Ciro in Babilonia, ossia La caduta di Baldassare (Cyrus in Babylon, or The Downfall of Belshazzar) is an azione sacra in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Francesco Aventi. It was first performed at the Teatro Comunale in Ferrara during Lent, 1812. The exact date of the premiere is unknown but is believed to be 14 March. During Lent it was the custom for Italian opera houses either to close or to stage works on themes from the Bible. Ciro in Babilonia is one of two Lenten operas by Rossini (along with Mosè in Egitto) and is based on the Biblical story of the overthrow of the Babylonian king Belshazzar by the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great.
Performance history In a concert form, the work's UK premiere took place on 30 January 1823 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.Gossett and Brauner 2001, p. 768 The quasi-opera premiered in the United States on 7 July 2012 at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts as part of the Festival, starring contralto Ewa Podleś in the title role, tenor Michael Spyres as Baldassare (Belshazzar), and soprano Jessica Pratt as Amira, with Will Crutchfield conducting. Performances with the same principal singers opened in a more elaborate staging on 10 August 2012 at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro. Mike Silverman, "Review: US premiere for Rossini opera at Caramoor", San Francisco Chronicle, 9 July 2012 online at sfgate.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012
Roles RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, 14 (?) March 1812 (Conductor: – )Baldassare, King of AssyriatenorEliodoro BianchiCiro, King of PersiacontraltoMarietta MarcoliniAmira, wife of Ciro, imprisoned by BaldassaresopranoElisabetta Manfredini-GuarmaniArgene, confidant of Amiramezzo-sopranoAnna SavinelliZambri, Babylonian princebassGiovanni LaynerArbace, captain in Baldassare's army, in love with ArgenetenorFrancesco SavinelliDaniello, prophetbassGiovanni Fraschi
Synopsis Time: 539 B.C. Place: BabylonOsborne, Charles 1996, p. 16
https://www.rossinioperafestival.it/en/stories/ciro-in-babilonia/
The plot of "Ciro in Babilonia" concerns the events, drawn from the Bible, surrounding the invasion of Babylon by Ciro (Cyrus), king of Persia. During the fighting, Ciro's wife, Amira, and their son are captured by Baldassare (Belshazzar), king of Babylon. Under a plan hatched by Arbace, Ciro's general, Ciro disguises himself as an ambassador to the Babylonians, so as to embed himself in Baldassare's court and plot the release of his wife and son. After a series of tribulations and plot twists (including divine intervention), Baldassare is defeated, and in triumph, Ciro is joyfully reunited with his wife and son.
Recordings YearCast: Baldassare, Ciro, Amira, Argene Conductor,Opera House and OrchestraLabel Recordings of Ciro in Babilonia on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk1988 Ernesto Palacio,Caterina Calvi,Daniela Dessi,Oriana Ferraris Carlo Rizzi,Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo and Coro Francesco Cilea di Reggio(Recording of a performance in the Teatro Chiabrera, Savona, 30 October)Audio CD: Hunt, Cat: 105;Arkadia, Cat: CDAK 105.2;Celestial Audio, Cat: CA 502 "Gioacchino Rossini: Ciro in Babilonia". Recording details and review (in French) on concertonet.com 9 December 2013 2004 Riccardo Botta,Annarita Gemmabella,Luisa Islam-Ali-Zade,Maria Soulis Antonino Fogliani,Württembergische Philharmonie Orchestra and ARS Brunensis Chamber Choir(Recorded at 3 performances at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival, July)Audio CD: Naxos RecordsCat: 8.660203/42008 Cyril Auvity,Nora Gubisch,Elena de la Merced,Sophie Daneman Jean-Claude Malgoire,La Grande Écurie et La Chambre du Roy and Choeur de Chambre de Namur(Recording of a concert performance in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 12 January)Audio CD: Premiere OperaCat: ??2012Michael Spyres,Ewa Podleś,Jessica Pratt,Carmen Romeu Will Crutchfield, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna,(Recording of a performance at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, August)DVD: Opus Arte,Cat: OA1108DBlu-ray: Cat OABD7123D
References Notes
Sources Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "Ciro in Babilonia", in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. Osborne, Richard (1998), "Ciro in Babilonia", in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One, p. 873. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc.
External links Libretto in Italian Retrieved 13 December 2012