Ermione (1995)

• 90%
• 1995
• Musik
• Anna Caterina Antonacci
• Diana Montague
• Jorge Lopez-Yañez

The process of writing the verse for Ermione was entrusted to the prolific librettist Andrea Leone Tottola, also known for the work he did with Donizetti, Bellini, Pacini and Mercadante. The subject was taken from Jean-Baptiste Racine's tragedy, Andromaque (1667), in turn based on Euripides' masterpiece. Ermione was first performed at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples on 27th March 1819 with a quality cast. When first staged, Ermione was not very successful because probably Rossini moved too far away from the taste of German public at the time. Ermione was completely forgotten until 1977 when it was revived in concert formular in Siena. In der Ermione von Rossini steps away from some of the stylistic features of belcanto and lays the foundations for some of the masterpieces of his maturity: there is clearly more continuity between the various closed pieces, the function of the chorus is strengthened, three-part arias are replaced by two-part ones, and we can find a more vigorous vocal expression ...