Griselda

Dramma per musica

Libretto by Apostolo Zeno

The tale of the shepherdess Griselda is one of the most popular subjects for 18th-century opera. No wonder, since the King of Sicily’s marriage to a simple shepherdess who is forced to defend her virtue in a series of tests until she proves herself a true queen offers material for many eventful episodes and a wide range of emotions. The Italian composer Giovanni Bononcini wrote his version of Griselda in 1722 for the King’s Theatre in London. He shared the post of composer-in-residence there with none other than George Frideric Handel. The opera’s recitatives were missing for a long time, and it is only in recent years that the lyrical, yet extremely inventive score has been reconstructed. Max Emanuel Cencic, counter-tenor and head of the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, has been energetic in his efforts to rediscover this pearl of Baroque opera and will now present it in Vienna with conductor Benjamin Bayl.

Concert performance in Italian with German surtitles

Introduction to the work 30 minutes before curtain-up

Synopsis

Place: Near Palermo in Sicily.

King Gualtiero has married Griselda, a peasant woman and his longtime mistress, and fears that she will not be accepted among the nobility. Concerned that a rebellion might arise, the king decides he must prove that Griselda is worthy to be their queen and the mother of their future king. He tests her virtue and steadfastness with a series of cruel ordeals, including telling her a lie that their long-lost daughter was killed on his orders. Gualtiero banishes Griselda from the court and announces that he intends to take another wife, the young woman Almirena, who is, unknown to all, their missing daughter. Almirena is highly upset over the king's proposal as she is in love with Ernesto.

Meanwhile, Griselda has returned to the humble cottage where she once lived. A beautiful woman, she has caught the attention of Rambaldo, a Sicilian nobleman, who attempts to woo her. After refusing him, Rambaldo threatens to kill her infant son, Everardo, unless she agrees to marry him. Griselda refuses and flees to the palace where she is permitted to stay as a servant to Almirena. Gualtiero, as a final test, orders Griselda to marry Rambaldo, which she refuses to his satisfaction. The king reveals his true motive for tormenting her and accepts her again as his queen to the satisfaction of Almirena and Ernesto who can now be reunited. Rambaldo, who confesses to have stirred up the nobles in the hope of winning Griselda, is forgiven.

Program and cast

Conductor - Benjamin Bayl

Griselda - Sonja Runje

Gualtiero - Max Emanuel Cencic

Ernesto - Dennis Orellana

Almirena - Johanna Rosa Falkinger

Rambaldo - Tomas Kral

Wrocław Baroque Orchestra