Eliogabalo
Eliogabalo (Heliogabalus) is an opera by the Italian composer Francesco Cavalli based on the life of the Roman emperor Heliogabalus. The author of the original libretto is unknown but it was probably reworked by Aurelio Aureli. The opera was composed in 1667 and was intended to be premiered during the Venetian Carnival season of 1668. In fact, it was not staged in his lifetime[1] and was replaced by a revised text with music by Giovanni Antonio Boretti,[2] perhaps because Cavalli's style was considered too old-fashioned.
Eliogabalo was first performed in 1999, in Crema, Italy. [2]
Eliogabalo was revived at La Monnaie in 2004 by René Jacobs. Its North American premiere took place in 2007 at the Aspen Music Festival, conducted by Jane Glover.[3] Gotham Chamber Opera in performed it in 2013 in a Manhattan nightclub in Chrystie Street, Richard Kimmel's The Box, directed by James Marvel.[4][5][2] In a co-production with the Dutch National Opera, the Paris Opera opened its 2016/17 season in the Palais Garnier with Eliogabalo under the baton of Leonardo García Alarcón and with Franco Fagioli in the title role, Paul Groves as Alessandro, Nadine Sierra as Flavia, Valer Barna-Sabadus as Giuliano, Elin Rombo as Eritrea.[6] In 2017 it was performed again under Leonardo García Alarcón in Amsterdam.[7]
Roles[edit]
| Role | Voice type |
|---|---|
| Eliogabalo | soprano |
| Alessandro Cesare | soprano |
| Giuliano Gordio | soprano |
| Flavia Gemmira | soprano |
| Anicia Eritea | soprano |
| Atilia Macrina | soprano |
| Lenia | tenor |
| Zotico | contralto |
| Nerbulone | bass-baritone |
| Tiferne | bass-baritone |
| Two consuls | baritone |
Recordings[edit]
- Atto III Scena 2: "Giuliano al tuo ferro" Atto III Scena 15: "Pur ti stringo, pur t'annodo"- Cappella Mediterranea, Leonardo García Alarcón, Clematis, Thomas Dunford, Sara Van Oudenhove, Mariana Flores 2014
References[edit]
- ^ Ellen Rosand (ed), Readying Cavalli's Operas for the Stage: Manuscript, Edition, Production, Farnham/Burlington, Ashgate, 2013, p. 64, ISBN 9781409412182.
- ^ a b c da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (2013-03-08). "A Senate of Prostitutes? Now That's Opera!". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ^ "Racy Eliogabalo gets new life" by Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post, 22 August 2007
- ^ "Shock Tactics" by Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 8 April 2013
- ^ "An Emperor in Drag and Other Decadencies" by Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, 19 March 2013
- ^ Eliogabalo, 2016 performance details, Paris Opera
- ^ "Dutch National Opera presents Eliogabalo". Dutch National Opera & Ballet. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
External links[edit]
- Eliogabalo, Brenac, Jean-Claude, Le magazine de l'opéra baroque (in French)
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