OPERA SEARCH
Nero
(1875/76)Libretto by Jules Paul Barbier; German version by Richard Pohl (F,G)
3S,2A,7T,5Bar,3B,4 silent roles,mimes; chorus; ballet; 2.picc.2.2.2.2-4.2.3.1-timp,perc-harpe-pianino-strings;
On-stage: 6trp;
Jugglers' orchestra: 2.2.2.2-2.0.0.0-timp.perc;
Military music: 2picc.2.2.2.2-4.2.3.1-timp.perc
Abbreviations (PDF)
Anton J. Benjamin / Simrock
Stadttheater, Hamburg
Company: unknown
| NERO CLAUDIUS, Emperor | Tenor |
| JULIUS VINDEX, Prince of Aquitaine | Baritone |
| TIGELLINUS, prefect of the Praetorians | Baritone |
| BALBILLUS OF EPHESUS, seer | Bass |
| SACCUS, poet | Tenor |
| SEVIRUS, high priest in Evanda's temple | Bass |
| TERPANDER, cythera player, Agrippina's freed slave | Tenor |
| POPPAEA SABINA, Otho's wife, Nero's mistress | Soprano |
| EPICHARIS, courtesan, a freed slave | Contralto |
| CHRYSA, her daughter | Soprano |
| AGRIPPINA, widow of emperor Claudius, Nero's mother | Contralto |
| LUPUS, a Roman boy | Soprano |
| CALPURNIUS PISO, conspirator | Baritone |
| FAENIUS FUFUS, conspirator | Baritone |
| SPORUS, conspirator | Tenor |
| VALERIUS MESSALA, conspirator | Tenor |
| The captain of a troupe of jugglers | Tenor |
| Town crier | Baritone |
| A fruit and beverages trader | Tenor |
| Centurion | Baritone |
| Emperor Claudius, Britannicus, Seneca, Burrus, Lucanus, Petronius, Octavia and others | silent roles |
| Roman people, Priests, Actors, Dancers, Musicians, Christians, Slaves etc |
In and around Rome, AD 59-68
The Emperor Nero enjoys the mob's acclaim; nobody dares to rise publicly against him. During his debaucheries he casts his eye on the virgin Chrysa; her mother Epicharis can only save her from being violated by a quick-acting sleeping drug. Agrippina kidnaps the girl who is believed to be dead, in order to regain the favour of her son Nero. Only Poppaea’s jealousy and Vindex's love save Chrysa again from the Emperor's repeated persecutions. Nero gives an order to set Rome on fire and to lay the blame upon the Christians. With Chrysa among them, the Christians are lynched by the Romans. Finally, Nero also loses the sympathy of his people and has to flee. In his madness, he sees the spirits of his victims appear before him, and in order to escape from the people's fury and from the Legions under the leadership of Vindex, who are rapidly approaching for revenge, Nero lets Saccus kill him. In the sky, the vision of a cross can be seen.
Dramatic, Romantic, Tragic