear ideas regarding the singer of the title role, for which he was the baritone Giorgio Ronconi, the first Nabucco commit. The project was however quickly discarded in favor of Ernani (1844 ). 1845 was Re Lear back to the list of possible substances intended for a London opera, not least because Verdi was looking for an "English " subject for the world premiere in London; indeed he composed then the end based on a Byron fabric opera Il corsaro (1848 ) Trieste.

More concrete employment with Re Lear early 1850, when Verdi initially planned, Re Lear was writing for his publisher Ricordi. On February 28, he sent a detailed libretto draft Salvatore Cammarano, the later librettist his opera Il trovatore. In the accompanying letter, however, were already fundamental difficulties of the subject of language, which then also should contribute to the failure of the project later: "Re Lear is so vast, intertwined so at first glance, it seems impossible to turn it into an opera. " However, Verdi wanted to make the fabric a new work: " Your must know that one can not make a drama in the hitherto generally accepted form of the Re Lear, but treat him in an entirely new, broad manner, without regard to any traditions. " Intended were five main roles for which Verdi even the vocal subjects had determined: Lear, Cordelia, the Fool, Edmondo and Edgardo, and the secondary characters Regana and Gonerilla.

But in mid- 1850 showed that Cammarano would not be ready until the fall with the text, so that Verdi now the Stiffelio ( with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave) Trieste tackled and in the spring of 1851 the Rigoletto for Venice. Cammarano was but now not entrusted to me the completion of Re Lear, but with the libretto for Il trovatore, whose novel and bizarre material Verdi had fascinated the meantime .. Cammarano died on July 17, 1852, he had not even the libretto for Il trovatore completely finished, let alone resume work on Re Lear.

In April 1853 the Verdi Re Lear took up again and sent his documents to the writers Antonio Somma. Somma had by then still no written libretto, but had practical opera experience as a former director of the opera Trieste. The following correspondence with Somma Verdi already developed very specific ideas about his new opera: " Even now, it seems to me that the main pieces of this opera will be: The introduction to the aria Cordelia, the storm scene, the court scene, the duet between Lear and Cordelia and the final scene. " Already on July 12, 1853 delivered Somma from the first part of the libretto, but it showed fundamental problems in the implementation of the substance. So pointed Verdi Somma out that it is " extremely difficult" to achieve in music effect if the text consisted only of dialogues.; as problematic also proof of the large number of scene changes. Beginning of September 1853 had completed the second act Somma. Early November showed Verdi Somma 2000 lire for the work carried out up to that point, in mid-November, details of the third and fourth act in December and discussed the first draft of the libretto was finally finished.

From the beginning of 1854 Verdi held for long periods in Paris for the preparation and rehearsals for Les vêpres siciliennes. He discussed repeatedly with Somma letter further work on the text to Re Lear. This part have also been individual arias, and even individual lines of verse discussed, where it was Verdi always about cuts and the collection of individual scenes. Beginning in 1855 received an altered Verdi Libretto from the now two main characters were deleted; he conveyed Somma but again, extensive detail changes. In April 1855, the work ended for the time being at Re Lear and was only resumed in 1856. In April of this year was a new complete version of all acts, but quite happy Verdi was still not "I could not tell you what it is, but there is something in it, does not satisfy me ," he wrote the fourth act the joint work of Verdi and Somma on the text to Re Lear retired now been over three years back, but it " Verdi remain considerable doubts as to whether the substance of Shakespeare's play can really be adequately captured in the music. "

Nevertheless seemed middle of the year 1856 imminent realization of the Re Lear immediately, as Verdi negotiated among others, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on a new opera. Verdi now presented already precise requirement for the occupation of the main roles, which suggests at least a sketchy composition of the votes. However, the desired Verdi singers of Naples were not available, so the project was again postponed - Verdi wrote now Simon Boccanegra ( 1857) for Venice, but continued to hold fast to Re Lear: In July 1856, he told his French publisher Escudier, he wanted the first Stiffelio (realized under the title Aroldo ) fashion, then Simon Boccanegra finish and then re Lear compose for Naples. That individual compositions of Re Lear in Simon Boccanegra (where the constellation father daughter plays a central role ) and in Aroldo (here the storm scene ) found entrance, is indeed obvious on the basis of temporal sequences, but occupied by nothing, as there is no after all is ( preserved ) compositional sketches to Re Lear.

1857 presented Verdi but once again that the singer in Naples did not meet his expectations for Re Lear, so he sought a substitute mid 1857 a new fabric for the San Carlo. Was initially considered a revision of his opera La Battaglia di Legnano, was finally realized but an entirely new opera: Un ballo in maschera ( with a libretto by Somma ), which, however, was not premiered for reasons of censorship in Naples but 1859 in Rome.

End of the project

With the failure of the project in Naples, Re Lear gradually fell from Verdi's narrower field of view. In 1865, he pulled the fabric at least consider returning, this time for Paris; but he doubted whether the present libretto was likely just for the Opera. On August 8, 1865 Somma died without his libretto was closer to an implementation. Verdi had this opera now apparently written off, but still not quite. So he agreed, for example, in 1868 the recording of the libretto in the publication of collected works Sommas explicitly not to be so reserved the right to further use, but without taking concrete steps.

While working on Otello ( 1880 ) Verdi came occasionally to Re Lear to speak, but not in the sense of planned opera, but the text he was apparently still present. After the premiere of Falstaff (1893 ), there were rumors in the press, Verdi and his librettist Boito working on another Shakespeare opera, especially at a Re Lear. Boito is said to have actually employed such considerations; an anecdote of the Verdi biographer Nardi According Giuseppina Verdi is said to have prevented the pursuit of these plans with regard to the health Verdi, however. In Boito's estate was found in any case a people directory to a Re Lear. In this context of traditional Pietro Mascagni report is interesting: The 85 -year-old Verdi had heard therefore that Mascagni himself worked on a Re Lear and the young fellow then offered his study material. At the same time he had but hinted to have been overwhelmed by the material, after which Mascagni have naturally dropped his project: " In all my life I have never broached the topic Re Lear. " ( The conversation must have taken place in the spring of 1898. )

The reasons for the failure of Re Lear project after a temporary rather intense discussion of the material, Verdi has never expressed explicitly. In addition to the lack of suitable performers than in Naples a concrete way to realize existed, Verdi always had fundamental doubts as to whether it was possible to implement the complex material in a libretto and finally seen that " not suitable all the dramas of spoken theater for opera are ". Despite the qualities but also seems to have not complied with the manner of composition Verdi Libretto Sommas; a collaboration with Boito could possibly have, despite the difficulties of the substance lead to a successful end.

Since Verdi 1856/57 already thought about occupation and questions about details of arias, it is likely that he had fairly clear ideas about the composition, even if he had written nothing of it; this would correspond to quite his usual way of working, because he had started quite late with writing the score in other operas. However, there were always suspicions, Verdi had destroyed an already finished score of Re Lear himself or such would even be in the archives of the Ricordi publishing house and would one day come to light. In both cases, however, there is nothing documented legends.