An unfair test of love and Vivaldi's crazy virtuoso vocal fireworks, all dressed up in a gallant style. Griselda is being presented by the Royal Theater and Concerto Copenhagen in Denmark for the first time ever.
For the first time ever, the Royal Danish Theatre and Concerto Copenhagen present Vivaldi's opera Griselda. The story of King Gualtiero of Thessaly, who marries the poor shepherdess 'Griselda'. The people are opposed to the marriage, so the king subjects Griselda to a series of trials to test her love.
Although most of us today probably know the composer of "The Four Seasons" best for his many instrumental works, Antonio Vivaldi also made a name for himself as an opera composer in his day. In addition to composing music, he also acted as impresario and manager for both himself and his singers, and he had a clear strategy. Using his background and network as an educator and teacher, Vivaldi found talented but younger (and therefore cheaper) singers at the beginning of their careers, thus avoiding the exorbitantly high fees charged by superstars and castrati.
Vivaldi's virtuoso and high-energy music, composed for new, young singers with sharp techniques and good acting skills, struck a chord with audiences, and Vivaldi's operas enjoyed considerable success throughout most of Italy – commercially as well. Griselda premiered at the Teatro San Samuele on May 18, 1735. Always in tune with the trends of the time, Vivaldi combines and contrasts his frenzied virtuoso vocal fireworks with the new gallant style, which is simpler, more supple, and more melodic.
In the story of Griselda, taken from the Decameron, the heroine is subjected to the most terrible sadistic trials. Traditionally, Griselda is portrayed as penitent and patient, but in Vivaldi's opera she instead rages against the injustices inflicted upon her.
In a series of spectacular arias, written for Vivaldi's fiery protégée Anna Giró, Vivaldi demonstrates an extraordinary virtuosity in his use of fermatas and pauses. Griselda also contains some of Vivaldi's most virtuosic and well-known arias – particularly Agitata de due venti.
The Danish premiere features strong international voices in the cast. Mezzo-soprano Noa Beinart, a member of the ensemble at the Vienna State Opera, plays the long-suffering Griselda, and the internationally sought-after Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen can be seen in the role of Costanza.
The performances of "Griselda" in 1735 were a resounding success, thanks to Vivaldi and his young stars – and we hope to recreate that success in 2025 on Danish soil.
Get ready for the premiere and listen to the music here.
About Vivaldi and Opera
Although most of us today probably know the composer of "The Four Seasons" best for his many instrumental works, Antonio Vivaldi also made a name for himself as an opera composer in his day. His opera debut took place in 1713 in Vicenza with "Ottone in villa" (which Concerto Copenhagen performed during the Copenhagen Opera Festival in 2014)This debut marked the beginning of Vivaldi's productive career in "dramma per musica" – a potentially lucrative genre, as it was extremely popular with audiences. Vivaldi also had commercial ambitions with his operas. In addition to composing the music, he also acted as impresario and manager for both himself and his singers, and he had a clear strategy. Using his background and network as an educator and teacher, Vivaldi found talented but younger (and therefore cheaper) singers at the beginning of their careers, thus avoiding the exorbitantly high fees of superstars and castrati. He also seems to have preferred singers who also had acting talent. Vivaldi's virtuoso and high-energy music, composed for new, young singers with sharp techniques and good acting skills, struck a chord with audiences, and Vivaldi's operas enjoyed considerable success throughout most of Italy – commercially as well.
However, Vivaldi's forward-thinking, effective music, unbridled commercial ambitions, and generally flamboyant attitude also contributed to making him unwelcome in parts of Italy—especially in Venice, where the opera and theater scene was dominated by conservative tastes and aristocratic families. Nevertheless, Venice was the most lucrative and exciting place to compose opera, as it was home to the largest and most modern theaters. In 1735, one of Vivaldi's biggest opponents in Venice, the librettist and theater impresario Domenico Lalli, retired. He was associated with the Grimani family, who owned several theaters in Venice, but all of which had been operating at a significant loss for some time. The Grimani family had observed Vivaldi's artistic and financial success, and they now decided to give Vivaldi a chance.
Griselda premiered at the Teatro San Samuele on May 18, 1735. Always in tune with the trends of the time, Vivaldi combines and contrasts frenzied virtuoso vocal fireworks with the new gallant style, which is simpler, more supple, and more melodic. In the story of Griselda, taken from the Decameron, the heroine is subjected to the most terrible sadistic trials. Traditionally, Griselda is portrayed as penitent and patient, but here she instead rages against the injustices inflicted upon her. In a series of spectacular arias, intended for Vivaldi's fiery protégée, Anna Giró, Vivaldi demonstrates an extraordinarily virtuoso use of fermatas and pauses. Giró, with her acting skills, was able to imbue the sudden moments of silence with passion, defiance, and emotion. "Griselda" also contains some of Vivaldi's most virtuosic and well-known arias – particularly "Agitata de due venti," Constanze's coloratura aria at the beginning of Act II, which the world-famous mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli often uses as an encore at her concerts. Find it on YouTube!
The performances of "Griselda" in 1735 were a resounding success, and thanks to Vivaldi and his young stars, the Grimani family and their theater empire were once again on solid financial footing.