Amilcare Ponchielli
Source: Last Verista
Born near Cremona, Italy, on 31 August 1834, Amilcare Ponchielli won a scholarship to study at the Milan Conservatory at age nine. He'd written his first symphony by age ten. Klassika has Ponchielli composing his Op 1 from 1850 to 1854, an obscure opera titled 'Maometto'. He was seventeen when one of his tasks at the Conservatory was the introduction along with an aria toward 'Il Sindaco Babbeo', an operatic collaboration with three other students that premiered in March of 1851. Graduating from the Conservatory in 1854, Ponchielli is said to have won a professorship there, which didn't, however, happen. Instead, he filled dead-end jobs as he ventured into his early career while also working as a bandmaster in Piacenza and Cremona. That Conservatory would nevertheless be one of the pillars of Ponchielli's career along with the Teatro alla Scalla in Milan in particular, and his publisher, Ricordi & Company. Yielding example of Ponchielli's early instrumental compositions is 'Capriccio for Oboe and Piano' authored in 1854 or later upon returning to Cremona. Op numbers also given to operas in Ponchielli more reflect genre than chronology. This is an early work which one might presume to have a high Op number of 80 because it wasn't published until circa 1889. But it is actually one of a group of nine chamber works starting with Op 75. I've not been able to determine who assigned Opus numbers to Ponchielli according to the scheme at Centro Studi Ponchielli.
'Capriccio for Oboe and Piano' F minor Op 80 Amilcare Ponchielli
Composed c 1854 or later in Cremona Published c 1889
Oboe: Gianfranco Bortolato Piano: Riccardo Caramella
Turin Conservatory 1996
Edition Silvertrust IMSLP Score
Ponchielli's second opera, 'I Promessi Sposi' ('The Betrothed') Op 2, appeared at the Teatro Concordia in Cremona on 30 August 1856. At this phase Ponchielli yet wanted experience in opera such that his later 1872 revision came to considerably greater success. In addition to Ponchielli, four other poets worked on the libretto for "I Promessi Sposi' after the eponymous 1827 novel by Alessandro Manzoni: Cesare Stradivari, Giuseppe Aglio, Giuseppe Bergamaschi and possibly Rocchino, a friend of Ponchilli. The 1872 version was authored by Emilio Praga. This tale relates as to the frustrated wedding of Lucia and Renzo when the former is kidnapped.
'I Promessi Sposi' ('The Betrothed') Op 2 Amilcare Ponchielli
Premiere 30 Aug 1856 at the Teatro Concordia in Cremona
Premiere revised version 5 Dec 1872 at the Teatro dal Verme in Milan
Libretto 1856: Ponchielli / Stradivari / Aglio / Bergamaschi / Rocchino (?)
Libretto 1872: Emilio Praga
Milan Conservatory Marco Pace 25 Oct 2015
eccoLecco IMSLP Opera Scotland Phil's Opera World Wikipedia
From 1858 to 1863 Ponchielli completed three but premiered only two more operas, 'Roderigo re dei Goti' in Milan and 'La Savoiarda' in Piacenza where he became musical director of its National Guard in 1862. In 1863 he began to lead the Cremonese Civic Orchestra. Other than operas, Ponchielli completed more than two hundred works for band consisting largely of winds. He had also been writing orchestral works from the start, such as short symphonies, but isn't considered particularly distinguished in such. His compositions for various instruments such as piano are more favored. In order to present a couple more instrumental works by Ponchielli, we begin below with his divertimento, 'Il Convegno' ('The Meeting') Op 76 of 1865 followed by his more mature 'Concerto per Flicorno Basso' (euphonium) Op 155 which saw its first performance on 17 March of 1872.
'Il Convegno' ('The Meeting') Op 76 Divertimento by Amilcare Ponchielli
Composed 1865 Published 1913
Clarinet: Philippe Cuper / Jean Luc Votano
IMSLP Sam Houston State University Wind Repertory Project
'Concerto per Flicorno Basso' Op 155 Amilcare Ponchielli
Premiere 17 March 1872
Euphonium: Marina Boselli
Civica Filarmonica di Lugano Franco Cesarini Switzerland 2019
Ponchielli premiered his opera, 'Il Parlatore Eterno' at the Teatro Sociale in Lecco in October of 1873 prior to 'I Lituani' ('The Lithuanians') Op 7, at La Scala in Milan on 7 March 1874. in 'The Lithuanians' one Princess Aldona is married to one Walter, a Lithuanian warrior who impersonates the Teutonic knight, Corrado Wallenrod. (The Teutonic Order was a Catholic military society founded circa 1190 in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem.) This eventually leads to a Slavic victory for the Lithuanians over the Germanic Teutons, but twist leads to twist such that Wallenrod is discovered to be Walter who is then is sentenced to death, to die a tragic hero in Aldona's embrace. How many operas ending with heroes dying in the arms of their beloveds in romantic opera could require a quantum computer to count.
Overture to 'I Lituani' Op 7 Amilcare Ponchielli
Premiere 7 March 1874 at La Scala in Milan
Libretto: Antonio Ghislanzoni
Civica Filarmonica di Lugano Franco Cesarini Switzerland 2019
Ponchielli's opera, 'I Mori di Valenza Come' Op 8, of 1874 was left unfinished, later completed by his son, Annibale Ponchielli, and Arturo Cadore to eventually premiere at the Théâtre du Casino in Monaco on 17 March 1914. 'La Gioconda' (not to be mistaken for Lisa del Giocondo) Op 9 was performed at La Scala on 8 April 1876, that including the famous ballet in the finale of Act 3 (of 4) titled 'Dance of the Hours' [Wikipedia]. 'Dance of the Hours' was featured in Walt Disney's animation extravaganza, 'Fantasia', in 1940. In this tragedy Giaconda is a singer who ends up stabbing herself to death to avoid getting taken by the story's villain, Barnaba, a spy for the Inquisition. The number of operas ending in a suicide could also require a quantum computer to count.
'Dance of the Hours' Opera by Amilcare Ponchielli
From the ballet finale of Act 3 (of 4) of 'La Gioconda'
Premiere 18 April 1876 at La Scala in Milan
Libretto: Arrigo Boito after Víctor Hugo's 1835 'Angelo, Tyrant of Padua'
Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice directed by Lorin Maazel
Il Balletto del Sud choreographed by Fredy Franzutti
Aria Database Belcanto Metropolitan Opera La Monnaie Opera Guide
Wikipedia
Ponchielli's second to last opera, 'Il Figliuol Prodigo' Op 10 with libretto by Angelo Zanardini, premiered at La Scala on 26 December 1880. In this version of the theme of "the prodigal son" inspired by Jesus' parable in the Gospel of 'Luke', Azael who is the Jewish son of Reuben goes astray upon beginning to follow the Assyrian, Amenhotep, who intends to murder him to gain his beloved, Jephthalem, who he kidnaps. From there the tale proceeds not toward tragedy terrible as one might expect from romantic opera, but a final happy reunion of Azael, Jephthalem and Reuben.
'Ballabili' Opera by Amilcare Ponchielli
Dance from Act 3 (of 4) of 'Il Figliuol Prodigo' ('The Prodigal Son')
Premiere 26 Dec 1880 at La Scala in Milan
Libretto: Angelo Zanardini
Ochestra Filarmonica Ucraina di Donetsk Silvano Frontalini 2006
A radical change from working for stage arrived in 1881 when Ponchielli became maestro di cappella at Bergamo Cathedral. He also began to teach composition at the Milan Conservatory that year. Ponchielli premiered his final opera, 'Marion Delorme' Op 11, at La Scala on 17 March 1885. Marion Delorme (1613-50) was a wealthy epicurean courtesan who hosted a literary salon in Paris considered suspect in the Catholic France of Cardinal Richelieu. In addition, she is purported to have counted among her numerous lovers not a few of high rank or status including both King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. In this opera set in 1638 Marion offers herself to Magistrate Laffemas in order to save the life of a young lover, the nobleman, Didier, who is soon to be executed for dueling together with his rival, the Marquis de Saverny, for Richelieu has recently made dueling illegal. But alas, this is a tragedy in which nothing can avail, and just as in the 1828 'Marion Delorme' by romantic Victor Hugo, both Didier and Saverny must die.
'Funeral March' Final opera by Amilcare Ponchielli
Intermezzo from Act 4 (of 4) of 'Marion Delorme'
Premiere 17 March 1885 at La Scala in Milan
Libretto: Enrico Golisciani from Victor Hugo
Ochestra Filarmonica Ucraina di Donetsk Silvano Frontalini 2006
Feel the Blues Engelbert Hellen IMSLP Wikipedia
Ponchielli died of pneumonia nine months after the premiere of 'Marion Delorme' on 16 January 1886 in Milan.
Sources & References for Amilcare Ponchielli:
(All Music)Licia Sirch (Centro Studi Ponchielli)
VF History (notes)
Audio of Ponchielli: Individual Works:
Capriccio for Oboe and Piano (Op 80 / circa 1855 give or take a few)
La Gioconda (Op 9 / opera / premiere at La Scala in Milano on 8 April 1876):
EPDLP (fragments)
Internet Archive (La Scala C & O / Antonino Votto / Maria Callas as La Gioconda / 1968)
Audio of Ponchielli: Various:
USCB (cylinders / 1903-18)
Compositions: Corpora:
Centro Studi Ponchielli (by genre / by opus)
Klassika (alphabetical / chronological / by genre / by opus)
Operas:
Classic Cat Maria Nockin (Stanford University)
(extensive commentary w scores)Wind Repertory Project (winds)
Collections: Centro Studi Ponchielli
(Conservatorio di Milano)Correspondence:
Centro Studi Ponchielli (chronology) Archivo Storico Ricordi (digital copies)
Usage of Ponchielli in Film: IMDb VGMdb
Libretti: Individual Works:
La Gioconda (opera / Op 9 /1876 / Arrigo Boito after the 1835 play by Víctor Hugo):
Internet Archive Internet Archive
Marion Delorme (opera / Op 11 / 1885 / Enrico Golisciani after the 1828 play by Victor Hugo)
(opera / Op 2 / 1856 / revised by Emilio Praga 1872)Libretti: Various: Open Library
Recordings of Ponchielli: Catalogs:
DAHR (shellac 1902-49)
Recordings of Ponchielli: Select:
Il Figliuol Prodigo (opera / Op 10 / 1880 / Coro Ponchielli-Vertova di Cremona / Ochestra Filarmonica Ucraina di Donetsk / Silvano Frontalini / 2006)
Scores / Sheet Music:
Abe Books (vendor) free-scores IMSLP Musicalics (vendor) MusOpen Scorser
Further Reading: Sam Houston State University
Bibliography:
Authority Search: BNF Data Deutsche National Bibliothek
Other Profiles:
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
(vol 84 / 2015) (1935)Wikipedia International: Finnish Français German Italiano
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