Gustavo III (Verdi)

Gustavo III is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto begun in early 1857 by the Italian playwright Antonio Somma. Never performed as written, the libretto was later revised (or proposed to be revised) several times under two additional names – "Una vendetta in dominò" and "Adelia degli Adimari" – during which the setting was changed to vastly different locations. Eventually, it was agreed that it could be called "Un ballo in maschera", the one by which it is known today, but Verdi was forced to accept that the location of the story would have to be Colonial Boston. This setting became the "standard" one until the mid-20th Century. Most productions today locate the action in Sweden.
However, a "hypothetical reconstruction" of "Gustavo III" under its original name was performed by the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden during the 2002/03 season.
Composition history.
In early 1856 Vincenzo Torelli, secretary to the Teatro San Carlo's management approached Verdi with a contract offer, the proposed opera being "Re Lear", an opera based on Shakespeare's "King Lear". It was known to be a subject dear to the composer, but this libretto, for which Somma and Verdi had worked for some time, raised concerns for Verdi, not the least of which was finding a suitable cast in Naples, given the practice of a company engaging a group of singers for an entire season and giving them the major roles to sing in all productions, thus forcing a composer to take into account their strengths and weaknesses in the roles he was creating.
Even though it proved to be impracticable to continue with "Re Lear", Verdi signed a contract in February 1857 for performances during the 1857/58 carnival season, but, as the year progressed and with time running out, he had misgivings and failed to meet commitments regarding "Lear". Finally, in a letter which he wrote to Torelli in September 1857, Verdi confessed that he had "looked through an infinite number of plays...but not one of them will do for me..." but he then described an existing libretto which interested him, one which was written by the French playwright and librettist Eugene Scribe for Daniel Auber's very successful 1833 opera, "Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué": 
Verdi turned to the historical subject of King Gustav III of Sweden, who was shot while attending a masked ball in Stockholm in 1792 and died thirteen days later. Anckarström, his assassin, was executed. Although noting it as "a French drama",
 Verdi was referring to Scribe's libretto, and this became the source of Somma's libretto.
In his version, Scribe had retained the names of some of the historical figures involved including Gustave, Anckarström (the king's secretary and his best friend), Ulrica Arfvidsson (the fortune teller), and conspirators Ribbing and Horn; the conspiracy itself; and the killing at the masked ball. As noted by Budden, Scribe invented much of the rest of the action, including Gustav's romance with the fictional Amélie (Anckarström's wife) and he added characters and situations such as the page boy, Oscar. "It was a simple case of 'cherchez la femme'" says Budden, who sees Scribe using the romance as the reason for the murder (rather than the purely political motive behind the actual event) and he describes the plot of Scribe's libretto as "cleverly constructed...in which irony follows irony. It abounds in striking situations and "coups de théatre"; it offers opportunities for a display of the most intense and varied emotions; and it is full of suspense."
Initial preparation of the "Gustavo III" libretto.
Throughout the autumn of 1857 correspondence between librettist and composer flowed regularly, and on 19 October, Verdi sent a synopsis to Torelli. He immediately received a reply warning him that "a change of locale would be necessary at the very least and the poet had better be advised of this." While Verdi did not necessarily see a problem in changing location, he did lament the loss of other things: "what a pity to have to give up the pomp of a court like that of Gustavo III. Then too it will be difficult to find another monarch on the lines of that Gustavo. Poor poets, poor composers"
When Somma's verses (to which Verdi had contributed a significant amount, including an initial prose outline) were sent to the composer by late November 1857, the outline of the opera was complete, and Verdi began to create musical sketches of significant scenes. At the same time, word came of the seven requirements imposed by the Naples censorship. These included that (i) "The King must become a Duke"; (ii) "the action must be transferred to a pre-Christian age"; (iii) the conspirators must not hate the Duke because they wanted to take power; and (iv) "no firearms".
Somma had several suggestions, including a possible new title, "Il duca Ermanno" with a 12th Century setting, which Verdi rejected; but he did accept the proposed change to Pomerania. The pair spent Christmas of 1857 together working on changes. However, Somma insisted that his name be changed on the libretto to "Tommaso Anoni".
"Gustavo III" becomes "Una vendetta in domino".
Discussions with the censors eventually resulted in the location being changed to Stettin in Pomerania in Northern Germany, the main character becoming a Duke, and the title becoming "Una vendetta in domino". A compromise seemed to have been reached. However, as has been noted, "Verdi did not begin preparing the skeleton score for "Una vendetta" before composer and versifier decided on the Pomeranian setting"
After an arduous journey, Verdi arrived in Naples in January 1858. He brought with him the skeleton score and this was handed over to Torelli. With the major problems seeming to have been resolved and rehearsals of "Un vendetta" about to begin, an attempt to assassinate Emperor Napoleon III in Paris by three Italians led by Felice Orsini occurred on 14 January 1858.
After attempting to obtain agreement on the singers during his first ten days in Naples, Verdi finally discovered that the company's management had withheld the news that the censors had refused to approve the libretto some three months before. Now, with the latest news regarding the Emperor, the Naples Chief of Police had ruled the opera's text would have to be entirely re-written. Verdi regarded this as outrageous and, in his letter to Somma, he laid out his objections to their list of demands:
In between this correspondence with his librettist, Verdi hit upon an important musical point with Torelli regarding his feelings about the impossibility of changing the character of Gustavo. The composer says that to do so would make everything:
If these kind of changes were to be made, Somma replied later, then he would insist that the title be changed and "another author be credited with the words" The opera would no longer be his.
When the manuscript of "Una Vendetta" was returned to him, Verdi found that it been renamed "Adelia degli Adimari" and now set in 14th Century Florence. Even worse, he noted that of "Una Vendetta"s 884 lines, 297 had been changed in "Adelia". Although Torelli attempted to get the composer to compromise and meet with the censor on 20 February, Verdi dug in his heels and, in his reply to Torelli, refused to accept any changes: "...I cannot commit the monstrosities that were inflicted here (Naples) on "Rigoletto" ", referring to how that opera had been butchered by the censors when it was presented in his absence a few years before. Rejecting any involvement with "Adelia", a lawsuit was then set in place by the theatre for breach of contract. In his countersuit, Verdi claimed damages and, in the document which he prepared called "Defense of Maestro Cavalier Giuseppe Verdi" and in which he gave instructions to his lawyer, he laid what he regarded as the absurdity of some of the requirements. These included the substitution of one word of the opening chorus' "Die!" for "He sleeps". In addition, it has been noted that he instructed a copyist to "place the two librettos ("Vendetta" and "Adelia")in parallel columns"
In summary, Verdi rhetorically asks:
The countersuit was presented to the Commercial Court in Naples on 13 March, and Verdi's efforts were rewarded with the Court's ruling that there was merit to the case and its injunction for the parties to reach agreement. This allowed Verdi to leave Naples with his score in hand, but promising to return to Naples later in the year to stage at least one of his other operas.
"Gustavo III" is revived.
However, while many of the negotiations noted above were proceeding, Verdi became determined to find another location for his opera. In March 1858, after contacting his friend, the sculptor Vincenzo Luccardi in Rome, and requesting information on the performances of a play "Gustavo III" currently being presented there, he proposed that Rome stage the work. Verdi sent the libretto of the opera under the name of "Gustavo III", which at that point was identical to "Una vendetta" but with the original setting and names restored.
When Jacovacci, impresario of the Teatro Apollo (where "Il trovatore" had been presented successfully) received the libretto, his reaction was encouraging, but he warned the composer that there may be problems with the censor. Verdi was surprised: "In Rome they allow "Gustavo III" as a spoken play but won't allow a libretto on the same subject. Very strange!"
At first, Verdi wanted the libretto returned, but Jacovacci's persistence prevailed, and it was found that the censors did not insist on such dramatic changes as originally had been thought possible. However, the censors' prime demand was the requirement that "Gustavo III" be set elsewhere than in Europe. Verdi proposed Boston in the 17th century to Somma, alternatively "the Caucasus perhaps?" His letter began: "Arm yourself with courage and patience. Particularly with patience...Remember that under present conditions our best plan is to present the opera in Rome...".
Eventually, when the censors refused to allow a Duke, Somma came up with "Riccardo Conte di Varvich (Warwick)" and then refused to make other changes; that was acceptable to all. Once again, Somma refused to have his name appear on the libretto.
"Gustavo III" becomes "Un ballo in maschera".
By 11 September 1858, Verdi wrote to Somma accepting the revised changes in "Gustavo III", but renamed it as "Un ballo in maschera". Until his arrival in Rome in January 1859, Verdi was involved in completing and orchestrating the opera. Basing it as he did on the skeleton score of "Una vendetta", Verdi transformed the setting and characters' names to fit the requirements. The score's text required modification to agree with "Ballo" and not "Una vendetta", orchestration was completed, and musical changes and adjustments were made. Significant changes in the music occurred after 11 September and are also detailed by Gossett.
The first performance of the new opera was presented on 17 February 1859.
By about 1870, after "Ballo" had become successful and when Italian unification removed much of regional censorship, Verdi could probably have returned the opera to its original Swedish setting, but he never did so. Until the mid-20th Century, the "standard" location of "Ballo" remained in the United States.
Today, "Ballo" has become part of the standard repertory and is often performed.
Performance history of "Gustavo III".
"Gustavo III" disappeared for close to one hundred and fifty years, but it again made an appearance with the publication of the critical edition of "Un ballo in maschera" and the subsequent "hypothetical reconstruction", based on the unorchestrated original and much of "Una vendetta" "grafted" onto "Un ballo"s score.
The complete history of "Gustavo III" has been outlined by musicologist Philip Gossett in his "Divas and Scholars" but, as noted by George Loomis, for the 25% of the score which is lost "Gossett and (Ilaria) Narici (who edited the critical edition) had to use an earlier sketched version at Sant'Agata that spans the entire opera (with some gaps) but consists largely of only the melodic line. Gossett says that the sketched draft nevertheless permits one conversant with Verdi's style to reconstruct the original with a reasonable degree of probability. And the opera's final version often supplies guidance in matters of harmony and orchestration."
"Gustavo III" was presented by the Gothenburg Opera in Gothenburg, Sweden during the 2002/03 season, 146 years after Verdi took his libretto for "Gustavo III" away from the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. "Gustavo III" was given at the San Carlo in January/February 2004.
References.
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