The crime of eternal love. Francesca da Rimini: historical facts, image in works of literature, painting and music Francesco and paolo

With amazing restraint and perseverance, Rachmaninov develops this long picture (the duration of the prologue is more than twenty minutes) from one descending second intonation. In the first bars of the opera, it sounds muffled and gloomy with the clarinet and the muted horn in unison, and between the first and the second voice that soon joins it, there are intervals reminiscent of the initial turns of the theme of the medieval Catholic hymn "Dies irae", which he subsequently repeatedly addressed in his work Rachmaninov:

The prologue breaks into three sections, forming three great waves of successive, uninterrupted buildup: the orchestral introduction, the first circle of hell, and the second circle of hell. The principle of wave-like development is also preserved within each of the sections. Thus, the introduction consists of two detailed constructions. After the first wave, based on chromatic passages simultaneously taking place in different voices of the orchestra, there is a fugato, the theme of which covers the range of both initial voices and combines them into one melodic line:

The sound fabric is gradually thickening, and at the top of this second wave, whole chord complexes slowly move chromatically, as if the sighs and groans of souls driven by a hellish whirlwind merge into one menacing howl.

In the first circle of hell, the pattern of chromatic passages and the tonal plan change (the main key of this section is e-moll, in contrast to the introduction, where d-moll dominates). A chorus joins the orchestral sound, singing without words with a closed mouth (Initially, Rachmaninoff wanted to create an extended choral scene in the prologue and asked his librettist to write for her about thirty stanzas of text that could be divided between different groups of the choir (see his letter to M Tchaikovsky on August 28, 1898. Subsequently, he abandoned this intention, which was associated with a change in the general concept of the opera, resulting in a more compact, symphonically generalized form.). This technique, used by Rachmaninoff in the cantata "Spring", finds here a wide and varied application. Thanks to various methods of sound extraction, the timbre coloring of the wordlessly singing choir changes. In the second circle of hell, the choir sings open-mouthed on the vowel "a", which gives it a brighter sound. However, here, too, his part is devoid of melodic independence and is based only on sustained harmonic sounds. The only time the choir performs independently is in the epilogue, where they chant in unison a phrase that sounds like a fatal tragic motto: "There is no greater sorrow than remembering a happy time in misfortune."

The movement gradually accelerates, the sonority intensifies all the time, reaching a powerful culmination at the moment when the ghosts of those condemned to eternal torment are swiftly sweeping before the eyes of Virgil and Dante, stricken with horror. Then this menacing rage of hellish whirlwinds gradually subsides and the ghosts of Francesca and Paolo appear. The color of the music becomes more transparent. The theme of Francesca sounds expressive in the cello and clarinet, which produces a particularly bright, soothing impression because after a long undivided dominance of minor keys, major appears here (albeit for a short time) (It is interesting to note that the first implementation of this theme is given in Des-dur - the keys of the last, climactic section of the scene of Francesca and Paolo.). Against the background of soft extended chords of woodwinds and strings with shimmering tremolo violins and a ringing timbre of a harp, Francesca and Paolo sing a sad phrase, which the choir then repeats in the epilogue: “There is no greater sorrow ...” Melodically, this phrase, based on a modified fugato theme from orchestral introduction, reminiscent of old Russian church tunes. In it, one can catch some similarities with the main theme of the Third Piano Concerto, the proximity of which to the intonations of the Znamenny chant has been noted more than once. This similarity is enhanced by the tonal commonality (d-moll) and the same "ambitus" of the melody, which unfolds within the reduced fourth between the VII and III steps of the harmonic minor:

Like a quiet, sad lamentation, the smoothly descending sequences of the violins (and then the oboe solo) sound, built on the same phrase, at the end of the prologue.

The two scenes of the opera are in contrast to each other. Each of them gives a complete portrait of one of the main characters. The first picture, which depicts a stern and gloomy image of Francesca's husband, Lanciotto Malatesta, is essentially monologue. The cardinal is present at the beginning of this picture silently (The vestige of his musical characteristic is only the choral progression of chords that sounds in the orchestra at the moment when he leaves the stage.). The party of Francesca, who comes at the order of her husband, who is preparing to go on a campaign, is limited to a few short remarks.

The three scenes into which this picture breaks up form one inseparable whole. They are united by the continuous development of two themes associated with the image of Lanciotto. One of them, based on an energetic and elastic marching rhythm, characterizes him as a cruel and merciless warrior:

This theme is extensively developed in the orchestral introduction to the first scene and in the opening scene with the Cardinal. The conclusion of the picture is also built on the same theme, but in the key of c-moll, not cis-moll. At the beginning of the second scene, when Lanciotto is left alone, gripped by grave jealous suspicions, another of his theme, of a gloomy pathetic character, plays menacingly in the trombones in an octave, amplified by four horns, against the background of trembling strings:

Episodes of a declamatory nature alternate in the part of Lanciotto with more complete ariose constructions. In the second scene, this is a recollection of a fatal deceit, the victims of which were both Francesca and Lanciotto himself (“Your father, yes, the father is to blame for everything!”), Oppressive doubts and pangs of jealousy. In the third scene - a passionate prayer to Francesca (“I want your love!”), A violent explosion of an unrequited feeling of love for her, mixed with despair and hopelessness. Here again, the pathetic theme of love and jealousy sounds with great expressive power, but in a different orchestral arrangement (string unisons instead of trombones and horns), which gives it a softer lyrical coloring. This is followed by a section based on the dotted marching rhythms of the first, “militant” theme of Lanciotto (“Oh, come down, come down from your heights ...”) (According to Zhukovskaya, Rachmaninoff used here a piano prelude composed by him earlier, which was not included in cycle of preludes op. 23.), which also changes its character here, resembling the slow, heavy tread of a funeral march.

Rachmaninov, however, does not give these ariose constructions a completely finished form, organically including them in the general flow of development. Thus, the first of these episodes does not end with a stable cadence construction in its main key of c-moll, but directly passes into the subsequent recitative section with a mobile, unstable tonal plan and a freely developing texture of orchestral accompaniment. Separate, especially expressively accentuated remarks acquire the significance of milestone dramatic climaxes. Such is Lanciotto's angry exclamation "Damn!" in the second scene, emphasized by a tonal shift in d-moll (This key, which dominated the prologue, appears in the first picture for the first time.) and an unexpected menacing explosion of orchestral sonority:

Similarly, the same word stands out, involuntarily escaping from the lips of Lanciotto, further, in the scene with Francesca.

In general, this picture is a magnificent example of a through dramatic operatic scene, in which vocal and orchestral means of expression are subordinated to a single artistic goal and serve to reveal a complex psychological image in all its internal inconsistency and confrontation of spiritual desires and passions.

The second picture takes us to a completely different world, the personification of which is the bright and pure image of Francesca. Its theme, episodically taking place in the prologue and the first scene, is widely developed here, retaining its clear and integral expressive character with all the modifications. This is one of Rachmaninov's most poetic lyrical melodies, remarkable for its "spatial" length, breadth and freedom of breath. Pouring out from a high peak, it smoothly and unhurriedly descends along the diatonic steps for more than two octaves, with gradual rhythmic inhibition and expansion of the intervals between sounds (example 90a). A variant of this theme is a melodic construction from a chain of sequences (example 90b):

The whole color of the music in this picture, as if illuminated by a soft and gentle radiance, creates a sharp contrast to the previous one and distinguishes it from the gloomy and sinister environment in which it is given in the opera. This is facilitated by means of tonal-harmonic, orchestral and textural plan. If in the prologue and the first picture a continuous chain of minor keys gave the music a gloomy color, then here, on the contrary, a clear and bright major almost invariably dominates, only occasionally overshadowed by passing deviations into the minor sphere (The main keys of the second picture are As-dur, E-dur and Des-dur Note that As-dur represents the point of greatest distance from d-minor, which begins and ends the opera.). The instrumentation is light and transparent, the sound of strings and high woods prevails, while the copper group is used extremely sparingly and carefully. The introduction to the second scene, built on the theme of Francesca, is distinguished by a special lightness of color, which sounds mostly by the flute, sometimes doubled by an oboe or clarinet, against the background of a lightly swaying accompaniment of muted violins and occasionally entering pizzicato string basses. Only for a short moment does tutti appear, after which the orchestral sonority is again rarefied and goes out.

The scene of Francesca and Paolo, very clear in its construction, consists of three parts. The first part is an episode of the young lovers reading the story of the beautiful Guinevere and Lancelot, interrupted by passionate remarks from Paolo. The musical unifying moment of this section is the theme of Francesca, which takes place in the orchestra as a constant refrain. The middle of the whole scene is Francesca's arioso "Let it not be given to us to know kisses." The music of this arioso, imbued with serene lyrical peace, captivates with the purity of color, openwork lightness and subtlety of the pattern. Paolo's exclamation "But what is heaven to me with its passionless beauty", emphasized by the sudden tonal shift from E-dur to d-moll, the change in tempo and texture of the orchestral accompaniment, breaks this state of detached contemplative bliss, and a slight transitional construction leads to the final section of the scene - the duet of Francesca and Paolo in Des-dur (It is possible that this key was chosen not without the influence of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.).

It was this section that caused dissatisfaction with Rachmaninov, who wrote to Morozov: “... I have an approach to a love duet; there is a conclusion of a love duet, but the duet itself is absent. Indeed, the transition from Francesca's "blue" arioso to the triumphant Des-dur of the last section seems too short and swift. This was felt not only by the author himself, but also by some of the listeners and critics (Thus, Engel noted that “in an excellent love duet, there seems to be no climax worthy of it.”).

In addition to this constructive miscalculation, the scene of Francesca and Paolo does not fully produce the impression that the composer aspired to, due to an insufficiently correct and accurate choice of expressive means. The music of this scene is beautiful, poetic and noble, but somewhat cold in expression. She lacks that inner tension and strength that is necessary to embody the immortal episode of the Divine Comedy, called by the Soviet researcher Dante "almost the most passionate hymn of love in all world literature."

One of the critics wrote, pointing to the insufficient, in his opinion, expressive brightness of the scene of Francesca and Paolo: “Here we need a continuous, soul-piercing cantilena, like in Tchaikovsky ...”. Later, Asafiev, speaking about the embodiment of Dante's images in music, developed the same parallel between Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky: “Drawing Francesca in bright colors, Rachmaninoff stands closer to her ideal image of a young Italian woman, but, drawing Francesca in the darkness of hell, like a shadow remembering about the past, Tchaikovsky turns out to be stronger in terms of expressiveness and relief ... ".

In the guise of Rachmaninov's Francesca there is something from the strict female faces and soft, light tones on the frescoes of B. Giotto, a contemporary of Dante. Her musical image, for all its poetic purity and spirituality, does not create the proper contrast to the ominously tragic figure of Lanciotto and the gloomy pictures of the infernal abyss that surrounds the opera, filled with groans and cries of those doomed to languish in it. Contrary to the composer's intention, the scene of Francesca and Paolo did not become the true culmination of the action. The relative brevity of this picture (According to the composer's own calculation, the second picture, together with the epilogue, lasts twenty-one minutes, with a total duration of the opera of one hour and five minutes.) Causes a certain uniformity of the overall color of the opera, a one-sided predominance of heavy, gloomy tones in it, as a result of which many of its wonderful pages often went unnoticed and underestimated.

On the border of the regions of Emilia-Romagna and the Marche, breaking the smooth line of the hills of Carpegna, stands the castle of Gradara. Classical travelers do not linger near the old walls, but only see off with admiring glances the harsh silhouette of a medieval fortress while the guide tells about the tragic love story of Francesca and Paolo. But the old castle irresistibly attracts explorers of Italy, scientists and romantics.

View of the castle in Gradara - The castle of Rocca di Gradara.

The construction of the castle began around the middle of the 12th century, when the two brothers Pietro and Ridolfo from the Grifo family took possession of the area that had previously belonged to Pesaro. Further, the fortress passed from hand to hand until the powerful Giovanni Malatesta da Verrucchio (the founder of the dynasty in Rimini) finally secured Gradara Castle. In 1299, Pope Boniface VIII granted him the right to perpetual possession of Gradara.

Paolo and Francesca (The Story of Rimini)__ Watts, George Frederick (1817-1904)

Of the four sons of old Giovanni, only one showed concern for the continuation of the construction of the castle - Pandolfo. In the courtyard of the fortress you can see the coat of arms of the Malatesta family with its initials. But not this passionate patriot of Gradara is dedicated to a romantic old legend that attracts fans of the Italian epic here, but to his two brothers: Giovanni, nicknamed "the cripple" and Paolo "beautiful".

Between the rulers of Rimini and Ravenna there was a long-standing enmity. Finally, the contention was settled, and in order to strengthen relations between the houses, they decided to marry the children. The eldest son of Malatesta, Giovanni (Gianciotto), was chosen as the groom. Guido da Polenta from Ravenna wanted to see him as an heir and a smart man as his son-in-law, but it is unlikely that the beautiful Francesca would have wanted to marry the lame, ugly Giovanni, who was also known for his ferocious temper.

Lajos Gulacsy __Paolo and Francesca 1903

In order not to upset the deal, the fathers resorted to a trick: to conclude a marriage contract, Giovanni's younger brother, the handsome Paolo, arrived in Ravenna. The young bride mistook him for her future husband and passionately fell in love. Unsuspecting, the unfortunate girl was taken to Rimini, where she found out about the deception. The bonds of marriage could not cool Francesca's passion for the brother of her lawful spouse, and the lovers began to meet in secret.

Aristide Croisy__Paolo and Francesca (1876)

Anselm Friedrich Feuerbach (1829 1880)__Paolo And Francesca_1864

Paolo and Francesca (from Dante's Inferno) reading about Lancelot and Guenivere. Inspired by this story, they kiss.Paolo and Francesca (from Dante's Divine Comedy) kiss, inspired by the story they read about Lancelot and Ginevra.

In our spare time, we once read
A sweet story about Lancelot;
We were alone, everyone was careless.

Eyes met over the book more than once,
And we turned pale with a secret shudder;
But then the story won us over.

We read a little about how he kissed
Cling to the smile of an expensive mouth,
The one with whom I am forever connected by torment,

Kissed, trembling, my lips.
And the book became our Galeot!
None of us have read the sheet
Translation by M.L. Lozinsky

Edward Charles Halle (1846-1914)__Paolo and Francesca

Paolo and Francesca 1894 - Sir Frank Dicksee (Frank Bernard Dicksee)(English 1853-1928)

Amos Cassioli__ Paolo e Francesca (1870)

William Dyce (1806-1864)__ Francesca da Rimini, exh. 1837.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)__Paolo and Francesca da Rimini_1867__Watercolours

Alexander Munro (1825-1871)__Paolo and Francesca_Marble_1852

Giovanni, being Lord Pesaro, had to live at his place of service, but according to the laws of that time, the family (wife and children) lived separately outside the city. Thus, the ancestral castle of Gradara, located 13 km from Pesaro, became for Francesca both a prison and a meeting place with her beloved Paolo.

The dream (Paolo and Francesca), 1909 by Umberto Boccioni

Having learned about secret meetings, Giovanni set surveillance for lovers. One day, pretending to leave on business, the treacherous husband unexpectedly returned and found the door to his wife's bedroom locked. The loud knocking and screams of the angry spouse took the lovers by surprise, but Paolo persuaded Francesca to open the door. There was another secret exit in the room, through which the unlucky lover hoped to escape.

Felice Giani__paolo_malatesta_e_francesca_da_polenta_1813

Gustave Dore: Dante Paolo and Francesca

Anonimo__Paolo and Francesca (1804)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)__Paolo and Francesca_1819

But a banal situation will never become a legend without a bloody denouement. Maybe the door was too small, or maybe Paolo's sword was too long, and Giovanni burst in and saw his younger brother in his wife's bedroom. In a fit of anger, Lord Pesaro rushed at the offender with a knife, but Francesca took the mortal blow. Without thinking, she threw herself between her lover and her husband, and the dagger intended by Paolo pierced her chest. Seeing his wife dead, Giovanni flew into a rage and stabbed his brother.

1805-10 _ Paolo and Francesca discovered by Gianciotto__ Joseph Anton Koch.

Sir Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901)__The Murder of Paolo and Francesca

Louis Boulanger__paolo_e_francesca_gli_amanti_trafitti_1840

Paolo and Francesca_1887__ Previati, Gaetano (1852-1920)

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) __Death of Francesca da Rimini and of Paolo Malatesta _ 1870

It happened in 1289. History is silent about what happened to Giovanni next.

Scientists have found a lot of evidence that the described events really took place in Gradara between 1285 and 1289. And of course, one must take into account the legend passed from father to son by the inhabitants of Gradara. A legend that tells about this terrible event and that the restless soul of an unfortunate woman still wanders around the castle on a full moon. Inside the palace, the atmosphere of the 13th century is lovingly recreated, including Francesca's bedroom, which became the scene of a bloody drama.

Bianchi Mose (Italia 1840-1904)__Paolo e Francesca 1877.

Souls of Paolo and Francesca (Dante, Inferno, Canto 5)__Dore (Paul-)Gustave (1832-1883)

Perhaps this sad love story would have remained outside the walls of the old fortress, if not for the contemporary of Francesca and Paolo - Dante Alighieri. Traveling with Virgil through the circles of Hell in the Divine Comedy, he saw a man and a woman who never opened their arms in the eternal whirlwind of the Devil's fire. The passion of love led them straight into the arms of death, and now they shared the sufferings of Hell, as they once shared love joys.

Gustave Dore*s illustration to Dante's Inferno. Plate XVIII: Canto V_1857

"So I got off, leaving the initial circle;
Down in the second; he is less than
But a sad groan is heard in him of great torment.

And I learned that this circle of torment
For those whom the earthly flesh called,
Who betrayed the mind to the power of lust."

With these words, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri begins the story of the tragic love of Francesca and Paolo in his great work The Divine Comedy (Divina Commedia, 1307-1321).

Paolo and Francesca da Rimini by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1855)

Paolo and Francesca - Divine Comedy - Hell - Gustave Doré

Jean Baptiste Hugues__Paolo e Francesca (1877)

Very concisely and extremely simply, on just a few pages, the poet tells how he met with unfortunate lovers, "who are twisted together and so easily carried away by a storm ...". Here, in the second circle of Hell, those who have known forbidden love endure endless suffering, and the very shadow of Francesca tells Dante and his guide, the poet Virgil, about the cruel fate that befell her and her beloved Paolo after their death. Now they are here, in hellish captivity, in oppressive darkness, forever remain prisoners of eternal torment and eternal sorrow.

Vitale Sala __dante Paolo e Francesca (1823)

"O affectionate and blissful living,
You, who visited in the inexpressible darkness
Us, who have stained the earthly world with blood;

Whenever the king of the universe would be our friend,
We would pray that he would save you,
Sympathetic to the innermost torment.

Dante, The Divine Comedy. Translation by M. L. Lozinsky

Despite the fact that "the one who remembers joyful times suffers the highest torment," Francesca again recalls her story and tells it to Dante, accompanying the words with bitter tears.

Ary Scheffer (1795-1858)__The Ghosts of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante and Virgil__ 1835
Appearance of the ghosts of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini before Dante and Virgil

She again sees how Paolo kisses her, and what a blissful feeling they experienced, confessing their love to each other, and how terribly they paid for it. She also knows that, contrary to what she has done, she will not stop loving Paolo for anything in the world, even here in Hell, and he, her lover, in spite of the wind squall and stormy downpour, will never let go of her beloved Francesca ...

"Love that commands loved ones to love,
I was drawn to him so powerfully,
That this captivity you see is indestructible."

Dante, The Divine Comedy. Translation by M. L. Lozinsky

Pity lovers... Dante is great, but the son of his era. He did not identify the murderer, Giovanni "the cripple" among the sinners.

Pierre Claude Francois Delorme __Paolo e Francesca (1830)

Dante's story about Paolo and Francesca is a very small, but bright and exciting episode of the main work of his life, the Divine Comedy. The poet himself could learn this mournful story from the lips of Francesca's nephew - Guido Novello da Polenta (Guido Novello da Polenta, d.1323), Signor Ravenna, who was a friend of Dante and in whom the poet found refuge in the last years of his life (in 1316? 1318-1321).

Castle Gradara, today

A powerful family owned the castle for two centuries. One of its valiant representatives was the ruler of Rimini: this is the famous condottiere Sigismondo Pandolfo, who was called the “Wolf of Romagna”. In 1464, representatives of another powerful family, the Sforza, attacked the Malatesta family nest. The siege of Gradara continued for 42 days, and as a result, the former owners were forced to yield and surrender the castle to the victors. In 1493, the main part of the decorations of the castle was completed. This order was given by the new owner, Giovanni Sforza.

Giovanni Paolo Sforza with the Sforza symbol

They were imbued with the spirit of romanticism, as the young seigneur really wanted to surprise his bride, the infamous Lucrezia Borgia.

My note: Lucrezia Borgia is a femme fatale of the Middle Ages.

The castle is currently owned by a private individual. He himself does not live there, but the castle staff will gladly introduce you to the sights of the medieval citadel. It will be possible to see the courtyard, the chambers of the former masters, the main halls and, of course, Francesca's bedroom with a secret passage through which her beloved Paolo did not have time to escape. Not only in the bedchamber of the deceased, but also in all the premises of the palace, the atmosphere corresponding to the distant 13th century was carefully recreated. The chapel has preserved a glossy altarpiece made of terracotta. Tourists show considerable interest in the torture chambers hidden behind the thick thick castle walls.

Antoine Etex__Paolo and Francesca (1864)

Kohl, mistress, in your hands I will die,
I rejoice: I do not want to have
Worthy of honor than to die,
Leaning towards you in the moment of a kiss."

Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585),

Perhaps this story would not have come down to us,
dissolving without a trace in the past, like many other similar stories, if
Dante Alighieri, expelled from Florence for political reasons, did not find shelter
in Ravenna with Guido da Polenta, nephew of Francesca da Rimini.
beautiful
beautiful Francesca dreamed of love. But who cares about the dreams of a young girl if
con put the honor and dignity of two noble families?

Rossetti_Dante_Gabriel_Paolo_And_Francesca_Da_Rimini

Between families
Rimini and Ravenna had a longstanding enmity. Settle discord in the medieval
Italy could have only one way - to intermarry. And fathers of noble families
decided to marry the children. Of the four sons of Rimini, Father Francesca chose
senior. Giovanni, nicknamed the Cripple, was distinguished by a ferocious disposition and a terrible
appearance, and it is unlikely that Francesca would willingly agree to marry him
married. So that the deal would not be upset, it was decided to resort to tricks. For
the conclusion of the marriage contract, the younger brother Giovanni was sent to Ravenna
handsome Paolo.

Paolo_and_Francesca__Edward_Charles_Hally

Francesca took a liking to the young man, and she gladly
left her father's house. And only when she arrived at the Rimini estate did she realize that she had been cruel
deceived, her husband was not a handsome and kind Paolo, but a cruel cripple
Giovanna. However, the love that broke out between Francesco and Paolo did not
went out.
According to the customs of the time, Giovanno, Lord of Pesaro, was obliged
to live at the place of his service, and his family had to be outside the city, in
family castle. This castle became for Francesca a prison and at the same time a place
secret meetings with loved ones.

Feuerbach_Anselm_Paolo_And_Francesca

Legend has it that one day Giovanno, suspecting
something was wrong, did not leave the castle, but waited for some time and burst into his wife's bedroom in
the moment when she secretly met with Paolo. There was a secret exit in the room
but Paolo did not have time to use it. Angry deceived husband snatching
dagger, rushed at his brother. Francesca stood between her husband and her beloved, accepting
fatal blow to himself. This did not save Paolo, he was killed by the next blow.
He.

Alexandre_Cabanel_The_Death_of_Francesca_de_Rimini_and_Paolo_Malatesta_1870

So says the legend. Historical facts testify to a slightly different story.
Francesca by that time was no longer a young beautiful maiden, from her first marriage she
raised a daughter. And there were no secret meetings between her and Paolo. Whilst away the time
reading books, she sometimes read them with her husband's younger brother. It is in such
the moment they were caught by Giovanno and, taking a friendly kiss for proof of treason,
Without hesitation, he killed both.
This did not stop Dante from placing the dead in hell, where
they, by the will of the author, circled, without opening their arms, in the eternal whirlwind of the diabolical
fire. The love passion that led to death united them forever after death.

Dore_Gustave_Paolo_And_Francesca_Da_Rimini

But even Dante, having prepared for them the torments of hell, did not say anything about a long relationship and
adultery. Details about the secret meetings in the room with a secret passage
appeared later, when the tragedy of Gabriele D'Annunzio "Francesca da
Rimini".

A. Schaefer. Appearance of the ghosts of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini before Dante and Virgil

The moral principles of the Middle Ages were such that all love
considered sinful. Dante did not look for and did not want to look for excuses for his beloved.
But his mention in the "Divine Comedy" about the torments of Francesca and Paolo in hell
allowed the emergence of a beautiful legend about love, the plot of which formed the basis of
works of many musicians, artists and writers.

George_Frederick_Watts_18171904_Paolo_i_Francheska

http://italy-guide.sitecity.ru/stext_2803223812.phtml

http://dnevnik.bigmir.net/groups/article/48475

Most love stories are so banal that they become a thing of the past as soon as the bodies of the people who survived them are buried. But as soon as the story gets a bloody denouement, it has every chance of becoming a legend. This happened with Romeo and Juliet, as well as with Paolo and Francesca, which will be discussed today.

At the beginning of the 13th century, the most influential dynasties of the Romagna region in Italy were Polenta and Malatesta. In 1239, a ruler named Malatesta da Verucchio lived in Rimini, and he had four children: the lame Giovanni, Malatestino, Paolo the Fair and Maddalena.

The heads of the dynasties decided to strengthen the common victory in the war with Guido da Montefeltro and da Polenta by marriage. According to the agreement, the eldest son of Malatesta, the cripple Giovanni, was to marry Francesca, the daughter of da Polenta. The girl's parents understood that she would not agree to marry a lame man, and went to the trick.

On the day of the wedding, the handsome young Paolo, Giovanni's younger brother, appeared to Francesca, authorized to marry by his power of attorney. The girl fell in love with the young man at first sight and agreed to become his wife. What was the grief of young Francesca when the deception was revealed. Moreover, it turned out that Paolo was already married to another by calculation.

Love that commands loved ones to love,

I was drawn to him so powerfully,

That this captivity you see is indestructible.

Love together led us to destruction;

In Cain there will be an extinguisher of our days.”

Such speech flowed from their mouths.

After several years of an unhappy marriage, Francesca gave birth to a daughter to her lawful husband, and Paolo, appointed governor of Florence, became a frequent visitor to the house of his older brother and his wife, in Gradara Castle. During one of their secret meetings, brother Malatestino found them and told Giovanni what he had seen. He, pretending to be leaving on business, suddenly returned to the castle and personally found the lovers Paolo and Francesca kissing. They read the love story of Lancelot and Guinevere and were so carried away that they kissed. It was at this moment that an enraged Giovanni burst into the room.

In our spare time, we once read

A sweet story about Launcelot

We were alone, everyone was careless.

Eyes met over the book more than once,

And we turned pale with a secret shudder

As soon as we read about how he kissed

I clung to the smile of my dear mouth,

The one with whom I am forever bound by torment,

Kissed, trembling, my lips.

And the book became our Galeot!

None of us finished reading the sheet.

Paolo wanted to run through the secret passage, but did not have time. Giovanni rushed at his brother with a knife, Francesca covered her lover with herself and took a blow to the chest. As a result, both lovers were killed by Giovanni, blinded by jealousy.

The legend also says that the restless soul of the unfortunate Francesca still wanders around Gradara Castle on a full moon.

Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Paolo and Francesca, 1855

But if it were not for the great contemporary of Paolo and Francesca - Dante Alighieri - the legend of a couple in love could have remained a legend. But the poet settled them on the pages of his Divine Comedy. So, traveling with Virgil through the circles of Hell, he met Francesca and Paolo in the second circle, where those who knew forbidden love during their lifetime are serving a cruel exorbitant punishment. The shadow of Francesca, without leaving the passionate embrace of Paolo, told the protagonist about their suffering in the hellish whirlwind.

This romantic, albeit a little banal, plot of the Italian epic, displayed in a great work, inspired many artists and sculptors to recreate the images of Paolo and Francesca in love. In the iconographic tradition, they are depicted in several guises: while reading a love book, in a kiss, killed, or already in Dante Alighieri's Hell. In the most dramatic scenes, Francesca's legally enraged husband is also present.

Anselm Friedrich Feuerbach, Paolo and Francesca, 1864

Lajos Gulacsy, Paolo and Francesca, 1903

William Dick, Francesca of Rimini, 1837

Getano Previati, Paolo and Francesca, 1887

Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Paolo and Francesca from Rimini, 1867

Edward Charles Hull, "Paolo and Francesca"

Felice Giani, Paolo and Francesca, 1813

Jean August Dominique Ingres, Paolo and Francesca, 1819

Amos Cassioli, Paolo and Francesca, 1870

Josef Anton Koch, "The Disillusionment of Paolo and Francesca"

Unknown artist, "Paolo and Francesca", 1804

Alexandre Cabanel, The Death of Francesca and Paolo (1870)

Sir Joseph Noel Paton, "The Murder of Paolo and Francesca"

Ari Schaeffer, The Spirits of Paolo and Francesca Appear to Dante and Virgil, 1835

Bianchi Mose, "Paolo and Francesca", 1877

George Frederick Watts, "Paolo and Giovanni"

"The Souls of Paolo and Francesca"

Pierre Claude Francois Delorme, "Paolo and Francesca", 1830

Umberto Boccioni, "Sleep (Paolo and Francesca)", 1909

Vitale Salya, "Paolo and Francesca", 1823

material prepared by: Yulia Sidimyantseva

without intermission

performed in Russian

Expanding the boundaries of the stage space of the unique hall named after Isidore Zac, the directors decided to turn it into a real knight's castle from the time of the ruler of Rimini, Lanciotto Malatesta. The costumes of the characters are designed in the aesthetics of the unique paintings by Gustave Doré. Heroes descended from historical engravings will tell their story of unquenchable love.

Sergei Rachmaninov's opera "Francesca da Rimini" was inspired by the plot from the fifth song of "Hell" - the first part of Dante's "Divine Comedy". The plot of the opera is based on true historical events of the 13th century. Francesca da Polenta of Ravenna was given in marriage to the ruler of Rimini, Lanciotto Malatesta, to end the long-standing feud between the two families. According to the custom of that time, instead of the groom, his younger brother Paolo came to Ravenna to woo, and Francesca, confident that he was her groom, fell in love with him and swore before God to be his faithful wife. Paolo could not resist the beauty of Francesca. The desire to love is stronger than the fear of all the circles of hell. The eternal story about the beautiful Francesca and the handsome Paolo, told by Dante Alighieri many centuries ago, inspired dozens of poets, artists, musicians, and will continue to inspire regardless of time and era.

Rachmaninov's Francesca, written to a libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky, is full of deep drama and heartache. Endowing the music with the features of a special Russian verism, the composer explodes the boundaries of the usual understanding of chamber opera and creates a unique musical poem, a high musical and poetic degree of a beautiful romantic story, full of subtle lyricism and sharp drama. The highest human need - to love and be loved - is manifested in the fullness of the orchestral texture, which has an extraordinary richness, sharpness of genuine human passions and is a real masterpiece of musical theater.

The prologue and epilogue take place in hell and frame the main action. The poet Dante and Virgil accompanying him descend into hell and meet with the shadows of sinners, among whom are the main characters of the opera - Paolo and Francesca.

The plot of the opera was based on the true historical events of the 13th century, described by Dante in the Divine Comedy. Francesca da Polenta of Ravenna was given in marriage to the ruler of Rimini, Lanciotto Malatesta, to end the long-standing feud between the two families. According to the custom of that time, instead of the groom, his younger brother Paolo came to Ravenna to woo, and Francesca, confident that he was her groom, fell in love with him and swore before God to be his faithful wife. Paolo could not resist the beauty of Francesca.

Lanciotto Malatesta, also in love with Francesca, guesses the true feelings of his wife and, wanting to test his suspicions, sets a trap: he reports that he is going on a campaign and leaves Francesca under the protection of Paolo. However, the true intention of the husband was to spy on lovers. Francesca and Paolo spend the evening reading a book about the love of the knight Lancelot for the beautiful Guinevere and eventually give in to the feeling that overwhelms them, which destroyed them.

In the epilogue, their shadows, inseparable even in death, are carried away by an infernal whirlwind.

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_da_Rimini_(Rakhmaninov)