Coro di Maliarde nell'opera Ismalia (Milan: Ricordi, [1832]); Scena e duetto Accogli, o freddo sasso nell'opera Ismalia (Milan: Ricordi, [1832]); Uggero il danese: Io custode alla sua tenda duetto per canto e piano forte (Milan: Epimaco e Pasquale Artaria [1834?]); Recitativo e duetto
Traditor paventa nell'opera Gabriella di Vergy (Milan: Ricordi, [1833]); Scena e duetto Oh giorno felice, nell'opera Gabriella di 108 Pacini, Carafa, D.
Edizione critica e commento, Firenze, 2014; Niccolo CaPPONi, Al
traditor s'uccida.
The production benefited from an outstanding cast around Gleadow and Bou: Steven Hume's clear timbre was atypical for the Commendatore, but he was physically imposing and stylistically impeccable; Julien Behr, certainly one of today's best young lyric tenors, was remarkable in the unforgiving role of Don Ottavio, with splendid tone and technique and beautiful phrasing; Julie Boulianne brought a strong stage presence and rich voice with very distinctive colouring to the role of Donna Elvira, her "Ah fuggi il
traditor" technically stunning; Myrto Papatanasiu is a distinguished singer with endless capacities both dramatic and vocal, and here was captivating as Donna Anna; and Anna Grevelius and Marc Scoffoni were excellent as the Zerlina/Masetto couple.
The centerpiece of Metastasio's opera is Deidamia's aria, 'Ah perfidio', reutilized several times, including by Pagano in Geldippe's soliloquy, 'Perfido
traditor' (II.ii.) and by Beethoven in a dazzling soprano aria.
"Signor mio, io sono la misera sventurata Zinevra, sei anni andata tapinando in forma d'uom per lo mondo, da questo
traditor d'Ambruogiuolo falsamente e reamente vituperata, e da questo crudele e iniquo uomo data a uccidere a un suo fante e a mangiare a' lupi."
Although she appears less silly in "Ah, fuggi il
traditor," she returns to her hyperbolic comic mode in the great quartet, "Non ti fidar, o misera," where it clashes sharply with Don Ottavio's (Vargas) and Donna Anna's observations on her noble bearing.
SECTION 2 (aria poetry) (II) Aria 1 (a) Gia superbo del mio affanno, Once contemptuous of my anguish, (b)
Traditor dell'onor mio Traitor of my honor, (c) Parte l'empio to sleal.
Donna Elvira's (the sparky, compelling Elizabeth Atherton) great vengeance aria "Ah fuggi il
traditor" thereby loses its Handelian grittiness, and other great powerful pages slide past with little impact.
Ma se le mie parole esser dien seine Che frutti infamia al
traditor ch' i' rodo, Parlare e lacrimar vedrai inseme?' (XXXIII: 1-9) (Dante 1961: 404) [Lifting his mouth from his horrendous meal, this sinner first wiped off his messy lips in the hair remaining on the chewed-up skull, then spoke: "You want me to renew a grief so desperate that just the thought of it, much less the telling, grips my heart with pain; but if my words can be the seed to bear the fruit of infamy for this betrayer, who feeds my hunger, then I shall speak--in tears."] (Dante 1971: 370)
(63.) Fuit in diebus apostolorum vir nomine Nicolaus per omnia reprobus et maledictus: de septem tamen dyaconibus unus erat, sicut et Iudas
traditor ex Christi discipulis unus exstiterat, in Mancini, "Per lo studio," 330.
"La roia sin tregua" (589): "Che frutti infamia al
traditor ch'i'rodo" (Inferno XXXIII, 8), one of Borges's favourite episodes of the Commedia.