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''Zaira'' is a ''tragedia lirica'', or tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini set to a libretto by Felice Romani which was based on Voltaire's 1732 tragedy, ''Zaïre''. The story takes place in the time of the Crusades and the opera's plot involves the heroine, Zaira, struggling between her Christian faith and her love for Orosmane, the Muslim Sultan of Jerusalem. It was Bellini's fifth opera, following quickly after his February 1829 composition and premiere of ''La straniera'' at La Scala. ''Zaira'' received its first performance at the "Nuovo Teatro Ducale" in Parma (now the Teatro Regio di Parma) on 16 May 1829.〔Kimbell, in Holden, p. 49〕 Although it had been expressly written for the theatre's inauguration, it was a failure at its premiere.〔(''Zaira'' at Naxos Records )〕 ==Composition history== At around the time that Bellini was in discussions with impresario Domenico Barbaja about a second opera for La Scala to follow ''La straniera'', the composer reported to his friend Francesco Florimo in Naples that he had been approached in August 1828 by another impresario, Bartolomeo Merelli, about writing the inaugural opera for the soon-to-be completed Teatro Ducale (now the Teatro Regio) in Parma which was due to open the following year〔Weinstein 1971, p. 55〕 on 12 May 1829.〔Kimbell, in Holden, p. 49〕 The offer to write the opera to inaugurate the house had originally been extended to Rossini, but he had declined due to his work on ''Le comte Ory'' for Paris and, while other composers were considered, in November 1828 the offer was made to Bellini, with the subject to be ''Cesare in Egitto'', to be set to a libretto written by a Parma lawyer, Luigi Torrigiani. However, Bellini made it a condition of his contract that he must approve the subject and, over the Parma lawyer's objections and his attempt to persuade him and Henriette Méric-Lalande, the chosen ''prima donna'', to accept this work, Bellini stated a preference for working again with Romani, who himself proposed two subjects.〔Osborne, C. 1994, pp. 323—324〕 In a long complaint, which Torrigiani laid against Bellini after he had traveled to Milan to meet the composer and ''prima donna'' in an attempt to convince them to use his libretto, he reported to Parma's Grand Chamberlain upon his return in December. The aggrieved librettist sums up Bellini's tastes in Romantic drama as follows: :() likes Romanticism and exaggeration. He declares that Classicism is cold and boring ... He is entranced by unnatural meetings in forests, among graves, tombs and the like...〔Torrigiani to Parma's Grand Chamberlain, 14 December 1828, in Galatopoulos 2002, p. 145〕 However, the complaint was ignored. Initially, Romani proposed that the opera should be ''Carlo di Borgogna'', but composer and librettist eventually decided to tackle "a drama so...hallowed as Voltaire's ''Zaïre''".〔Weinstock 1971, p. 75〕 However, this enterprise proved to be more challenging for Romani than first imagined. He explained that, in writing the libretto for ''Zaira'', his position in relation to Voltaire's tragedy was rather different from the tone of the original play, thus avoiding—as Galatopoulos notes—"philospohical ostentation (appropriate in Voltaire and popular at the time)" and noting in the preface to the libretto: :''Zaira'' therefore is not covered with the ample cloak of Tragedy but wrapped in the tight form of Melodrama.〔Romani, preface to the printed libretto of ''Zaira'', Parma 1829, quoted in Galatopoulos 2002, p. 155〕 Librettist and composer arrived in Parma on 17 March 1829 giving them 56 days before the opening, but Bellini then learned that some of the singers would only arrive 14 days before the date of the premiere, a date that was—in theory—unchangeable. In fact, that date had to be changed due to the inability of Lalande to arrive in time for sufficient rehearsal. The later opposition, which arose after the first performance, focused on criticism that Bellini was seen too often on the streets before the premiere rather than writing the music for the opera. This may have had some merit since both composer and librettist were somewhat dilatory, delaying work as much and as long as possible in order to be able to work with the singers and to set the music to suit their vocal characteristics, a not uncommon 19th century practice. Indendant Count Sanvitale's request on 17 April, asking "to let me know the reasons why our copyists are kept idle", did not receive much of response to satisfy the theatre's management,〔Galatopoulos 2002, pp. 147—150〕 but eventually, both men got down to work and finished on time, although the premiere was delayed by four days due to Lalande's late arrival. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zaira (opera)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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