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{{Short description|1771 pastoral opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart}}
{{Infobox opera
| name = {{Lang|it|Ascanio in Alba}}
| type = ''[[Festa teatrale]]''
| composer = [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|W. A. Mozart]]
| image = Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona, 1770.jpg
| caption = 1770 Verona portrait of Mozart
| image_upright = 
| librettist = [[Giuseppe Parini]]
| language = Italian
| based_on = 
| premiere_date = {{start date|1771|10|17|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[Teatro Regio Ducale]], Milan
}}
'''''Ascanio in Alba''''', [[Köchel catalogue|K.]] 111, is a [[pastoral]] [[opera]] in two parts (''{{Lang|it|[[Festa teatrale]] in due parti}}'') by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] to an Italian [[libretto]] by [[Giuseppe Parini]]. It was commissioned by the Empress [[Maria Theresa]] for the wedding of her son, [[Ferdinand of Austria-Este|Archduke Ferdinand Karl]], to [[Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa|Maria Beatrice d'Este]] on 15 October 1771.<ref>[http://www.mozart.com/en/timeline/work/ascanio-alba/ "An Imperial Wedding and an Unfulfilled Promise"], mozart.com</ref>

== Performance history ==
It was first performed at the [[Teatro Regio Ducale]] in Milan on 17 October 1771.
It was performed in October 2006 on the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth at [[La Scala]], Milan, under the baton of [[Giovanni Antonini]].<ref>[http://www.operaclick.com/node/830 "Milano – Teatro alla Scala: ''Ascanio in Alba''] by Fulvio Zannella (in Italian)</ref> The ballet which linked the two acts{{efn|1=The ballet is also known as ''Neun Stücke für Klavier'', K. Anh. 207/K.{{sup|6}} Anh. C 27.06, an [[arrangement]] possibly by Mozart.<ref>[[Wolfgang Plath]] (1982), ''[[Neue Mozart-Ausgabe]]'', IX/27: Klavierstücke, vol. 2, [https://dme.mozarteum.at/DME/objs/ed/ucb20_202_-18.jpg p. XXV]</ref>}} was twice performed by the orchestra of the [[Handel and Haydn Society]] in Boston in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/02/21/rediscovering_a_sweet_side_of_mozart/|title=Rediscovering a sweet side of Mozart|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=21 February 2006|author=Christina Linklater|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref>

== Roles ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voic types, premiere cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast, 17 October 1771
|-
|Venere (Venus)
|[[soprano]]
|Geltrude Falcini
|-
|[[Ascanius|Ascanio]], ''her son, son of Aeneas''
|[[mezzo-soprano]] [[castrato]]
|[[Giovanni Manzuoli]]
|-
| Silvia, ''a nymph descended from Hercules''
|soprano
|Antonia Maria Girelli Aguilar
|-
| Aceste, ''a priest of Venus''
|[[tenor]]
|Giuseppe Tibaldi
|-
| Fauno, ''a shepherd''
| soprano castrato
|Adamo Solzi
|-
| colspan="3"|'' Genii, Shepherds & Shepherdesses (chorus)''
|}

== Instrumentation ==

The opera is scored for an orchestra consisting of pairs of [[Western concert flute|flutes]], [[oboe]]s, [[bassoon]]s, [[trumpet]]s and [[natural horn|horns]], as well as [[timpani]], a [[string section]] and [[basso continuo]] ([[harpsichord]], [[cello]]).<ref>''NME'' score, p. 5</ref>

== Synopsis ==
:Place: the site of the future city of [[Alba Longa]], near Rome
:Time: mythical times.

=== Part 1 ===
The opening scene introduces [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] and Ascanio, the son she had by [[Aeneas]]. (In most classical sources, Venus/Aphrodite is the mother of ''Aeneas''.) The goddess vaunts the charms of Alba and invites her son to go and rule there. She urges him not to reveal his identity to Silvia, a nymph to whom he is betrothed, but to introduce himself to her under a false identity to test her virtue. While shepherds summon their promised ruler, Fauno reveals that the smiling face of Aceste, a priest, is a sign that the day will be a day of supreme happiness. Obeying the goddess, Ascanio pretends to be a foreigner attracted by the beauties of the place. Aceste tells the shepherds that their valley will be the site of a fine city and that they will have a sovereign, Ascanio, before the day is out. He also informs Silvia that she will be Ascanio's bride, but she replies that she is in love with a young man she has seen in a dream. The priest reassures her, saying the young man in her dream can be none other than Ascanio. Venus then appears to Ascanio and asks him to test the girl a little longer before revealing his true identity.

=== Part 2 ===
Ascanio spots Silvia among the shepherds and tries to talk to her. The girl immediately recognizes the young man from her dreams. Fauno intervenes and suggests to “the foreigner” (Ascanio) that he should go off and announce the building
of Alba in foreign parts. Thus convinced that the foreigner is not Ascanio, Silvia is deeply saddened. She finally decides to accept her fate but declares she never will love anyone else than Ascanio.

Aceste consoles Silvia, saying that her tribulations are about to come to an end. Venus is invoked by a magnificent chorus. Silvia and Ascanio add their voices to the chorus and the goddess descends on her chariot surrounded by clouds. Venus unites the two lovers and explains how she had intended her son to discover the virtue of his fiancée. Aceste pronounces an oath of fidelity and loyalty to Venus, who then retires. It only remains for Ascanio to perpetuate the race of Aeneas and guide the city of Alba to prosperity.

== List of numbers ==
{{Div col|colwidth=31em|rules=yes}}
*Overture
*No.1 Ballet: Andante grazioso
*No.2 Coro di geni e grazie: Di te più amabile, ne Dea maggiore
*Recitativo Venere: geni, grazie, ed Amori, fermate il piè
*No.3 Aria Venere: L'ombra de' rami tuoi
*Recitativo Ascanio & Venere: Ma la ninfa gentil
*No.4 Coro di geni e grazie: Di te più amabile, nè Dea maggiore
*Rectativo accompagnato Ascanio: Perchè tacer degg'io?
*No.5 Aria Ascanio: Cara, lontano ancora
*No.6 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Ascanio & Fauno: Ma qual canto risona?
*No.7 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Fauno & Ascanio: Ma tu, chi sei, che ignoto qui t'aggiri fra noi?
*No.8 Aria Fauno: Se il labbro più non dice
*Recitativo Ascanio & Fauno: Quanto soavi al core de la tua stirpe
*No.9 Coro di pastori e pastorelle: Hai di Diana il core
*Recitativo Aceste: Oh, generosa Diva
*No.10 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Aceste: Di propria man la Dea a voi la donera
*No.11 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Aceste: Oh mia gloria, oh mia cura
*No.12 Aria Aceste: Per la gioia in questo seno
*Recitativo Silvia & Aceste: Misera! Che farò
*No.13 Cavatina Silvia: Si, si, ma d'un altro amore
*Recitativo Aceste & Silvia: Ah no, Silvia t'inganni
*No.14 Aria Silvia: Come è felice stato
*Recitativo Aceste: Silvia, mira, che il sole omai s'avanza
*No.15 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Ascanio & Venere: Cielo! Che vidi mai?
*No.16 Aria Ascani: Ah di sì nobil alma
*Recitativo Venere & Ascanio: Un'altra prova a te mirar conviene
*No.17 Aria Venere: Al chiaror di que' bei rai
*No.18 Coro di geni e grazie: Di te più amabile, nè Dea maggiore
*Recitativo Silvia: Star lontana non so
*No.19 Aria Silvia: Spiega il desio
*No.20 Coro di pastorelle: Già l'ore sen volano
*Recitativo Ascanio: Cerco di loco in loco
*Recitativo Silvia & Ascanio: Oh ciel! che miro?
*Recitativo Silvia, Ascanio & Fauno: Silvia, ove sei?
*No.21 Aria Fauno: Dal tuo gentil sembiante
*Recitativo Ascanio & Silvia: Ahimè! Che veggio mai?
*No.22 Aria Ascanio: Al mio ben mi veggio avanti
*Recitativo accompagnato Silvia: Ferma, aspetta, ove vai?
*No.23 Aria Silvia: Infelici affetti miei
*Recitativo Ascanio & Silvia: Anima grande
*No.24 Coro di pastorelle: Che strano evento
*Recitativo Ascanio: Ahi la crudel
*No.25 Aria Ascanio: Torna mio bene, ascolta
*No.26 Coro di pastori: Venga, de' sommi Eroi
*Recitativo Aceste: Che strana meraviglia
*No.27 Aria Aceste : Sento, che il cor mi dice
*Recitativo Silvia: Si, Padre, alfin mi taccia
*No.28 Coro di pastori e ninfe e pastorelle: Scendi, celeste Venere
*Recitativo Silvia, Aceste & Ascanio: Ma s'allontani almen
*No.29 Coro di pastori e pastorelle: No, non possiamo vivere
*Recitativo Aceste: Ecco ingombran l'altare
*No.30 Coro: Scendi, celeste Venere
*Recitativo Aceste, Silvia, Ascanio, Venere: Invoca, o figlia
*No.31 Terzetto Silvia, Ascanio, Aceste: Ah caro sposo, oh Dio!
*Recitativo Venere: Eccovi al fin di vostre pene
*No.32 Piccola parte del terzetto precedente Silvia, Ascanio, Aceste: Che bel piacer io sento
*Recitativo Silvia, Ascanio, Aceste, Venere: Ah chi nodi più forti
*No.33 Coro ultimo di geni, grazie, pastori e ninfe: Alma Dea, tutto il mondo governa
{{Div col end}}

==Recordings==
* 1959: [[Ilva Ligabue]] (Venere), {{ill|Anna Maria Rota|qid=Q107042778}} (Ascanio), [[Emilia Cundari]] (Silvia), [[Petre Munteanu]] (Aceste), [[Eugenia Ratti]] (Fauno) – Coro e Orchestra dell'Angelicum di Milano, [[Carlo Felice Cillario]] (Cantus Classics)
* 1976: [[International Mozarteum Foundation|Mozarteum]], [[Salzburg]]; [[Lilian Sukis]] (Venere), [[Agnes Baltsa]] (Ascanio), [[Edith Mathis]] (Silvia), [[Peter Schreier]] (Aceste), [[Arleen Auger]] (Fauno) – Salzburger Kammerchor, {{ill|Rupert Huber (conductor)|de|Rupert Huber (Dirigent)|lt=Rupert Huber}}, [[Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg|Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg]], [[Leopold Hager]] (CD,<ref>''[[The Complete Mozart Edition]]'', Vol. 30, 1991 ([[Philips Classics Records]]).</ref> 1991)
* 1990: Lorna Windsor (Venere), [[Michael Chance]] (Ascanio), [[Jill Feldman]] (Silvia), [[Howard Milner]] (Aceste), [[Rosa Mannion]] (Fauno) – Chœur de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne, {{ill|Concerto Armonico|fr|Concerto Armonico}}, [[Jacques Grimbert]] ([[Naxos]])
* 2002: {{ill|Claudia Patacca|nl}} (Venere), Maaike Beekman (Ascanio), Nicola Wemyss (Silvia), Tom Allen (Aceste), [[Claron McFadden]] (Fauno) – Vocaal Ensemble Coqu, {{ill|Musica ad Rhenum|fr}}, {{ill|Jed Wentz|de||it}} ([[Brilliant Classics]])

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
'''Citations'''
<references />

== External links ==
* {{NMA|39|-2|40|8|bullet=no}}
* {{IMSLP|work=Ascanio in Alba, K.111 (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus)|cname=''Ascanio in Alba''}}
* [https://opera-guide.ch/en/operas/ascanio+in+alba/ "Work details, libretto"], opera-guide.ch (in German/Italian)
*[https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.660040-41&catNum=660040&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English Analysis, synopsis], [[Naxos Records]]
*[http://www.librettidopera.it/ascanio/pdf.html Libretto]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231256/http://www.mozartforum.com/Lore/article.php?id=252 Historical background and review by Jan-Willem Besuijen], Mozart Forum
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070311050657/http://www.mozartforum.com/VB_forum/showthread.php?t=1160 Discussion of the article above], Mozart Forum

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