Saverio Mercadante - Elena da Feltre (1838) - Act Two Finale - "Ahi! dura terra, e non ti schiudi ancora?" (Monica Colonna, Nicola Ulivieri, Cesare Catani, Elena Rossi & Luigi Petroni)

"Elena da Feltre" premiered in 1839, the same year as Verdi's first opera, "Oberto". It was commissioned for Naples by the great impresario, Barbaja, following Donizetti's withdrawal over the "Poliuto" censorship problems. Its' flexible treatment of standard operatic forms places the composer midway between the Neapolitan operas of Rossini and the increasing adventurousness of Verdi: in fact, the opera appears midway between "Ermione" (1819) and "Il ballo" (1859), making an interesting case between the old and the new school of Italian opera, already forming in Mercadante's lifetime.

No. 6. Act Two Finale. The final word to the second act is easily the score's most passionate piece. It's theme is, though, not a pleasant one: Elena is forced by Boemondo and Ubaldo to admit publicly that she does not love Guido. The unsure beginning of the scene is a wonderful illustration of the characters' confusion, depicted in a simple succession of phrases over falling string lines: Elena cannot bring herself to utter the dreaded words, while Guido and Ubaldo ponder their respective futures which depend on what the woman they both love says next. With feelings running particularly high, Mercadante presents a sudden musical surge, based on the same thematic material as the opening phrases. The next section is a classical suspension over time, set to a very lyrical melody featuring high string lines and putting Guido and Elena opposite all those who desire to ruin their happiness in an obvious but dramatically important trait. As per usual, Mercadante does not end the piece quietly, bringing a final coda of explosive dramatics to allow the scene to continue without any difficulty. The return to reality is painful: Elena, beckoned by the tyrant Boemondo, uneasily pronounces her lover's sentence. His answer, using the same melody as Boemondo's opening verse, is an angry one, officially announcing his "desire" to wed Imberga. The final stretta, developed from Guido's arioso, is, perhaps, a bit too joyous for my tastes, but it does provide an opportunity for all characters to express their feelings: Elena suffers from her lover's anger; Guido and Ubaldo enter into a direct confrontation over their love; while Boemondo and Imberga muse on how the coming days will bring more pain to their enemy's daughter. The whole scene seems vaguely familiar, and, in fact, it has quite a lot in common with the Act One Finale from Donizetti's "Lucia": in particular, the structure (scene - ensemble - tempo di mezzo - stretta) and the same situation (a woman forced to denounce her lover); though this could be considered a simple coincidence (coincidentally, the librettist for both operas was Salvatore Cammarano).

Monica Colonna - Elena,
Nicola Ulivieri - Guido,
Cesare Catani - Ubaldo,
Elena Rossi - Imberga,
Luigi Petroni - Boemondo.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mercadante
• coloratura
• classical
• belcanto