FULL IL NEO (Oswald) Rio de Janeiro 2024 Robson Lemos, Dhulyan Contente, Felipe Corrêa
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Il Neo
- Composer: Oswald Henrique
- Libretto: Eduardo Fillipi Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Fórum de Ciência e Cultura da UFRJ,
- Recorded: June 22 & 23, 2024
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Robson Lemos, Dhulyan Contente, Felipe Corrêa, Isabela Peralta, Carla Garcia, Bruna Condino
- Conductor: Pedro Messias
- Orchestra: Orquestra Sinfônica da UFRJ
- Stage Director: José Henique Moreira
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: TV SUAT
- Date Published: 2024
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
The title of the work, in Italian, refers to a mole or birthmark that was found on the shoulders of Madame Pompadour, favorite of King Louis XV, in Versailles in the 18th century. It is a story of honor, political intrigue, beauty and courage. The show will also feature other works by the composer for orchestra, chamber formations and his entire songbook.
The scenic direction of “Il Néo” is by José Henrique Moreira and the general direction by Lenine Santos. “Honor, courage, passions, desires, oaths and conspiracies mix in a great masquerade ball to which everyone is invited”, says Lenine. “During the ball, dance numbers, beautiful songs and chamber music by the composer will also be presented, celebrating in high style the 30th anniversary of the Opera at UFRJ and the 100th anniversary of the UFRJ Symphony Orchestra”, promises the director.
The libretto is by Eduardo Fillipi and was based on the short story “La Mouche”, by French playwright Alfred de Musset (1810-1857). The title of the work refers to a mole that would be found on the shoulders of Madame de Pompadour, the French courtesan lover of King Louis XV, being a secret sign of her beauty.
The story takes place in the Palace of Versailles. In the plot, a bugler, Gentleman La Blanche Meroisier, tries to enter the Palace. Blocked at the gates by the Swiss Guard, he ends up managing to penetrate Trianon, as he carries a message from the King to Madame de Pompadour. Upon finding her, he takes the opportunity to make a request: that she intercede with the King to give him the position of royal bugler. Upon reading the letter, Madame faints, dropping the shawl that covered her shoulders, at which point the Cavaliere discovers the mole. Pompadour then warns her that revealing this secret could be her undoing. He promises to keep a secret, and the courtesan decides to put him to the test, inviting him to a masquerade ball and using masked men she trusts to force him to confess and threaten him. In the end, the Cavaliere’s courage and discretion are rewarded.
The score for “Il Néo” was recovered from existing manuscripts in the Alberto Nepomuceno Library of the UFRJ School of Music and the National Archives, a work developed by maestro Pedro Messias in his professional master’s course at PROMUS, under the guidance of André Cardoso, with the support of the Funarte Opera Project / UFRJ.
According to musicologist Luiz Heitor Corrêa de Azevedo, “the music is delicious, underlining all the passages of the text with irony and emotion”. The show will also feature other works by the composer for orchestra, chamber formations and his entire songbook. In the presentations, OSUFRJ will be conducted by maestro Pedro Messias.