Ermione

Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) was the most celebrated Italian composer of his age, a master of both opera buffa and opera seria. Born in Pesaro, he penned nearly forty operas before the age of thirty-seven, including immortal works such as “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “La Cenerentola,” and “Guillaume Tell.” “Adina, ovvero Il Califfo di Bagdad” (1818), though lesser-known, showcases all the melodic wit, rhythmic verve, and vocal brilliance that made Rossini the darling of Europe.

Rossini’s distinctive style, characterized by elegant melodies, rapid vocal passages, lively rhythms, and inventive orchestration, had a profound influence on nineteenth-century opera. His music combines theatrical energy with remarkable technical precision, allowing singers to display both virtuosity and expressive range. Even today, his operas remain staples of the international repertoire, admired for their wit, brilliance, and enduring freshness.

After retiring from the operatic stage at the height of his fame, he spent his later years in Paris as a revered cultural figure and gourmet.

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Ermione is a tragic opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on Racine’s Andromaque and first performed in Naples in 1819. The story is set shortly after the fall of Troy, in Butroto in Epirus, where Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, reigns and holds the Trojan prisoners captive, including Andromache, widow of Hector, and their son Astyanax. Although betrothed to Hermione, daughter of Menelaus and Helen, Pyrrhus has instead fallen in love with Andromache and intends to marry her, arousing Hermione’s furious jealousy and the indignation of the Greeks, who demand the death of the Trojan child to avert a new threat. Orestes, son of Agamemnon and in love with Hermione, arrives as a Greek ambassador to demand the sacrifice of Astyanax; Pyrrhus haughtily refuses and announces his marriage to Andromache.

In the second act, Andromache, whilst remaining faithful to the memory of Hector, ostensibly accepts the marriage to save her son, but contemplates suicide after the ceremony. Hermione, torn between love, hatred and revenge, incites Orestes to kill Pyrrhus during the wedding procession. Orestes carries out the murder and returns with the bloodstained dagger; Hermione, overcome with remorse, rejects him, revealing her love for the victim, and curses him. Whilst the crowd runs riot, Orestes is dragged away by his faithful friend Pylades, who has been driven mad, and Hermione collapses into utter despair. The opera concludes in an atmosphere of tragedy without redemption.