Work 19: The Enchanted Forest (1754/1761)
Rudolf Rasch
The Thirty-One Works of Francesco Geminiani
Work 19: The Enchanted Forest (1754/1761)
The Enchanted Forest is Geminiani’s only composition written for the theatre. It is preserved in two versions, but the older one of these was not the first one: the very first version was written in 1754 to accompany the pantomime spectacle La forêt enchantée staged by Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni in Paris in 1754 (when Geminiani was there as well). The pantomime tells the story of Godfrey of Bouillon, beleaguering Jerusalem, who wants to fell a forest for the wood, what is first preventing by magic, which is then overthrown by the hero Renaud (Rinaldo).
Some years later, back in London, Geminiani wrote a new score (which is preserved), titled La selva incantata, for strings with added flute parts. And again a few years later, in 1761, Geminiani’s music was performed in London, concertante, without staging. The performance materials, including parts for flutes, horns and trumpets, were then published titled The Inchanted Forrest , which is the second preserved version.
The music of The Enchanted Forest resembles that of a concerto grosso, with its contrast between solo and ripieno writing. It consists of two Parts, the first mostly in D minor, the second mostly in D major. Each Part consists of a number of sections of various lengths (rather than a clear series movements). Sometimes it is clearly programmatic, picturing quiet nature or vehement fight; most often, it tries to catch and match the general atmosphere of the story.
Read and see more in:
The Enchanted Forest 1754/1761
The Enchanted Forest 1754/1761 Tables
The Enchanted Forest 1754/1761 Plates
The Enchanted Forest 1754/1761 Appendix 1-14