Antonio Salieri: Europa riconosciuta

Antonio Salieri (18 August 1750 – 7 May 1825) was an Italian composer and conductor from the Republic of Venice. As the Austrian imperial Kapellmeister from 1788 to 1824, he was one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. His music is rarely heard today outside of formal study.

Salieri and Mozart

There is very little evidence of a contentious relationship between the two composers. For example, when Salieri was appointed Kapellmeister in 1788 he revived Figaro instead of bringing out a new opera of his own; and when he went to the coronation festivities for Leopold II in 1790 he had no fewer than three Mozart masses in his luggage. Salieri and Mozart even composed a cantata for voice and piano together, called Per la ricuperata salute di Ophelia which was celebrating the return to stage of the singer Nancy Storace. This work has been lost, although it had been printed by Artaria in 1785. Mozart’s Davide penitente (1785), his Piano Concerto in E flat major (1785), the Clarinet Quintet (1789) and the great Symphony in G minor had been premiered on the suggestion of Salieri, who supposedly conducted a performance of it in 1791. In his last surviving letter from 14 October 1791, Mozart tells his wife that he collected Salieri and Caterina Cavalieri in his carriage and drove them both to the opera, and about Salieri’s attendance at his opera The Magic Flute, speaking enthusiastically: “He heard and saw with all his attention, and from the overture to the last choir there was no piece that didn’t elicit a “Bravo!” or “Bello!” out of him [...].”

Salieri died in Vienna and was buried in the Matzleinsdorfer Friedhof (his remains were later transferred to the Zentralfriedhof). At his funeral service, his own Requiem in C minor – composed in 1804 – was performed for the first time. [wikipedia]

Europa riconosciuta is an opera in two acts by Antonio Salieri, designated as a dramma per musica, set to an Italian libretto by Mattia Verazi.

The opera takes place in Tyre and tells a story of love, violence and political discord in ancient times. The central character, Europa, was once the lover of Zeus and helps resolve all disagreements after she discloses her identity – thus the title “Europa Revealed.” Though a traditional opera seria, the work differentiates itself from several of the typical characteristics of the genre. For example: a murder is seen onstage and an extended finale is used in both acts, a practice more typical of opera buffa. Musically, the opera is quite challenging, requiring four principal singers capable of spanning wide tessituras, sustaining long phrases, and making dextrous leaps. For example, the roles of Europa and Semele go up to a high F sharp above high C numerous times and at one point Europa even sings a high G. [wikipedia]

La Scala (Italian: Teatro alla Scala), is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal Theatre at La Scala (Italian: Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta. The opera was not performed again until December 7, 2004 for the re-opening of La Scala, after the theater had been closed for almost three years for major renovations.