Difference between revisions of "San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist / 1675 Stradella / Ansaldi), oratorio"

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====1970s ====
====1970s ====


* [[San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist / 1979 Müller-Bruhl / @1675 Stradella), sound recording (oratorio)]] Helmut Müller-Bruhl, Capella Clementina. Salomè: Barbara Schlick, soprano; Erodiade La Madre: Helen Keller, soprano; San Giovanni Battista: Andrew Dalton, countertenor; Consigliero: Jan Thompson, tenor; Erode: Ulrich Studer, bass.
* [[San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist / 1979 Müller-Bruhl / @1675 Stradella), sound recording (oratorio)]]


====1980s ====
====1980s ====

Revision as of 10:43, 16 April 2017

San Giovanni Battista <Italian> / St John the Baptist (1675) is an oratorio by Alessandro Stradella (mus.) and Ansaldo Ansaldi (1651–1719) (libr.).

Abstract

The most celebrated of all oratorios of the composer. "A concertino of two violins and continuo with a concerto grosso of violin, two violas and continuo" used "with variety and skill: six of the 14 arias are accompanied by continuo only and seven by the orchestra".

The work is in two parts. Events in Part One are presented in three stages. After a Sinfonia follows a pastoral scene in which John bids farewell to the countryside as he prepares to travel to Herod's court. In the second stage the scene moves to the court where the king's birthday festivities are in full swing. Stage three is marked by the arrival of John who interrupts the proceedings with a command that Herod give up his brother's wife and renounce worldly pleasures and his lascivious life. Herodias and her daughter Salome are enraged and manage to convince Herod to send Giovanni to prison. Part Two contains the well-known events leading to the beheading of John. When Herod offers to give Salome whatever she asks, in gratitude for having danced so exotically for him at the festivities for his birthday, her mother suggests that she ask for Giovanni’s head, which she does. Herod is in doubt as to whether he did the right thing, whereas Salome is overjoyed he killed the Baptist. In a masterly duet, Stradella expresses the contrasting emotions of foreboding and joy and underlines the depth of incomprehension which exists between them by ending the oratorio on the dominant and with a question E perche, dimmi, e perche? (And why, tell me why?).

Characters

Editions, premiere

Premiered in Rome, Italy: S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, Quaresima 1675.

Performance History

San Giovanni Battista was one of the most popular among the oratorios composed by Alessandro Stradella. Over time, however, it was almost completely forgotten until in 1949 it was revived at the Saga Musicale Umbra with a stellar cast that included Maria Callas. Ever since it has been performed and recorded with some frequency in Europe and the United States.

1940s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

  • San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist / 2004 Aymes / @1675 Stradella), Marseille production (oratorio) -- [[Performance : Marseille (France) : le Gyptis - 31-03-2004 -- Contributors : mise en scène Jean-Christophe Mast ; musique Alessandro Stradella ; lumière Pascale Bongiovanni ; coproduction Compagnie Deus ex machina et Théâtre de Tarascon ; avec Pascal Bertin, CT (Jean-Baptiste), Valérie Gabail, S (Salomé), Floriant Westphal, B (Hérode)... [et al.] -- Note : Notice réd. d'après le programme de la saison et une coupure d'article de presse. Représenté dans le cadre du festival Mars en Baroque -- Casting : Interprété aussi par Naïra Ghazaryan, S (Hérodiade), la Nouvelle Académie de concert, Jean-Marc Aymes, dir.

2010s

References

  • Smither, 1 (1977) 316-27.

External links

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