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added Category:Opera world premieres at the Bavarian State Opera using HotCat

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{{Short description|1916 one-act opera by Erich Wolfgang Korngold}}
{{For|the films|Violanta (1942 film)|Violanta (1977 film)}}
{{Infobox opera
| name = Violanta
| composer = [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]
| image = Erich Wolfgang Korngold 01.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| caption = The composer
| librettist = [[Hans Müller-Einigen]]
| language = German
| based_on =
| premiere_date = {{Start date|1916|03|28|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[National Theatre Munich]]
}}
'''''Violanta''''', [[Opus number|Op.]] 8, is a one-act [[opera]] by [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]. The [[libretto]] is by the Austrian playwright [[Hans Müller-Einigen]]. It is Korngold's second opera, written when he was seventeen years old.

==Performance history==
It was premiered on 28 March 1916 at the [[National Theatre Munich]] together with the composer's other one-act opera ''[[Der Ring des Polykrates (opera)|Der Ring des Polykrates]]'', Op. 7, with [[Bruno Walter]] conducting. The North American premiere was given on 5 November 1927 at the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in New York City with [[Maria Jeritza]] as Violanta, [[Walter Kirchhoff]] as Alfonso, [[Clarence Whitehill]] as Simone, [[Angelo Badà]] as Giovanni, and [[Artur Bodanzky]] conducting.<ref>[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm Metropolitan Opera Archives]</ref>

==Roles==
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premier cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]<ref>{{IMSLP|work=Violanta, Op.8 (Korngold, Erich Wolfgang)|cname=''Violanta''}}</ref>
!Premiere cast,<ref>{{Almanacco|dmy=28-03-1916|match=Violanta}}</ref><br>28 March 1916<br>(Conductor: [[Bruno Walter]])
|-
|Simone Trovai, ''military commander of the Venetian republic''
|[[baritone]]
|[[Friedrich Brodersen]]
|-
|Violanta, ''his wife''
|[[soprano]]
|[[Emmy Krüger]]
|-
|Alfonso, ''illegitimate son of the King of Naples''
|[[tenor]]
|[[Franz Gruber (tenor)|Franz Gruber]]
|-
|Giovanni Bracca, ''a painter''
|tenor
|{{ill|Alfred Bauberger|de}}
|-
|Bice
|soprano
|[[Irene von Fladung]]
|-
|Barbara, ''Violanta's nurse''
|[[contralto]]
|[[Luise Willer]]
|-
|Mateo
|tenor
|[[Paul Kuhn (tenor)|Paul Kuhn]]
|-
| First soldier || tenor ||Fritz Birrenkoven
|-
| Second soldier || baritone ||
|-
| First maid || soprano ||
|-
| Second maid || [[mezzo-soprano]] ||
|}

==Synopsis==
The opera is set in 15th-century Venice, at the house of Simone Trovai, military commander of the [[Venetian Republic]].

On the night of the great [[Carnival of Venice|Carnival]], Simone in vain searches his house for his wife Violanta. Ever since her sister Nerina committed suicide (after having been seduced by Alfonso, the Prince of Naples), she has been bent on vengeance. Simone is about to leave for the Carnival with the painter Giovanni Bracca, when Violanta appears. After dismissing Bracca, she reveals to Simone that she has (anonymously) arranged a meeting with Alfonso in their house, where she wants her husband to murder him. Initially Simone is horrified at this plan, but he finally succumbs to Violanta's promises and threats. The plan is that Violanta will receive Alfonso in her room, and once he is disarmed she will sing the Carnival song as a signal that Simone should enter and murder him.

Alfonso arrives. During their meeting Violanta reveals her true identity and her intention to avenge her sister. However, when Alfonso explains to her the course of his life and talks about his longing for death, Violanta realises that she really loves him and refuses to give the signal. Violanta bemoans her fate, but Alfonso implores her to think only of the present moment: they embrace and sing of the sublimity of pure love.

Their ecstatic bliss is interrupted by Simone who calls out to his wife. The lovers realise that their dream is over, and spurred on by Alfonso Violanta sings the fateful song with hysterical abandon. Simone enters and tries to stab Alfonso, but Violanta interposes herself and is mortally wounded. She dies in Simone's arms.

==Bibliography==
* Carroll, Brendan. "Korngold's ''Violanta''". ''[[The Musical Times]]'' 122, no. 1653 (November 1980): 695–98.
* Krebs, Wolfgang. "[http://www.wk-wkw.de/texte/aufs/A-Violanta-Dramaturgie-Entgrenzung.pdf Dramaturgie der Entgrenzung. Erich Wolfgang Korngolds Operneinakter ''Violanta'']", ''Frankfurter Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft'' 1, no. 1 (1998): 26–39; also {{doi|10.5450/ejm.1998.1.6090}}
* Krebs, Wolfgang. ''Violanta, Erich Wolfgang Korngolds dionysisches Bühnenwerk''. Berlin: Rhombos-Verlag, 2014. 158 pp. ([http://www.wolfgang-krebs.de/publikat/10-violanta/leseprobe.pdf excerpt])
* [[Richard Specht|Specht, Richard]]. ''Thematischer Führer zu Erich W. Korngold's "Violanta" und "Der Ring des Polykrates"''. Mainz and Leipzig: B. Schott's Söhne, 1916. iv, 68 pp.

==Recordings==
*[[Marek Janowski]] conductor/[[Éva Marton]]/[[Siegfried Jerusalem]]/[[Walter Berry (bass-baritone)|Walter Berry]], Herkulessaal, Munich, 1980, BR recording released on CBS and Sony Classical<ref>{{cite web| url = http://klassik.sonymusic.de/Marek-Janowski/Korngold-Violanta/P/2271608| title = Erich Wolfgang Korngold – ''Violanta''| year = 2010| publisher = Sony Music Germany| access-date = 26 July 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719084803/http://klassik.sonymusic.de/Marek-Janowski/Korngold-Violanta/P/2271608| archive-date = 19 July 2011| url-status = dead| df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/july03/Korngold_Violanta.htm|title=Erich Wolfgang Korngold – ''Violanta'' |author=Victor Martell |year=2003 |website=musicweb-international.com | access-date= 26 July 2010}}</ref>
*[[Stefan Lano]] conductor/Senda/Bowers/[[Wolfgang Schöne]], live in Buenos Aires, Oct 12–19, 2010, SoundCloud
*[[Pinchas Steinberg]] conductor/Kremer/Reinhardt/Kupfer, filmed in Torino, Jan 21 and 23, 2020, Dynamic

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMSLP|work=Violanta, Op.8 (Korngold, Erich Wolfgang)|cname=''Violanta'' (Korngold)}}

{{Erich Korngold}}
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[[Category:Operas by Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]
[[Category:1916 operas]]
[[Category:One-act operas]]
[[Category:Operas set in Venice]]
[[Category:German-language operas]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:Opera world premieres at the Bavarian State Opera]]

Violanta - Revision history

imported>EIGHTCLOUDS: added Category:Opera world premieres at the Bavarian State Opera using HotCat