The destruction of Psara in June 1824 was one of the events of the Greek Revolution that shocked the nations of Europe and strengthened the philhellenic movement both in Europe and worldwide. The drama and self-sacrifice of the Psarians inspired numerous 19th-century artists, who, through their works, commemorated the island’s destruction by painting pictures, writing poems, or staging dance or theatrical performances.
One such work was the dance drama (Italian theatrical genre “Ballo”) “La caduta d’Ipsara—Ballo eroico-tragico in cinque atti,” written in the mid-1830s by the Italian artist Luigi Astolfi. The work premiered during Carnival in 1835 at the Teatro Grande (or Teatro Verdi) in Trieste, and a year later it was performed at the Teatro della Concordia in Cremona and the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, garnering positive reviews from the press of the time.
Who was Luigi Astolfi?
Luigi Astolfi (Πηγή: alamy.com)
Astolfi was born in the late 18th century in Lombardy, northern Italy, and worked as a dancer, choreographer, and composer. In 1817, he had his first major success as a dancer at the San Benedetto Theater in Venice, performing in Giuseppe Sorrentino’s ballet. In the years that followed, he began working as a choreographer both in Italy and abroad—specifically in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal; Vienna, Austria; and Russia.
In the 1830s, he participated in numerous successful productions, such as “Belisario,” “The Seven Recruits” (1832), and “The Coal Miners of Salerno” (1837), which were staged at the Teatro alla Canobbiana in Milan, among others. In the following decade, he married the dancer Fanny Mazzarelli, sister of the famous soprano Rosina. He was the composer and choreographer of “La Encantadora de Madrid,” which was staged during the 1845–1846 season at the Teatro Regio in Turin and was a great success. He retired from the performing arts in 1855 and died in Milan in the 1860s.
La caduta d’ Ipsara - The Plot of the Play
Astolfi’s play consisted of five acts in total and is set in 1824 in Psara. As the author himself explains in the introductory note (Avvertimento), the plot centers on the story of a Psarian, Michalis Kousaris, who fights against the Ottomans to protect his island. His heroism and abilities catch the attention of a Turkish agha named Bascià, who intends to marry Kousaris to his daughter, Zulima, offering him wealth and honors.
The protagonist from Psara falls in love with Zulima, renounces his religion and his country, and abandons his wife, Aleoniki, his son Andreas, and his family. He converts to Islam and changes his name to Solimano Aga. At the same time, his new father-in-law appoints him commander of a force of Albanians who, together with his own army, lay siege to Psara. Michalis Kousaris’s brother (whose first name is not mentioned, only his last name) now takes charge of the island’s defense and becomes the new husband of Aleonikis’s former daughter-in-law.
The plot begins with the Ottoman besiegers positioned outside the town of Psara, watching it from a hilltop. The Bascià, in the presence of Solimano Aga (Michalis Kousaris), demands that the people of Psara surrender. The brave people of Psara reject the Ottoman demands, and the Bascià captures Michalis’s brother and holds him captive. The besieged are exhausted by hunger and fatigue, yet Aleoniki finds the courage to urge them to free Kousaris’s captive brother. So she devises a secret plan, suggesting that her fellow villagers disguise themselves by wearing the clothes of Albanian prisoners and secretly infiltrate the enemy camp.
The rescue plan is put into action at night. The Psarians manage to free Brother Kousaris and take Solimano with them as a prisoner. Zulima tries unsuccessfully to kill Aleoniki and then, unable to bear the turn of events and the shame, commits suicide.
The Psarians return to their base victorious and rejoice at the liberation of the island’s defender (Kousaris’s brother). Solimano (Michalis) is disheartened and humiliated. His wife, Aleoniki, urges him to repent, and his son (Andreas) presents his father with a dilemma: “Will you repent, or will you remain with the Ottomans?”. In the end, Solimano, deeply remorseful, changes his name back to Michalis, sides with the people of Psara, and fights to defend his island.
The fifth and final act of the play begins with the people of Psara trapped in their town and the Ottomans ready to invade. The elderly, women, and children have taken refuge in the church. The defenders inform their compatriots that there is no hope of salvation. Aleoniki, in a spirit of self-sacrifice, lights the fuse and sets the gunpowder ablaze. The people of Psara meet their deaths alongside the Ottoman besiegers.
It is worth noting that Astolfi’s musical-dance work mentioned above is not one of the best-known 19th-century successes in its genre. What matters, however, is that the siege and destruction of Psara was one of the most shocking events of that century and served as a source of inspiration for many artists of the time. Nearly a decade after the island’s destruction by the Ottomans, Italian art lovers, through this work of fiction, were introduced to the historical event and learned of the heroism of the brave people of Psara.
Giorgos Giannikos
Sources:
This text is a reprint of an article published on March 6, 2022, on the blog “Psarianos Karavi” (https://psarianokaravi.blogspot.com/)
