Artaserse (Hasse)

Artaserse is an opera (dramma per musica) in three acts composed by Johann Adolph Hasse to an Italian libretto adapted from that by Metastasio by Giovanni Boldini first shown in Venice on 11 February 1730.

Artaserse
Opera by Johann Adolph Hasse
Title page of the original libretto for Hasse's first setting of the work
Librettist	Pietro Metastasio (adapted by G. Boldini)
Premiere	11 February 1730 (1730-02-11) Teatro di San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice

History

Artaserse premiered at the Teatro di San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice on 11 February 1730, just 6 days after the libretto's first setting by Leonardo Vinci premiered in Rome.

Hasse wrote three settings of this libretto. The original one dates from 1730, just before he became Kapellmeister in Dresden. A second setting was made for the Court Theatre in Dresden in 1740. Finally, he composed a third one in 1760, when he was nearing the end of his career as Kapellmeister in Dresden.

His style, as well as musical taste, underwent considerable change during those 30 odd years, so much so that not a lot of the 1760 version (Teatro di San Carlo, Naples) sounds like the music of the 1730 and the 1740 versions. For instance, at the end of the first act of the 1760 version, Mandane's accompanied recitative and aria in which she calls upon the ghost of her father, King Xerxes, has been removed. Although this differs from the previous versions, this change actually makes the drama closer to the original by Metastasio.^[1]

To those three versions solely by Hasse, one must also add a myriad of pasticcios which use Hasse's setting as a basis, including for instance the notable Autumn 1734 London production put together by Nicola Porpora, starring Farinelli in arias written by Riccardo Broschi, but also, earlier that same year, a production for the Venice Carnival including additional music by Galuppi, starring both Farinelli and Caffarelli.

Hasse's Artaserse, in full or at least in part, was produced in:^[1][2][3][4]

• 1730: Venice, Lucca, Milan
• 1731: Brno, Ferrara, Kroměříž
• 1733: Verona
• 1734: Venice and London
• 1735: London
• 1736: London
• 1737: Bergamo
• 1738: Bergamo and Graz
• 1739: Modena
• 1740: Ljubljana and Dresden
• 1745: Ferrara
• 1754: London
• 1760: Warsaw and Naples
• 1762: Naples
• 1765: Ferrara
• 1766: London
• 1772: London
• 1773: London
• 1774: London
• 1779: London
• 1785: London

Synopsis

Artaserse is based on the life of king Artaxerxes I of Persia, a ruler of the fifth century B.C., son of Xerxes I.

Seeing King Serse I's power in serious decline and ambitioning to mount the throne, Artabano, the commander of the royal guards and a powerful official in the Persian court, has murdered the sovereign and is now hoping to sacrifice the rest of the royal family to his design. And so, he accuses Dario, Serses I's eldest son and older brother of Artaserse, of the regicide and persuades the latter to avenge the crime. After Dario's demise, the only thing left wanting is now the death of Artaserse, which Artabano has plotted, but his plans are delayed by a succession of various incidents and in the meantime the treason is revealed.

Roles

Character	Description
Artaserse	Prince and subsequently King of Persia; friend of Arbace and in love with Semira
Mandane	Sister of Artaserse; in love with Arbace
Artabano	Prefect of the Royal Guard; father of Arbace and Semira
Arbace	Brother of Semira; friend of Artaserse; in love with Mandane
Semira	Sister of Arbace; in love with Artaserse
Megabise	General of the Persian army, Artabano's confidant; also in love with Semira

Aria distribution

Color key:

•   Artaserse
•   Mandane
•   Artabano
•   Arbace
•   Semira
•   Megabise
•   Duetto / coro
•   No aria in the scene
•   Scene does not exist

In Hasse's settings

Act	Scene	Premiere Venice, 1730[5]	2nd version Dresden, 1740[6]	3rd version Naple, 1760[7]
I	1	Conservati fedele
	2	Frà cento affanni
	3
	4
	5	Per pieta, bell' idol mio
	6	Sogna il Guerrier le schiere
	7	Bramar di perdere
	8
	9
	10			Deh respirar, lasciatemi
	11		Deh respirar, lasciatemi	Non ti son Padre
	12	Non ti son Padre		Torna innocente, e poi
	13	Torna innocente, e poi		Se al labbro mio non credi
	14	Se al labbro mio non credi		Se vendetta io chiedo
	15	Che pena al mio core
II	1	Rendimi il caro amico
	2	Lascia cadermi in volto		Mi scacci sdegnato!
	3
	4	Amalo, e se al tuo sguardo
	5	Non temer, ch'io mai ti dica
	6	Se d'un amor tirano
	7	Se del fiume altera l'onda
	8
	9
	10
	11	Per questo dolce amplesso		Per questo paterno amplesso
	12	Và trà le selve ircane
	13			Non conosco in tal momento
	14	Non conosco in tal momento		Cosi stupisce e cade
15	Pallido il sole
III	1	Perche tarda è mai la morte	Pensa, che l'amor mio	L'onda dal mar divisa
		Pensa, che l'amor mio
	2	Parto: qual pastorello
	3	Spiega i lini, abbandona la sponda		Figlio, se piu non vivi
	4	Figlio, se piu non vivi		Mi credi spietata
	5	Mi credi spietata		Non è ver, che sia contento
	6	Non è ver, che sia contento		Tu vuoi ch'io viva o cara (Mandane & Arbace)
	7	Tu vuoi ch'io viva o cara (Mandane & Arbace)
	8
	9
	10
	11	Giusto Rè, la Persia adora (Chorus)

In other productions

The arias in bold italic are arias that are not part of Hasse's original opera.

Act	Scene	London 29 Oct. 1734[8]
I	1	Un' altra volta o Febo
		Conservati fedele
	2	In sen mi tace
	3
	4	Per pieta, bell' idol mio
	5	Sogna il Guerrier le schiere
		Bramar di perdere
	6	Non ti son Padre
		Torna innocente, e poi
		Se al labbro mio non credi (Broschi)
		Che pena al mio core
II	1	Rendimi il caro amico
	2	Lascia cadermi in volto
	3	Amalo, e se al tuo sguardo
		Non temer, ch'io mai ti dica
	4	Se d'un amor tirano
		Se del fiume altera l'onda
	5	Per questo dolce amplesso
		Ah ingrato crudel
		Pallido il sole
III	1	Pensa, che l'amor mio
		Son qual nave che agitata
	2	Spiega i lini, abbandona la sponda
		Figlio, se piu non vivi
	3	Mi credi spietata
	4	Tu vuoi ch'io viva o cara (Mandane & Arbace)
	5	Or la nube procellosa
		Giusto Rè, la Persia adora (Chorus)

Act	Scene	Venice 1734[9]
I	1	Conservati fedele
	2	Se penso al tuo periglio
	3
	4
	5	Per pietà, bell' idol mio
	6	Sogna il Guerrier le schiere
	7	Bramar di perdere
	8
	9
	10
	11	Deh respirar lasciatemi
	12	Non ti son Padre
	13	Torna innocente, e poi
	14	Dimmi che un empio sei
	15	Chi non sente al mio dolore
II	1	Rendimi il caro amico
	2	Lascia cadermi in volto
	3
	4
	5	Non temer, ch'io mai ti dica
	6	Se d'un amor tirano
	7	Se del fiume altera l'onda
	8
	9
	10
	11	La sorte mia tiranna
	12	Và trà le selve ircane
	13
	14	Se tu mi voi felice
	15	Cosi stupisce, e cade
III	1	Perche tarda è mai la morte
	2	Lasciar morir l'autore
	3
	4	Pallido il sole
	5	Mi credi spietata
	6	Non è ver, che sia contento
	7
	8	Quell'ardor che il sen m'accende
	9
	10
	11
	12	Giusto Rè, la Persia adora (Chorus)

Performers and voice types

Color key:

•   Unknown
•   Soprano
•   Contralto
•   Tenor
•   Bass
•   Soprano castrato
•   Contralto castrato

In Hasse's settings

Production		Artaserse	Mandane	Artabano	Arbace	Semira	Megabise
Premiere: Venice, 1730[2]		Filippo Giorgi[10]	Francesca Cuzzoni	Nicolò Grimaldi, aka Nicolini	Carlo Broschi, aka Farinelli	Maria Maddalena Pieri, aka ''La Polpetta''	Antonio Castori, aka Castorini
2nd version: Dresden, 1740[11]			Faustina Bordoni	Domenico Annibali	Ventura Rocchetti, aka Venturini	Sofia Denner	Giovanni Bindi, aka Porporino[12]
3rd version: Naples, 1760[13]		Pietro Santi	Clementina Spagnoli, aka La Spagnoletta	Carlo Carlani	Salvatore Consorti	Dorotea Sabatini	Caterina Flavis

In other productions

Production	Additional music	Artaserse	Mandane	Artabano	Arbace	Semira	Megabise
Lucca 1730[14]		Andrea Pacini, aka Lucchesino	Anna Maria Peruzzi, aka La Parrucchiera	Pellegrino Tomy, aka Vincentino	Carlo Broschi, aka Farinelli	Lucia Lancetti[15]	Giovanni Ossi
Milan 1730[16]		Gaetano Majorano, aka Caffarelli	Vittoria Tesi, aka La Moretta	Filippo Giorgi[10]	Giovanni Carestini	Anna Maria Peruzzi, aka La Parrucchiera	Catterina Giorgi
Verona 1733[17]		Gioseffa Pircherin, aka La Tedesca	Antonia Negri, aka La Mestrina	Francesco Braganti	Pietro Morigi, aka Il Marchigiano	Eleonora Sarmantina, aka La Polacchine	Andrea Costa
Venice 1734[18]	Galuppi	Gaetano Majorano, aka Caffarelli	Lucia Facchinelli, aka La Beccheretta	Francesco Tolve	Carlo Broschi, aka Farinelli	Teresa Pieri, aka ''La Polpetta''	Antonio Baldi
London 1734[19]	Broschi Porpora	Antonio Montagnana	Francesca Cuzzoni	Francesco Bernardi, aka Senesino		Francesca Bertolli, aka La Chicchina	Maria Segatti
Ljubljana 1740[20]		Domenico Battaglini	Carlina Valvasori	Pasqual Negri	Barbara Naziri	Antonia Negri, aka La Mestrina
London 1754[21]		Ms Passerini[22]	Caterina Visconti, aka La Viscontina	Ottavio Albuzzi	Pietro Serafini	Giulia Frasi	Mr Ranieri
Ferrara 1765[23]		Giuseppe Guspelti[24]	Lucrezia Agujari, aka La Bastardella	Pietro Tibaldi	Antonio Francia, aka Perellino	Luigia Fabris	Adolfo Hasse, aka Il Sassone
London 1766[25]		Gasparo Savoj	Clementina Spagnoli, aka La Spagnoletta	Ercole Ciprandi[26]	Filippo Elisi	Caterina Visconti, aka La Viscontina	Ms Ghiretti

Recordings

• Hasse, J A: Artaserse (1730 Venice version). Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, conductor: Corrado Rovaris. Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (tenor) as Artaserse, Maria Grazia Schiavo (soprano) as Mandane, Sonia Prina (contralto) as Artabano, Franco Fagioli (countertenor) as Arbace, Rosa Bove (mezzo-soprano) as Semira, Antonio Giovannini (countertenor) as Megabise. Recording date: July 2012, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Martina Franca. release: 2016, Label: Dynamic Cat. CDS7715/1–3 (CD), 37715 (DVD).
• Hasse: Artaserse (1740 Dresden version). Orchestra of the Antipodes, conductor: Erin Helyard. David Hansen (countertenor) as Arbace, Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano) as Mandane, Carlo Vistoli (countertenor) as Artabano, Andrew Goodwin (tenor) as Artaserse, Russell Harcourt (countertenor) as Megabise, Emily Edmonds (mezzo-soprano) as Semira. release: 2020, Label: Pinchgut Opera, Cat. PG011.