So Swept the Mountain Wind

So Swept the Mountain Wind
Script	Paolo C. Giannini
Music	Russo Fagioli
Production	Radio La Rossa
Broadcast Premiere	7-9 18 PC
Live Premiere	4-1 21 PC
Place Premiered	Mineria, La Rossa
Language	Rossan
Runtime	118 minutes 133 minutes (including intermission)
Budget	300,000 argottos
Box Office	24.7 million argottos

So Swept the Mountain Wind (Ros. "Così Spirò il Vento delle Montagne") is a Rossan radio and television opera, originally broadcast on Radio La Rossa in the year 18 PC. A tragedy in three acts, the opera was based off an original script written by Paolo C. Giannini and orchestrated by Russo Fagioli. Telling a story of a mercenary soldier fighting for the Minestrici Family during the conflicts of the Silver Rush of 1296 TT, the opera explores Cassiano, the story's protagonist, and his beloved Astella, whom he leaves behind, on a psychological and character level. It is considered a quintissential piece of post-Denunzian art, subverting heroic stories by portraying an ignoble conflict, unflattering approaches to the island's elite and a tragic but meaningless death of its protagonist. Following the popularity of the original broadcast run, a live version of the opera would be released in 21 PC, performed across the year by most of the original cast in rotation across the island's six major cities.

Plot

So Swept the Mountain Wind narrates the story from two different perspectives, which sometimes overlap. The first viewpoint is that of Cassiano, a mercenary soldier who enlists in the armies of the Minestrici Family in a war against the city-state of Averno. The second is that of Astella Minestrici, a young aristocratic lady with whom Cassiano falls in love. Having kept their affair secret from Astella's parents, they are soon separated by war as Cassiano joins the mercenary forces, hoping to prove himself on the battlefield to earn the respect of her father. The stories of the two largely diverge from this point onward, with the only line of communication between them being the letters the two exchange between each other.

Act One

The opera begins in medias res, at the end of a secret nightly meeting between Cassiano and Astella in the forests outside of Mineria. Being interrupted by the dawn, Astella parts ways with Cassiano, lamenting that she cannot spend more time with him due to the elitism of her Family. Just as she sneaks into her room in her Family's palace, she hears knocking on the door as her father, Corbinus, calls for her. The two hold a conversation about Astella's need to marry, as Mineria is on the verge of establishing a union with Averno, the island's oldest city-state. Rejecting an arranged marriage with Mateo Vedici, son of the leader of Averno, the ensuing spout causes her father to reprimand her, and leave the room. In the meantime, Cassius, nothing more than a street sweeper, sings to himself as he cleans the waste-filled alleys of the city, contrasting his own existence with that of the one he loves. Bumping into her father on accident during his day, the aristocrat quickly picks himself up, speaking in worry as to how the Vedici will respond to the bad news he brings.

Several weeks pass when news of a war with Averno spread through the city as the sun begins to set. A talk with passerbys reveals that a mercenary army begins preparation for a march on the city situated in the mountains of Montesuvia. Recruiters march through the streets, offering great coin to those willing to risk their lives in service of the city. Cassiano meets with Astella beneath her window that night, and they talk about the madness that has swept the city around them. Incidentally, her father opens the doors to her room, prompting Cassiano to hide from his gaze. Corbinus angrily argues with Astella, stating that her pride had led the city of Mineria on a path of war. Refusing to entertain her wishes, he states that the only way the situation can be salvaged in ways that would project strength would lie in marrying a hero of war following the conflict. Astella attempts to object, but her father's world is final.

The following morning, Cassiano finds himself in worry at the thought of giving Astella away to a husband she would not care for nor love. Having had the thought of enlisting into war to satisfy her father's wishes last night, he faces a dilemma of risking his life at the battlefield far away from her, or losing Astella forever. Finally coming to a decision as he passes a military post, he offers to join the mercenary army as quickly as possible, before he could reverse his decision. As he is sent to a military encampment outside of the city, he sends a letter to Astella explaining his decision, to afraid to meet her in person. Upon reading it, Astella weeps and decries Cassiano's selfishness at making such a choice without as much as talking to her, but professes that her love for him does not stop despite the pain he is causing her.

Act Two

• As he receives his equipment, Cassiano meets Felicius, and the two become friends
• Felicius states his hope that he will one day use the wealth earned through his service in order to become as wealthy as the Minestricis
• The commander, Durant, foreshadows later events in a speech
• Following little training, the armies begin their march to the mountaintops

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• Astella writes letter back to Cassiano, telling him how much she hates him and how much she misses him
• Secretly handing the letter to a servant, she stumbles onto her father as he prepares to go on a dinner with the Family patriarchs
• Corbinus apologizes to her for his recent outbursts, saying he shouldn't have treated her as he did
• However, he states that as wealthy nobles, they both have roles to play upon which the fate of the city depends on
• Astella asks why it is her role that keeps her hands tied, while he is left with the task of all the decisionmaking
• Corbinus states that under a veneer of power lies helplessness, and that he truly envies the common folk above all, who at the very least have power over their own lives. He considers himself, and Astella, enslaved to their conduct as aristocrats

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• Commander Durant introduces the mountains to his troops as a steep and hostile environment
• As the mountain winds blow stronger, Cassiano begins to holler at his fate, regretting his past decisions to leave Astella in favor of the isolating cold as he receives a letter from her, brought by carrier
• Writing another one back, he decides to stay resilient, knowing what awaits him should he return alive home
• Felicius dies in an ambush in the mountains following an arrow to the abdomen
• Durant pushes on troops to return back, and spare the losses
• Felicius' corpse has to be left, among many others, to be frozen in the snowy mountains, without the family consolation of getting to see it one last time before it is buried at sea

Cast

Major Roles

• Marco Trati as Cassiano (baritone), a mercenary soldier in service of the Minestrici Family and the story's co-protagonist.
• Daniella Bruna as Astella Minestrici di Mineria (soprano), a young Minerian aristocratic lady and the opera's co-protagonist. Despite taking on the name of a famous aristocratic Family, her role is largely fictional, although it is loosely based on existing stories.
• Andrea Maritano as Corbinus Minestrici di Mineria (bass), Astella's father a high-ranking member of the Minestrici family.
• Gianni Gramuglio as Felicius (tenor), a young man in search of riches and Cassiano's fellow-in-arms.
• Luigi Grosso as Durant (bass), the leader of Cassiano's military regiment.