Gioachino Rossini - Ermione - "Essa corre al trionfo" (Cecilia Gasdia) - No. 1. The ariosos

We again return to "Ermione" for the title-heroine's striking scene in Act Two.

Here are the players:

Ermione - Cecilia Gasdia,
Oreste - Chris Merritt,
Fenicio - Simone Alaimo,
Cleone - Elisabetta Tandura.

As I mentioned in an earlier upload Ermione's penultimate scene isn't exactly an aria in the traditional sense. It's actually a string of recitative and arioso passages which beautifully characterize the heroine's agitated state. As the structure is quite difficult to describe properly, I will employ the same device I have already used for the Finale's. The piece starts just as Pirro and Andromacha leave the scene to prepare for the wedding.

1. 0:00 - 1:10. "Essa corre al trionfo". The opening recitative, and a very dramatic one at that. Ermione appears on stage and quickly notices Pirro's absence. She asks Fenicio, Pirro's tutor, to go to his pupil and remind him of the promises he made.
2. 1:06 - 3:06. "Di' che vedesti piangere", the first arioso, a plea "for pity, if not for love"; I love the way the music caresses this final phrase.
3. 3:06 - 4:38. "Ah! voglia il Ciel". Fenicio leaves to fulfill Ermione's wish. Cleone tries to console her poor friend by attacking Pirro as an "unworthy man", but the latter quickly stops her, asking her to paint a picture of a lover, not a traitor, to revive hope of his return. The final phrase, "I cannot leave without him", is taken almost as a whisper.
4. 4:38 - 7:09. "Amata, l'amai", the second arioso and, probably, the emotional centerpiece of the scene, as Ermione understands that she would rather stay in chains of torments than be away from her unfaithful lover.
5. 7:09 - 8:50. "Ma che ascolto", a transition between two ariosos. From a distance the sounds of a festive march are heard; then Pirro is seen in the loggia at the back of the stage, leading Andromaca by the hand; Ermione's cries are left unnoticed by all.
6. 8:50 - to the end. "Un'empia mel rapi", the third arioso (almost recitative). Ermione finally understands that Pirro is lost to her.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rossini
• coloratura
• belcanto
• classical