We have a bit of a medieval fantasy on this week’s Sunday Opera (4/5 3:00 p.m.) in Giacomo Meyerbeer’s 1817 work “Romilda e Costanza” which deals with the bumpy road to love for the Prince of Provence. This is Meyerbeer’s fourth opera and the first to be composed for an Italian theatre, the Teatro Nuovo in Padua.
The libretto by Gaetano Rossi has absolutely no connection to historical facts whatsoever, is often confusing, and has a rather abrupt, if happy, ending.
The story, in brief, centers around the love of Teobaldo (Patrick Kabongo) and Romilda (Chiara Brunello) the daughter of the Duke of Brittany. Teobaldo’s father has died, and in his will, he names Teobaldo as his successor much to the chagrin of Teobaldo’s treacherous twin brother, Retello (Javier Povendano).Also complicating things is the fact that Teobaldo was betrothed as a child to Costanza (Luiza Fatyol), and she and her father, Lotario (Cesar Cortes) the count of Sisteron and Grand Chancellor Provence, plan on making sure that Teobaldo will not be marrying Romilda. However, he already has.
In a nutshell: Retello imprisons Teobaldo with the help of Lotario and Albertone (Emmanuel Franco) who is the chatelain of the castle Senanges. Retello convinces Albertone to murder Teobaldo, and Albertone’s niece, Annina (Claire Gascoin) is horrified when she finds that out as she wants to marry Pierotto (Giulio Mastortotaro) who is Teobaldo’s foster-brother.
Plans are thwarted; true allies and friends rally, and a happy end where the not-dead Teobaldo shows his magnanimity and forgives everyone who wanted him dead, turns everyone into loving and caring people – just like real life…
The live recording from 2019 also includes the Gorecki Chamber Choir and The Passionart Orchestra under the baton of Luciano Acocella.
After the opera, we’ll hear two more of Meyerbeer’s works. The first is the pastoral cantata “Gli amori di Teolinda” from 1816 which is about the unrequited love that Teolinda shows the shepherd Armindoro which drives her mad. Julia Farady sings the role of Teolinda, clarinetist Jorg Fadle represents the voice of Armindoro, and they’re joined by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) Chamber Chorus. The conductor here is Gerd Albrecht.
We’ll finish our time together with excerpts from a ballet entitled “Les Patineurs” was cobbled together from music from two of Meyerbeer’s operas, “Le Prophete” and “L’Etoile du nord.” The music was arranged and is conducted by Constant Lambert who leads the Sadler’s Wells Orchestra originally recorded in 1940.
