TZAIMS LUKSUS, FRSA & INTERNATIONAL BEL CANTO OPERA SOCIETY

Saverio Mercadante 

ORAZI E CURIAZI
Lyric Tragedy in Three Acts by:
Salvadore Cammarano

After a life long following of opera I have seen and heard perhaps everything being offered on the opera stage, recorded on videos and discs, and this led me to wonder: What about the operas that have fallen between the cracks.  Certainly there are missing links between Purcell and Mozart and especially between Rossini and Verdi.  We know all too much about Verdi and the same goes for Bellini and Donizetti.  Then bang..we get to now what are 'old war horse operas' like La Boheme, La Traviata, The Barber of Seville and of course Don Giovanni.  So where does Saverio Mercadante come in and where does Giovanni Pacini fit into the picture?  What about Agostino Steffani?  OK. Steffani fits in before Mozart since Steffani died in 1728 and Mozart was only born in 1756.  Why are Mozart's opera scores so like Staffani?  HUM...to find out then go hear Steffani's: TASSILONE.  Well that is for later.  

ROSSINI -MERCADANTE-PACINI-DONIZETTI-BELLINI

Let us wonder about Rossini: 1792-1867, Mercadante: 1795-1867, Pacini: 1795-1870, and then Verdi: 1813-1901.  (we will look over Donizetti: 1797-1848 and Bellini: 1801-1835 since they also come in as part of the 'big guns of opera in Italy' in or near the same time but Verdi is just a youngster with his ears filled with these great opera masters.  Historians tell us how Verdi got his initial influences and in all kinds of professions there comes the 'politic'.  There isn't any doubt that Mercadante and Pacini are the real "big guns of opera" between Rossini and Verdi.  Rossini made a comment about both of them.  He praised Mercadante highly without being concerned since Mercadante, although influenced by Rossini did not copy him, but found a method fitting in what was demanded of the audience at the time with Belle Canto (with a lot of Colouratura) and finally Mercadante's last great work: ORAZI E CURIAZI summed up the whole period that one might say ended with Mercadante and the new period of opera that began with Verdi.  It is a know fact that Verdi borrowed a tremendous amount from Mercadante rather than from Rossini (one can hear the elements of Verdi in Mercadante's operas) and together with his publisher Ricordi, Verdi formed a pact to prevent Mercadante's operas to be performed...(it happens that very successful composers do not want the public to know or remember where they got their initial ideas) they did the same to Pacini whose great work: L'ULTIMO GIORNO DI POMPEII - THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII still remains Pacini's great masterpiece.  

OATH OF THE HORATII

Painted by Jacques-Louis David

The picture above of ORAZI E CURIAZI is probably familiar since it is the famous painting by Jacques-Louis-David called: OATH OF THE HORATII and the plot is taken from Livy's: History of Rome.  Go to your New Penguin Opera Guide and OPERA RARA as well as the Wikipedia site for Saverio Mercadante.  I guarantee that you will not only be surprised but thrilled to know about this opera composer and his masterpiece ORAZI E CURIAZI.  Certainly to be added as a main billing with a new world premier at the Palm beach Opera now becoming the foremost opera company in America.

FIRST PRODUCTION IN THE AMERICAS

This opera has never been performed in the Americas and the last time only produced in concert form at the Queen's Theatre in London by Opera Rara in 1975 that made a 3 CD recording of it now out of print.  Now with opera enthusiasts, such as myself, who are not that interested in new operas especially if atonal or too much like the lives we live as much as we are interested in discovering lost operas  left in the cracks of time to be performed so hopefully but as it turns out this new production of ORAZI E CURIAZI is ready to fly. 

ORAZI E CURIAZI.  
Cast:
Tenor for the role of Curiazio;
 Baritone for the role of Orazio;
 Colouratura Soprano for the role of Camilla 
 Mezzo Soprano for the role of Sabina.
 Tenor for the role of Il Gran Sacerdote

Brothers of Orazio and Curiazio, Family of Orazi,
an Alban Messenger, Priests, Roman soldiers, Senators, Alban soldiers,
Alban and Roman Citizens
Members of the Chorus.

This opera takes a large cast with two armies: that of Rome and Alban, a Council of Senators, citizens of both Alban and Rome. 

ROME 
7th Century BC
Circa. 650 BC

 The action takes place in 7 BC Rome before Rome becomes the dominant ruler of Italy during the Tuscan period.  Everything one looks for in Opera is in this work, great drama, romance, competition between powerful rulers, emotional distress, love and war...a great human drama with thrilling scenes and bombastic music fused with tender emotionally charged affection since two families are pitted against one another in the most terrible way.  The Orazi brothers, three, and the Curiazi brothers, three, are chosen to fight to the death.  Not only are the best of friends but are related in marriage through Orazio married to Sabina, sister of Curiazio of the Curiazi family.  Curiazio is to be united in marriage to Orazio's younger sister Camilla, but to end the war between Rome and Alban these six brothers are chosen by the council of Senators to fight to the death.  The last to stand will determine which rules: Alban or Rome.  

CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUNDING FOR MERCADANTE's: ORAZI E CURIAZI

MERCADANTE's: ORAZI E CURIAZI

Final scene with Orazio.  Camilla being held by Sabina

 MERCADANTE's
ORAZI E CURIAZI
SETS and COSTUMES
DESIGNED BY:
TZAIMS LUKSUS, FRSA