Hidden treasures - Saverio Mercadante - Il reggente (1843) - Selected highlights

A historical event of some relevance is frequently the basic foundation for an opera: indeed, most operatic works are, at the very least, set on the background of some sort of past tragedy; though historical accuracy was never the main objective of composers. At any rate, this is very much the case of the present work (as well as its predecessor and its successor): just as Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera" (1859) the plot and the text of which are basically derived from a translation by Somma, Verdi's "librettist", of the libretto Scribe wrote for Auber's grand opera, "Gustave III" (1833), Mercadante's "Il reggente" (1843), the piece on which we will concentrate in this posting, is based on an episode from the history of the Swedish monarchy, combined with a typical love triangle (on an interesting note, only the French version is actually set in Sweden; Verdi's work is usually transported to colonial Boston; while Mercadante's is firmly attributed to "16th century Scotland during the time of Mary, Queen of the Scots"; such easy change of setting only highlights the fact that the conflict is very much an operatic archetype). The premiere of "Il reggente" on the 2nd of March, 1843, was met with great praise, and the opera ended up being performed as late as 1870 in Palermo, eleven years after Verdi's version appeared on stage, though it was rarely heard hereinafter, being almost completely eclipsed by Verdi's version.

The plot is identical to its two counterparts, though some of the names are changed, in accordance with the Scottish setting: thus, Ulrica is renamed Meg, Riccardo - Murray, Renato - Hamilton etc.. More important is the vocal casting: while in all three operas some roles (such as the pair Riccardo (tenor) - Renato (baritone)) are invariably attributed to specific vocal types, Mercadante's version involves three soprano parts, as Meg, rather uncharacteristically, is not a contralto.

Despite my love for much of Mercadante's music, one cannot escape the fact that "Il reggente" is not among his best works or the fact that the piece does not compare favorably to Verdi's more winning version. The melodramatic and, indeed, rather thin plot is a part of the problem: Mercadante cannot escape the overprominence of Murray which leads to an absence of true drama (while the tenor's suffering is more or less a potent subject, it is almost completely undermined by the fact that with the addition of Amelia to the plot it is the baritone who finds himself in a more tragic position (though none of the three operas truly develop the character)). However, Verdi did manage to surmount this obstacle with some of his finest music. But, alas, Mercadante's work is somewhat empty in this respect, as there is little to enjoy both in innovation and in melody. If there is any kind of weakness in the opera, it is its extreme reliance on the belcanto idiom. While Mercadante is often credited to be the composer to mold belcanto forms into a more dramatical form, by the time "Il reggente" appeared he seems to have been tired of innovation and focused on amplifying the tradition that he was seeking to undermine in the first place. There is nothing wrong with the idiom itself (Mercadante's "Orazii e Curiazi" is a breathtaking display of its power) but it is somewhat overamplified in Mercadante's treatment of the story: thus, Amelia's late entrance near the end of Act I is actually marked with a full cavatina with a cabaletta, rather than a more appropriate terzettino. On the other hand, because of this characteristic Hamilton's role is much larger, incorporating a full aria in the place of Verdi's simpler "Eri tu" (though Mercadante's version is just a hint unsubtle); even more importantly, there is finally a confrontation duet for Amelia and Hamilton, somewhat bland in Auber's treatment. But, in the end, it is the quality of the music that should matter, and, rather disappointingly, Mercadante does not provide the same amount excitement, as we have encountered in previous works. There is, of course, much to enjoy (the concentrato of the Finale to Act II gives "Chi mi frena" rather stiff competition) but on the whole there is a distinct lack of inspiration. Still, let us try and focus on the opera's strongest pages.

The present recording (and, so far, the only possible way to familiarize oneself with the opera) is rather uneven: the drama is always strongly drawn by all, but only the tenor and the soprano are of any notable belcanto training, while the baritone and the mezzo are more veristic. Still, this is an exciting theatrical outing (this is a live recording) with plenty to enjoy:

Il Reggente - Giorgio Merighi,
Il Duca Hamilton - Licinio Montefusco,
Amelia - Maria Chiara,
Meg - Linda Vajna,
Oscar - Elena Zilio,
Lord Howe (tenor), a conspirator - Dino Formichini,
Scoto (tenor), a poor soldier - Dino Formichini,
Lord Kilkardy (bass), a conspirator - Vittorio Bruni.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• belcanto
• romantic
• classical
• opera
• Mercadante