Alessandro nell'Indie (Metastasio)


Alessandro nell'Indie is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It was set to music around ninety times firstly by Leonardo Vinci, whose version premiered in Rome on 2 January 1730. The libretto was the fourth of five that Metastasio wrote for the Teatro delle Dame in Rome between 1727 and 1730. The work was dedicated to the Stuart pretender to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart, then resident in Rome.
Alessandro nell'Indie became Metastasio's second most popular work, after Artaserse. Both were written for the Rome carnival season

Synopsis

The libretto tells the story of the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great and his defeat of king Porus in 326 BCE at the Battle of the Hydaspes. After the battle the two kings were reconciled and Alexander left Porus as ruler of his kingdom. The action takes place on the banks of the Hydaspes, where Alexander's camp stands on one side of the river and the residence of Cleofide on the other.
Roles
The following plot summary is based on the setting by Carl Heinrich Graun.

Act 1

The Indian camp after Porus' defeat
At the end of the overture, warlike music and the sound of guns can be heard. As the curtain opens, the Indian soldiers are seen fleeing from Alessandro's troops. The Indian King Poro tries to stop their flight, but unable to do so, he tries to kill himself. However, he is prevented by his general Gandarte, who reminds him of his beloved Cleofide. However, Poro believes that she has entered into a relationship with Alessandro. To protect his king, Gandarte offers to exchange clothes, and from then on Poro appears as Asbite and Gandarte as Poro. A little later Asbite / Poro is arrested by Timagene after a short fight. Alessandro comes in and orders no unnecessary blood to be spilled. Timagene leaves to pass the order on to the soldiers. After Asbite / Poro is introduced Alessandro as a friend of Poro, Alessandro releases him and asks him to tell Poro that all he had to do was submit in order to secure to peace. He also gives him his own sword as a gift. Poro accepts this, but swears to Alessandro to use it against himself.
Timagene comes with the captive Erissena, Poro's sister, who was handed over to him by two Indians. Alessandro is horrified by this act. He orders the two traitors to be bound and handed over to Poro. Despite Timagene's advice, Erissena is released immediately. After Alessandro leaves, Erissena tells Timagene how impressed she is by Alessandro. Timagene, who has his eye on Erissena himself, becomes jealous.
A place surrounded by shady trees
Poro relates Alessandro's victory to Cleofide, whom he considers to be Alessandro's lover. Cleofide, however, assures him of her continued love and asks him to trust her. He swears never to be jealous again. However, when Cleofide asks Erissena, who has just arrived, whether Alessandro had spoken of her, his jealousy is immediately rekindled. Cleofide sets off for Alessandro's camp. Although Erissena advises Poro to trust Cleofide, he wants to follow her. Gandarte arrives. He has noticed that Timagene is an enemy of Alessandro and therefore still has hope for a victory. He also advises Poro against following Cleofide. Poro goes anyway. When Erissena enthuses to Gandarte about Alessandro, he points out that Poro has already promised her to him.
Large open tent with a view of Alessandro's camp and the Cleofide's residence on the other side of the Hydaspes
Cleofide crosses the Hydaspes to deliver gifts to Alessandro. He rejects them because he does not accept gifts from friends and only demands loyalty from vassals. Timagene announced the arrival of Asbites/Poro, who wants to speak to him in the presence of Cleofides. Asbite/Poro explains that Poro does not consider himself to have been defeated and rejects the proffer of peace. Cleofide tries to appease Alessandro and invites him to her residence to find out Poro's real intentions. She is sure that Asbite must have misunderstood Poro. However, Asbite assures her that he knows Poro's intentions very well and warns Alessandro about Cleofide, who once loved Poro and has now become unfaithful to him. In order to punish Poro for his renewed jealousy, Cleofide now declares her love for Alessandro. Alessandro promises her friendship, but not his heart. He leaves and Poro is reconciled with Cleofide.

Act 2

Room in Cleofide‘s Palace
Poro and Gandarte plan to seize the bridge over the Hydaspes, counting on the support of Timagenes. When Erissena reports Alessandro's arrival, Poro thinks again of Cleofide's alleged infidelity. Gandarte advises him to forget her, and leaves. Although Erissena would like to see Alessandro again, Poro sends her away. He intends to avoid Cleofide and is anticipating victory over Alessandro.
By the bridge over the Hydaspes, with the Greek camp on the far bank
Accompanied by warlike music, Alessandro and Timagene cross the bridge with part of their army. Cleofide comes to meet them with her retinue and greets him in a friendly manner. The greeting is interrupted by the sound of guns when Poro attacks. Alessandro and Timagene hurry to the bridge.
The attack has been repelled by Alessandro. Cleofide begs the fleeing Poro not to leave her, but only when she threatens to plunge into the river and finally promises him marriage does he give in. With the enemy approaching, Poro pulls out his dagger to kill both Cleofide and himself, but Alessandro snatches it from him. To justify his action Asbite/Poro wants to reveal his true identity, but he is interrupted by the arrival of Timagene. Timagene reports that the soldiers blame Cleofide for the ambush and demand her blood. However, since Asbite/Poro assumes the blame himself, Alessandro arrests him and hands him over to Timagene. Cleofide begs Alessandro in vain to release him. Timagene sends Cleofide to his palace, and she asks him to tell Poro to remain steadfast. Timagene hands Asbite/Poro a letter assuring him that he is not to blame for the failure of the assault. Poro leaves. Timagene hopes that his intrigues against Alessandro will eventually be successful.
Room in Cleofide's Palace
Cleofide tells Gandarte that Poro intended to kill her out of love. Alessandro arrives and Gandarte hides. Alessandro tells Cleofide that he has failed to calm his soldiers' anger, and Cleofide is ready to die as a martyr. In order to save her, Alessandro offers to marry her. Since Cleofide does not want this, Gandarte, who is still dressed as Poro, comes out of hiding and offers himself as a sacrifice to save Cleofide. Alessandro is so impressed by this nobility that he hands Cleofide over to him and promises to release Asbite too. He leaves. Erissena comes and reports that Poro has thrown himself into the Hydaspes and is dead. Erissena advises the desperate Cleofide to flee.

Act 3

Covered colonnade in the palace garden
Erissena meets Poro, who is believed to be dead, but the report of his death was only spread by Timagene for his own protection after he released him. Poro is now planning to ambush Alessandro in the garden and wants Timagene to lure him there. To prove that Timagene is on his side, Poro gives Erissena his letter. After Poro leaves, first Cleofide and then Alessandro arrive. Alessandro tries to persuade Cleofide to flee. However, she now wishes to accept his marriage offer. Alessandro asks her to meet him at the temple and leaves.
Alessandro comes back with two guards and reports to Erissena that Timagene has uncovered a planned ambush. Erissena believes that Timagene has betrayed her and hands Alessandro Timagene's letter as proof of her own innocence. With Timagene's betrayal now exposed, Alessandro sends Erissena away so he can think.
Alessandro asks Timagene what he would do if he were betrayed by a friend. When Timagene replies that mercy would be out if the question in such a case, Alessandro shows him the incriminating letter. Timagene begs for mercy. Alessandro is ready to forgive him if he is faithful in the future. He leaves.
Asbite/Poro comes to talk to Timagene about the planned ambush but Timagene no longer wants to have anything to do with it. He leaves, and Gandarte and Erissena come to Poro. Erissena tells him about Cleofide's forthcoming wedding with Alessandro. Poro leaves. Erissena asks Gandarte to help Poro.
Temple of Bacchus with a burning funeral pyre
Alessandro and Cleofide enter with their retinue. A few Bacchantes are walking in front of them and the temple priest with burning torches. Poro watches the scene from a distance. When Alessandro takes Cleofide's hand, she explains that this is the hour of her death, not her wedding. According to local custom, a widow has to follow her husband in death. She wants to hurry to the burning pyre, but is held back by Alessandro. Timagene brings Gandarte, whom he still thinks to be Poro, as a prisoner. Cleofide makes another attempt to throw herself into the flames. Poro, unable to bear her suffering, steps out, reveals himself and asks her forgiveness. He is ready to accept any punishment Alessandro metes out. Alessandro, however, forgives everyone and gives Poro his kingdom back, together with his wife and freedom. In return, Poro rewards Gandarte's steadfastness with the hand of his sister Erissena, and Alessandro gives him the land beyond the Ganges as a gift. The opera ends with a chorus of praise for the fame of Alessandro.

Background

The story of Alexander the Great's encounter with Porus and the Battle of the Hydaspes has been related in many historical sources, notably in the fifth book of Arrian's Anabasis, Justin's excerpt from the twelfth book of Pompeius Trogus' Historiae Philippicae, Quintus Curtius Rufus' Histories of Alexander the Great and the chapter Alexander – Caesar from the Vitae parallelae by Plutarch.
In addition to these classical sources Metastasio also had more recent dramatic treatments to draw on. These included the 1648 play Porus ou La générosité d'Alexandre by Claude Boyer as well as Jean Racine's 1665 Alexandre le grand. Both of these versions introduced a love theme into the story just as Metastasio did. There are further similarities with :de:Domenico Davids 1691 L'amante eroe, set to music by Marc'Antonio Ziani and performed in Venice. David had already provided the model for Metastasio's first libretto :de:Siface re di Numidia.
Metastasio introduced several new elements to the story of Alexander and Porus in Alessandro nell'Indie. Firstly he introduced the jealousy motive with Porus, creating a tension between him and Cleofide's not found in earlier works. He also introduced the new character of Timagene, and, with him, a revenge motive.
The libretto offers a typical example of the hierarchy of roles in an opera from around 1730. At the top is the ruler, here Alessandro. He is opposed by the first pair of lovers Cleofide and Poro. A second pair, Erissena and Gandarte, and the traitor Timagene, are subordinate to these figures. Each person embodies a different character type. The magnanimous Alessandro opposes the treacherous Timagene, and the couples also complement each other with their contrasting main features: the jealous Poro combines with the faithful Cleofide, the reliable Gandarte with the coquettish Erissena.

Adaptations

Other important settings of the libretto included those by Johann Adolph Hasse, Luigi Gatti and Giovanni Pacini. Hasse's adaptation was entitled Cleofide to reflect the prominence it gave to the role of the heroine, played by Hasse's wife Faustina Bordoni. Georg Friedrich Händel's 1731 treatment,, was particularly admired. To suit the tastes of a London audience he cut back the recitative; the first four scenes of Act 2 were also cut to move the action along. Handel replaced various arias in Metastasio's text with new ones which he considered to have greater dramatic expression. Furthermore as the baritone who was to play Timagene, Giovanni Commano, was not a strong singer, so Handel cut much of the material his role was to have sung.
Handel's version was sung at least 27 times at the Hamburg Gänsemarkt-Oper under the title Triumph der Grossmuth und Treue, oder CLEOFIDA, Königin von Indien with a German translation of the recitative by.
Metastasio also created a shortened version of the libretto in 1753 for his friend Farinelli.

Settings to music

The following composers used the libretto as the basis for an opera:
YearComposerPremiere First performed
1729Leonardo Vinci2 January 1730, Teatro delle Dame, Rome. Also performed for Carnival 1731 at the Teatro San Sebastiano in Livorno ; Carnival 1732 at the Teatro Moderno in Reggio Emilia; on 29 January 1732 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence ; Carnival 1733 at the Teatro dell'Accademia degli Erranti in Brescia; revised for Carnival 1734 at the Teatro Pascolini in Urbino; revised for Carnival 1735 at the Hoftheater Munich ; revised for Carnival 1736 at the Teatro Ducale in Parma; 1740 at the Teatro in Lucca.Rome
1731Luca Antonio PredieriCarnival 1731, Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan.Milan
1731Nicola Antonio PorporaCarnival 1731, Teatro Regio, Turin. as PoroTurin
1731Georg Friedrich Händel
→ Poro		2 February 1731, King's Theatre as Poro, re dell'Indie with an English translation by Humphreys; 1732 in Hamburg as Triumph der Grossmuth und Treue, oder CLEOFIDA, Königin von Indien with a German translation of the recitative by Christoph Gottlieb Wend and recitatives by Georg Philipp Telemann; for the summer fair 1732 at the, Brunswick, as Poro ed Alessandro; revised with music by Giovanni Alberto Ristori and Leonardo Vinci on 8 December 1736 at Covent Garden in London.London
1731Johann Adolph Hasse
→ Cleofide		13 September 1731, Hoftheater Libretto adapted by Michelangelo Boccardi as Cleophis or Cleofide; revised several times; also performed under its original title Alessandro nell'Indie; 1737 in Ferrara in a setting by Antonio Vivaldi; other performances until 1777 in Venice, Naples, Graz, Klagenfurt, Verona, Bratislava, Florence, Lucca and Berlin.Dresden
1732Francesco ManciniCarnival 1732, Teatro San Bartolomeo ​Naples
1732Giovanni Battista Pescetti30 January 1732, Teatro Sant'Angelo.Venice
1733Antonio BioniCarnival 1733, Theater im BallhausBreslau
173420 February 1734, Teatro Formagliari also in 1736 at the Academia da Trindade in LisbonBologna
1734Matteo LucchiniNuovo Teatro della Città PiccolaPrague
1736Egidio Duni Carnival 1736, Teatro PubblicoPrato
1736Domenico Sarro4 November 1736, Teatro San Bartolomeo also for Carnival 1743 at the Teatro San Carlo in NaplesNaples
1738Baldassare GaluppiCarnival 1738, Teatro Regio Ducale Nuovo first version; also 1752 in Stuttgart and 1755 in MunichMantua
1738Francesco Corselli9 May 1738, Real Teatro del Buen Retiro for the wedding of King Charles of Naples with Maria Amalia of SaxonyMadrid
1739anonymous1739, Teatro di Piazza, Vicenza further performances of anonymous settings or pasticcios in 1741 in Erlangen; Summer 1741 at the Neues Theater in Bratislava; on 28 January 1748 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence; Autumn 1750 at the Teatro Pubblico in Sassuolo; on 14 April 1752 at the Teatro Cocomero in Florence; on 13 October 1761 at the King's Theatre am Haymarket in London; on 21 May 1786 at the Teatro degli Intrepidi in Florence.Vicenza
1740Annibale Pio FabbriJanuary 1740, Teatro CondesLisbon
1742Giuseppe Ferdinando BrivioCarnival 1742, Teatro Regio DucaleMilan
1743Francesco Antonio Uttini1743Genoa
1743Niccolò Jommelli26 December 1743, Teatro Bonacossi first versionFerrara
1744Davide PerezCarnival 1744, Teatro Falcone first version, also on 23 January 1752 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in MilanGenoa
1744Carl Heinrich Graun21 December 1744, Königliche Hofoper as Alessandro e Poro; new production in 1784Berlin
1744Christoph Willibald Gluck26 December 1744, Teatro Regio as Poro; only the Sinfonia, four arias and a duet survive.Turin
1745Pietro ChiariniCarnival 1745, Teatro FilarmonicoVerona
1746Pietro Pellegrini1746, Novo Teatro, BresciaBrescia
1747Girolamo AbosJuly and August 1747, Teatro La Fenice, Ancona also in Autumn 1750 at the Teatro in LuccaAncona
1748Georg Christoph Wagenseil17 July 1748, Burgtheater German translationVienna
17491749, Det Kongelige TeaterCopenhagen
1750Giovanni Marco RutiniCarnival 1750, Theater an der Kotzen, PraguePrague
1750Carnival 1750, Teatro di Piazza, Vicenza also on 23 May 1759 at the Teatro Vendramin di San Salvatore in VeniceVicenza
1752Ignazio Fiorillo1752,, BrunswickBrunswick
17521752, Palazzo del marchese Solerio, AlessandriaAlessandria
1752Gaetano Latillaaround 26 December 1752, Teatro San Cassiano; also contained music by other composersVenice
1753Giuseppe Scarlatti12 May 1753, Teatro PubblicoReggio Emilia
1754Giuseppe Santarelli1754Terni
1754Johann Friedrich AgricolaCarnival 1754, Königliche Hofoper as CleofideBerlin
1754Baldassare Galuppi20 January 1754, Teatro San Carlo second versionNaples
1755Baldassare GaluppiCarnival 1755 third version; also on Ascension Day 1755 at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice; adapted on 12 October 1755 in Munich; other performances in subsequent years in Brescia, Lodi, Florence, Vicenza and Padua.Parma
1755Davide Perez31 March 1755, Ópera do Tejo second version, for the opening of the opera house; also 1764 in CádizLisbon
1755Francesco Araja18.–29. December 1755, Hermitage Theater also 1759 in OranienbaumSt Petersburg
1758Niccolò Piccinni21 January 1758, Teatro Argentina first version, also in the Summer of 1762 at the Teatro di Santa Cecilia in PalermoRome
1759Ignaz HolzbauerCarnival 1759, Teatro Regio DucaleMilan
1760Niccolò Jommelli11 February 1760, Herzogliches Theater second version; adapted by on 6 June 1776 in LisbonStuttgart
1761Carnival 1761, Teatro FilarmonicoVerona
1761Giuseppe SartiAutumn 1761, Det Kongelige Teater first version; adapted in June 1766 for the Nuovo Teatro in PaduaCopenhagen
1761Gioacchino Cocchi13 October 1761, King's TheatreLondon
1762Johann Christian Bach20 January 1762, Teatro San Carlo also Carnival 1778 at the Teatro in LodiNaples
1762Tommaso Traetta29 April 1762, Teatro PubblicoReggio Emilia
1763Giovan Gualberto BrunettiCarnival 1763, Teatro PubblicoPisa
1763Antonio SacchiniAscension fair 1763, Teatro San Salvatore first version; also Carnival 1766 at the Teatro Regio in TurinVenice
1764Domenico FischiettiCarnival 1764, Theater an der KotzenPrague
176431 May 1764, Teatro Comunale also Carnival 1774 at the Accademia degli Intronati in SienaBologna
1766Gian Francesco de Majo5 November 1766, Hoftheater Libretto adapted by Mattia VeraziMannheim
1768Johann Gottlieb Naumannnot performed; composed for the Teatro San BenedettoVenice
1768Luigi Gatti24 June 1768, Teatro Regio Ducale VecchioMantua
1768Antonio SacchiniSummer 1768, Teatro San Carlo second version; also Carnival 1771 at the Teatro San Sebastiano in Livorno; Carnival 1773 at the Teatro de' Nobili in PerugiaNaples
1769Ferdinando BertoniSpring 1769, Teatro Falcone also on 26 December 1770 at the Teatro San Benedetto in VeniceGenoa
1769Jan Antonín KoželuhWinter 1769, Königliches TheaterPrague
1772Pasquale Anfossi7 January 1772, Teatro Argentina also on 4 November 1772 at the Teatro della Pergola in FlorenceRome
1773Giovanni Paisiello26 December 1773, Teatro di CorteModena
1774Niccolò Piccinni12 January 1774, Teatro San Carlo second version; also on 26 December 1776 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence; also on 12 January 1792 at the Teatro San Carlo in NaplesNaples
1774Domenico Corri3 December 1774, King's Theatre Libretto adapted by Giovan Gualberto BottarelliLondon
1775Carlo Ignazio Monza28 January 1775 Teatro Regio Ducale also 1776 in AlessandriaMilan
1775Giacomo RustAscension 1775, Teatro San SamueleVenice
177827 May 1778, Teatro San BenedettoVenice
1778Michele Mortellari22 July 1778, Accademia degli Intronati also in the Autumn of 1783 at the Teatro Pubblico in LuccaSiena
1778Melchiorre de Vincenti or Giuseppe de VincentiOctober fair 1778, Teatro Civico, AlessandriaAlessandria
1779Antonio CalegariCarnival 1779, Teatro FilarmonicoVerona
1781Domenico Cimarosa11 February 1781, Teatro ArgentinaRome
1784Luigi CherubiniApril 1784, Teatro Regio Ducale Nuovo two acts; also Carnival 1786 at the Teatro della Nobile Associazione in Cremona; Autumn 1788 at the Teatro degli Armeni in LivornoMantua
17851785, Teatro Sant'AgostinoGenoa
1785Francesco Bianchi28 January 1785, Teatro San Benedetto Further performances until 1795 in Trieste, Eszterháza, Verona, Bologna, Bergamo, Venice and UdineVenice
1787Luigi CarusoCarnival 1787, Teatro delle Dame also Carnival 1791 at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice; 1796 at the Teatro di San Giacomo in Corfu; on 24 June 1800 at the Teatro San Carlo in NaplesRome
1787Giuseppe SartiWinter 1787, Teatro di Santa Cecilia second versionPalermo
1788Angelo TarchiCarnival 1788, Teatro alla Scala also 1789 at the King's Theatre in London; Summer 1791 adapted by Carlo Francesco Badini as La generosità di Alessandro in Siena; Autumn 1791 in Livorno; other versions on 20 January 1798 at the Teatro Regio in Turin and January 1802 at the Teatro della Pergola in FlorenceMilan
1789Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi4 November 1789, Teatro San CarloNaples
1800Francesco Gnecco1800, Teatro degli AvvaloratiLivorno
1811Johann Peter Ritter26 December 1811, Hof-und Nationaltheater Grand heroic opera in 2 acts, libretto freely adapted by Georg Christian Römer as Alexander in Indien Mannheim
1824Giovanni Pacini
→ Alessandro nelle Indie		29 September 1824, Teatro San Carlo Libretto adapted by Giovanni Schmidt; also on 26 December 1826 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan; 1827 at the Teatro Carolino in Palermo; on 19 January 1828 at the Teatro La Fenice in VeniceNaples

Recent performances and recordings