Amica (opera)
- Renaldo ( Rinaldo ), a shepherd (baritone )
- Giorgio, his brother (Tenor)
- Père Camoine (Padron Camoine ), the squire ( bass)
- Amica, his niece (soprano )
- Magdelone ( Maddalena ), servant at the estate (mezzo- soprano)
- Compatriots, servants, shepherds (chorus )
Amica is a tragic opera in two acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1905 at the Opéra de Monaco. The libretto Paul de Choudens under the pseudonym Paul Berel. The facility is the only opera Mascagni in French. The translation into Italian Giovanni got Targioni - Tozzetti. Theme of the opera is the love triangle between two brothers and a woman who answered the feelings of a brother, but the other brother is promised. The theme of brotherly love that is in conflict with the love of a woman, is a well-known literary motif, eg in Schiller's Bride of Messina or - long after Amica - in Borges ' La Intrusa. Nevertheless, the opera has no direct literary source.
Amica is in spite of the subject of the " common people " and the dramatic exit not an opera verismo, because in the center of the tragic action are family relationships and doomed romantic hopes, not violence and " crimes of passion ". Musically the opera with leitmotif technique and unity of drama and musical development Wagner suggests that covered aware Mascagni, and the visitors to the premiere was. The theme of freedom and the mountains from Amica is borrowed directly from Wagner's Valkyries theme.
Amica was never a great success and will no longer played almost today, a fate that Amica shares with all other stage works Mascagni with the major exception of Cavalleria rusticana. The Mascagni 's biographer Roger Flury sees Amica the invigorating spirit of Massenet and Catalani; the opera contains some of the most inspired compositions Mascagni and was " most worthy of a re-evaluation " of his forgotten operas.
Action
Act I
A farm in the mountainous Haute -Savoie
Camoine, the rich landowner, has raised his niece Amica as his own daughter. To this end, he has recorded two orphaned brothers in his house: Rinaldo and Giorgio. After Camoine threw the rebellious and violent Rinaldo from the farm, this goes into the mountains and live there as a shepherd. The obedient Giorgio remains on the estate.
In order not to be responsible for Amica and to comply with the wish of his beloved Maddalena, Camoine now wants to marry Amica with Giorgio. Giorgio is secretly in love with Amica for years. Amica who loves Rinaldo, protested in vain. She desperately summons Rinaldo and tells him that she should be forced to marry another man. Who is this other man, she does not tell Rinaldio. Together they flee to the mountains.
Second Act
A mountain pass at a waterfall
Giorgio followed the pair into the mountains and provides Rinaldo to task. When he tells his brother that he was the one who should have married Amica, Amica Rinaldo begs to return to Giorgio. His love for his brother is greater than his love for Amica. The does not want to part with it, but Rinaldo fights it off and goes on alone. The desperate Amica runs after him and falls under the eyes of the brothers in the waterfall.
Creation and reception
Since the premiere of Le Maschere (1901 ) Mascagni had been able to bring any more new opera to the stage. The Italian opera houses were firmly in the hands of two music publishing companies: Sonzogno and Ricordi, who controlled not only the production and rights to the notes, but also determine which operas which went on stage. Even successful composers were tied to a house. Sonzogno had no interest in a new Manzagni opera while Ricordi required him to set to music the unfinished libretto by Luigi Maria Antonietta Illica. After three years of work on the libretto Mascagni doubted whether he would ever be able to complete the opera. The fabric - pure political- historical and without a central love conflict - did not match Mascagni's style. To break out of this impasse, accepted Mascagni in 1904 an extremely generous offer of the French publisher and librettist Paul de Choudens: For the setting of the Amica libretto Mascagni should instead of the usual 30% to 40 % of the publishing income for note rental and performance rights astonishing 75% for performances in Italy and 50 % for performances elsewhere obtained. To this end, a bonus of 20,000 lire for signature and 40,000 lire came upon delivery. Mascagni said, even if this "betrayal" cost him the relationship with Ricordi.
Mascagni received the libretto in May 1904 and began in early June with the composition, which was completed in October to a large extent. His familiar staff Guido Menasci wrote two critical parts of the libretto. In November 1904 Mascagni closed the composition with the Intermezzo from and orchestrated the opera until the end of January 1905 Mascagni conducted the premiere on March 16, 1905 in Monte Carlo itself the baton, the leading roles were filled with stars. Geraldine Farrar as Amica, Charles Rousselière as Giorgio and Maurice Renaud as Renaldo. The evening was a great triumph, but the Italian premiere in Rome was granted in 1905 less success on May 13.
The opera was never an integral part of the repertoire and is played only rarely today.