Mozart and Salieri Opera Program Notes, Sheet Music and Recordings

Program Notes & Analysis

A Psychological Duel: The "Truth" of Pushkin

After the premiere of his first opera, Le Villi, the young Giacomo Puccini received a commission from his publisher for a new work, Edgar. Puccini, eager to prove his "serious" credentials, found himself saddled with a libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, a turgid, almost comical, medieval melodrama. The plot was a direct, clumsy imitation of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser, featuring a hero torn between two symbolic women: the pure, saintly Fidelia and the wildly sensual "Moorish" seductress, Tigrana. Puccini knew the libretto was a disaster. He himself later called it "a blunder," an "organism defective from the dramatic point of view." And yet, he was a young composer, and this was a commission for La Scala. He spent four years trying to "make it work." The 1889 premiere was a notorious failure. It was a critical and commercial flop that was withdrawn after only three performances.

A Failure That Forged a Master

Edgar is, without question, the most important "failure" in opera history. Its flaws were so glaring that they taught Puccini exactly what kind of composer he needed to be. He learned two profound lessons. First, he learned that his genius was not in the "Germanic" world of grand, symbolic, "mythic" melodrama. He was an Italian, and his art was in the "human." The very next year, in 1890, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana premiered, and the verismo ("realism") movement exploded. Puccini saw his path. He was not a "myth-maker" like Wagner; he was a "truth-teller" of the human heart. Second, and most importantly, Edgar taught him that the libretto was everything. He vowed he would never again be at the mercy of a "poet." For his next opera, Manon Lescaut, he seized control, hiring and firing a "committee" of librettists until he got the "theatrical" and "human" drama he wanted. The "blunder" of Edgar was the crucible that forged the ruthless, brilliant theatrical master who would soon give the world La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly.

The "Verismo" vs. "Wagnerian" Struggle

The opera itself is a fascinating, if incoherent, battle of styles. The librettist, Fontana, was obsessed with Wagner's "sacred vs. profane" symbolism. The two heroines are not people; they are one-dimensional allegories. Fidelia (literally "Faith") is the pure, blonde, long-suffering virgin. Her music is sweet, lyrical, and "angelic." Tigrana, by contrast, is a crude, "exotic" stereotype (a "Moorish" gypsy), a character of pure, animalistic sensuality. She is a clumsy, first draft of Bizet’s Carmen. Puccini, a born dramatist, was clearly more interested in the "sinner" than the "saint," and Tigrana’s music is far more dramatic, complex, and memorable. This "Wagnerian" framework is constantly at war with Puccini’s "Italian" heart. The opera is full of moments where the young composer’s verismo instincts try to break free, as in Frank's (Fidelia's brother) beautiful, lyrical Act I aria, "Questo amor, vergogna mia" (This love, my shame), a piece that would not feel out of place in La bohème.

A Treasure Chest of "Recycled" Genius

While the opera "does not exist," as Puccini said, its score is a treasure chest of brilliant ideas that the composer would later "recycle" into his masterpieces. The funeral music of Act III is, by far, the greatest music in the opera. The orchestral prelude is a dark, tragic, and magnificent elegy that is the first, true "Puccini" moment of his career. It is a clear precursor to the desolate, atmospheric music of Il tabarro and the Act III prelude of Tosca. The great Requiem chorus that follows is equally sublime, a moment of real, human grief in an otherwise artificial drama. Puccini knew this music was too good to lose. Years later, when he needed a theme for Tosca's final, devastating leap from the Castel Sant'Angelo, he reached back to Edgar and took a theme from this very act. Edgar is the composer's "sketchbook," a fascinating "failure" that contains the seeds of all the "successes" to come. It is a "blunder" made by a genius, and for that, it remains an essential piece of operatic history.

The Story of the Opera

(This synopsis is for the final, three-act version)

Act I: The Village Square

Flanders, 1302. Edgar, a young, dissolute knight, is torn. He is in love with the pure, innocent Fidelia, but he is hopelessly infatuated with the sensual, wild outcast, Tigrana. Fidelia greets him at dawn with almond blossoms, and they share a tender duet ("O fior del mandorlo"). But as soon as she leaves, Tigrana appears, tempting him to return to their life of debauchery. Frank, Fidelia's brother (who is also secretly in love with Tigrana), confronts her, but she mocks him. As the villagers enter the church for morning prayers, Tigrana sits outside, defiantly singing a sacrilegious song. The villagers, enraged, rush out and threaten to stone her. Edgar, in a burst of rebellion, leaps to her defense. He curses the village, sets his own house on fire, and, as the villagers curse them, he flees with Tigrana, abandoning the heartbroken Fidelia.

Act II: The Life of Debauchery

A terrace of a palace. Edgar, now living a life of "orgies and chimera," is already disgusted with himself. He sings a despairing aria ("Orgia, chimera"), realizing he has thrown away his honor and his only true love, Fidelia. Tigrana, in a triumphant drinking song, tries to win him back, but his heart is cold. Suddenly, a platoon of soldiers arrives, led by Frank. Frank announces they are on their way to join the war in Flanders. Edgar, seeing a chance to escape and redeem himself, asks Frank's forgiveness (for a duel in Act I where he wounded him). Frank, who is glad to be free of Tigrana's spell, forgives him. Edgar enrolls in the army under a false name, leaving a furious, vengeful Tigrana behind.

Act III: The Funeral and the Betrayal

A military funeral procession enters a courtyard. A casket, covered in armor, is carried in. It is the body of "Edgar," who has died a hero's death in battle. Frank and the soldiers praise the fallen hero. Fidelia, in a heartbreaking lament ("Addio, mio dolce amor"), drapes flowers over the casket, vowing to meet him in heaven. After the crowd leaves, only Frank and a mysterious, black-robed monk remain. The monk reveals that he heard Edgar's "dying confession" and that Edgar was, in fact, a traitor who betrayed his country. Tigrana, who has been lurking, is brought in. She at first defends Edgar's memory. But the monk and Frank offer her jewels to "prove" her love by lying. They call the crowd back, and the monk, in a brutal speech, denounces Edgar's sins. Tigrana, clutching her new jewels, confirms the lie, stating Edgar betrayed his country for gold. The enraged soldiers, cursing his memory, tear the armor from the casket, only to find it... empty.

The monk throws off his robe. It is Edgar. The entire funeral was a sham, a test to see who truly loved him. He now knows: only Fidelia was faithful. He rushes to embrace her. At that exact moment of reunion, the enraged and humiliated Tigrana, screaming, rushes from the crowd, pulls a dagger, and stabs Fidelia, who collapses and dies in Edgar's arms. The soldiers capture Tigrana, and the opera ends as Edgar, completely broken, weeps over the body of the only woman who ever truly loved him.