The Operas

Abstract

Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy's former hunting lodge, Esterhaza, enlarged into the form of a magnificent summer palace, became a famous destination for high-born Viennese, due to Nicolaus's famous hospitality, which included numerous musical events devised by his famous Kapellmeister, Franz Joseph Haydn. In 1773 Empress Maria Therese herself stayed, and in 1775 Archduke Ferdinand and his consort, Princess Beatrice d'Este, arrived with a retinue of well over a hundred (including his own wind band). Haydn's most important musical offering on that occasion was this opera, with a plot fashionably set in Turkish lands.

It is scored for pairs of oboes, English horns, bassoons, horns, trumpets, and timpani, strings, and a battery of Turkish percussion including bass drums required to be tuned to D and A. The plot is reminiscent of that of Mozart's somewhat later opera, "Die EntfŸhrung aus dem Serail": Prince Ali (fled from his evil brother to Persia, falls in love with Princess Rezia, who is betrothed to another. They elope but are captured by corsairs and separated. He learns that she has been sold to the Sultan of Cairo, and goes there to rescue her. Fortunately, the Sultan is the same sort of kindly Moslem prince as is his counterpart in Mozart, and intends to win her by his kindness and good character, and allows her considerable freedom. Ultimately, an escape almost succeeds but is betrayed by a greedy Dervish, but, moved by the example of pure love, the kindly Sultan pardons everyone. The libretto was by one of Haydn's staff members, Carl Friberth, after a French play by Dancourt. Friberth was careful to overcome one of the weaknesses of comic operas of the period, a short and perfunctory third act, and the drama is shapely and well paced.

In common with all of Haydn's other stage work, this opera fell into silence by the end of the classical period but has been revived in the 20th century. The overture, with its brilliant "Turkish" music become popular as an independent concert piece, being one of the six overtures that Haydn detached from his operas and sold in 1782 to the publisher Arataria.. This sort of music also appears in several other numbers in the opera. It is a lengthy opera, in keeping with the tastes of Haydn's time. In its later-day revivals it is usually given with cuts; otherwise, it stretches to Wagnerian lengths. There is evidence that perhaps it was too long even for its time: Prince Nicolaus, a connoisseur of fine music with impeccable taste, refrained from giving Haydn a cash bonus for this one.

Notable excerpts include a Terzetto for Princess Rezia and two confidantes, containing a ravishing English horn solo. This quarter-hour number concludes with what is obviously intended as a space for a cadenza for all three soloists. There is also a fine love duet, "Son quest'occhi un stral d'amore" for Rezia and Ali, in Act II.

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