L'Olimpiade (Mysliveček)
Encyclopedia
L'Olimpiade is an 18th-century Italian opera
in 3 acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
. It was composed to a libretto
by the Italian poet Metastasio
that was first performed in 1733. For a performance in the 1770s, it would only be expected that a libretto of such age would be abbreviated and altered to suit contemporary operatic taste; some of the original aria texts would be omitted or substituted, and the remaining aria texts would be set more expansively. In this case, only 14 of the original 18 aria texts of Metastasio were newly set to music. The cuts and changes in the text made for the 1778 performance of Mysliveček's opera are not attributable.
on 4 November 1778, the nameday of king Charles III of Spain
, the former ruler of the Kingdom of Naples
whose birthday and nameday were still celebrated with operatic productions under the rule of his son Ferdinand
. It is unquestionably one of the finest setting of this Metastasian libretto ever produced. Contemporary music criticism praised in particular the composer's setting of the aria "Se cerca, se dice" as sung by Luigi Marchesi
, a close friend and professional collaborator of the composer.
is highly exceptional in being named for an event, not a character, in this case a celebration of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece
. Metastasio's librettos are ordinarily love intrigues that resolve into marriage. Seemingly insoluble dilemmas that keep lovers from marrying throughout the drama find solutions just before the end. Two happy marriages are generally portrayed, just as in this drama.
Act I, scene 4 - Chorus with Argene and Aristea, "O care selve"
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Clistene, "Del destin non vi lagnate"
Act I, scene 6 - Aria of Aristea, "Tu di saper procura"
Act I, scene 7 - Aria of Argene, "Più non si trovano"
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Licida, "Mentre dormi, amor fomenti"
Act I, scene 9 - Accompanied recitative for Megacle, "Che intesi, eterni Dei?," and cavatina, "Cara non dubitar" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 10 - Accompanied recitative for Aristea and Megacle, "E tu mi lasci così?"
Act I, scene 10 - Duet of Aristea and Megacle, "Ne' giorni tuoi felici"
Act II,scene 1 - Aria of Alcandro, "Dimmi qual è l'affanno" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 3 - Aria of Argene, "Che non mi disse"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Aminta, "Siam navi all'onde algenti"
Act II, scene 4 - Chorus, "Del forte Licida"
Act II, scene 6 - Aria of Clistene, "So che il paterno impero" [parody of original Metastasian text in this position, "So ch'è fanciullo amore"]
Act II, scene 8 - Accompanied recitative for Megacle, "Misero me, che veggo"
Act II, scene 9 - Aria of Megacle, "Se cerca, se dice"
Act II, Scene 10 - Aria of Aristea, "Tu me da me dividi"
Act II, Scene 13 - Accompanied recitative for Licida, "Con questo ferro, indegno"
Act II, scene 13 - Aria of Licida, "Gemo in un punto e fremo"
Act III, scene 3 - Aria of Aristea, "Caro, son tua così"
Act III, scene 4 - Aria of Megacle, "Lo seguitai felice"
Act III, scene 6 - Aria of Aminta, "Son qual per mare ignoto"
Act III, scene 6 - Chorus, "I tuoi strali terror de' mortali"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Clistene, "Non so donde viene"
Act III, scene 8 - Accompanied recitative for Clistene, "O degli uomini padre"
Act III, scene 11 - Chorus, "Viva il figlio deliquente"
Two arias drawn from the role of Argene in Mysliveček's L'Olimpiade are available in a collection recorded by the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená
: "Più non si trovano" and "Che non mi disse." The recording is Deutsche Grammophon 0289-4776153 (2002) with the Prague Philharmonia
, Michel Swierczewski, conductor.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in 3 acts by the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček
Josef Myslivecek
Josef Mysliveček was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music...
. It was composed to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by the Italian poet Metastasio
Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.-Early life:...
that was first performed in 1733. For a performance in the 1770s, it would only be expected that a libretto of such age would be abbreviated and altered to suit contemporary operatic taste; some of the original aria texts would be omitted or substituted, and the remaining aria texts would be set more expansively. In this case, only 14 of the original 18 aria texts of Metastasio were newly set to music. The cuts and changes in the text made for the 1778 performance of Mysliveček's opera are not attributable.
Performance history
The opera was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 4 November 1778, the nameday of king Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, the former ruler of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
whose birthday and nameday were still celebrated with operatic productions under the rule of his son Ferdinand
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
. It is unquestionably one of the finest setting of this Metastasian libretto ever produced. Contemporary music criticism praised in particular the composer's setting of the aria "Se cerca, se dice" as sung by Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi was an Italian castrato singer, one of the most prominent and charismatic to appear in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century.-Biography:Luigi Ludovico Marchesi was born in Milan...
, a close friend and professional collaborator of the composer.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 4 November 1778, Teatro San Carlo, Naples |
|---|---|---|
| Clistene, king of Sicyon | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Giovanni Ansani |
| Aristea, his daughter, beloved of Megacle | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Giuseppa Maccherini Ansani |
| Megacle, in love with Aristea, friend of Licida | soprano castrato Castrato A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's... |
Luigi Marchesi Luigi Marchesi Luigi Marchesi was an Italian castrato singer, one of the most prominent and charismatic to appear in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century.-Biography:Luigi Ludovico Marchesi was born in Milan... |
| Licida, believed to be the son of the king of Crete, in love with Aristea, friend of Megacle | soprano castrato | Pietro Muschietti |
| Argene, a Cretan lady dressed as a shepherdess under the name of Licori, in love with Licida | soprano | Geltrude Flavis |
| Aminta, tutor of Licida | tenor | Giacinto Perrone |
| Alcandro, confidant of Clistene | soprano | Antonia Rubinacci (in a breeches role Breeches role A breeches role is a role in which an actress appears in male clothing .In opera it also refers to any male character that is sung and acted by a female singer... ) |
Synopsis
18th-century Italian operas in serious style are almost always set in a distant or legendary past and are built around historical, pseudo-historical, or mythological characters. Metastasio's L'OlimpiadeL'Olimpiade
L'Olimpiade is an opera libretto in three acts by Metastasio originally written for Antonio Caldara's 1733 opera. Following Caldara's success, more than 60 baroque and classical composers used the libretto for their own renditions. Metastasio’s plot, draws upon the narrative of '"The Trial of the...
is highly exceptional in being named for an event, not a character, in this case a celebration of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Metastasio's librettos are ordinarily love intrigues that resolve into marriage. Seemingly insoluble dilemmas that keep lovers from marrying throughout the drama find solutions just before the end. Two happy marriages are generally portrayed, just as in this drama.
Act I
Megacle arrives in Sicyon just in time to enter the Olympic Games under the name of Licida, a friend who once saved his life. Unknown to Megacle, Lycida is in love with Aristea, whose hand is to be offered to the winner of the games by her father, King Clistene. Licida, once betrothed to Princess Argene of Crete, is unaware that Megacle and Aristea already love each other, and he subsequently tells his friend of the prize. Aristea and Megacle greet each other fondly, but Megacle now feels bound by his promise to compete as Licida. Meanwhile Argene arrives in Olympia disguised as a shepherdess, to win back Licida.Act II
Megacle wins the games, confesses the truth to Aristea and departs, broken-hearted. When Licida comes to claim her, Aristea reproaches him, as does the disguised Argene, much to his dismay. Aminta, tutor to Lycidas, reports that Megacle has drowned himself, and King Clistene, apprised of the deception, banishes Licida.Act III
Argene prevents the desperate Aristea from suicide, Megacle is rescued by a fisherman, and Licidas contemplates the assassination of the king. Aristea pleads mercy for Licida and Argene offers herself in his place; as proof that she is a princess, she shows Clistene a chain given her by Licida. He recognizes it as belonging to his son, abandoned in infancy to forestall the prophecy that he would kill his father. Licida, reinstated, accepts Argene, leaving his sister to Megacle.Vocal Set Pieces
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Megacle, "Superbo di me stesso"Act I, scene 4 - Chorus with Argene and Aristea, "O care selve"
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Clistene, "Del destin non vi lagnate"
Act I, scene 6 - Aria of Aristea, "Tu di saper procura"
Act I, scene 7 - Aria of Argene, "Più non si trovano"
Act I, scene 8 - Aria of Licida, "Mentre dormi, amor fomenti"
Act I, scene 9 - Accompanied recitative for Megacle, "Che intesi, eterni Dei?," and cavatina, "Cara non dubitar" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act I, scene 10 - Accompanied recitative for Aristea and Megacle, "E tu mi lasci così?"
Act I, scene 10 - Duet of Aristea and Megacle, "Ne' giorni tuoi felici"
Act II,scene 1 - Aria of Alcandro, "Dimmi qual è l'affanno" [a non-Metastasian text]
Act II, scene 3 - Aria of Argene, "Che non mi disse"
Act II, scene 4 - Aria of Aminta, "Siam navi all'onde algenti"
Act II, scene 4 - Chorus, "Del forte Licida"
Act II, scene 6 - Aria of Clistene, "So che il paterno impero" [parody of original Metastasian text in this position, "So ch'è fanciullo amore"]
Act II, scene 8 - Accompanied recitative for Megacle, "Misero me, che veggo"
Act II, scene 9 - Aria of Megacle, "Se cerca, se dice"
Act II, Scene 10 - Aria of Aristea, "Tu me da me dividi"
Act II, Scene 13 - Accompanied recitative for Licida, "Con questo ferro, indegno"
Act II, scene 13 - Aria of Licida, "Gemo in un punto e fremo"
Act III, scene 3 - Aria of Aristea, "Caro, son tua così"
Act III, scene 4 - Aria of Megacle, "Lo seguitai felice"
Act III, scene 6 - Aria of Aminta, "Son qual per mare ignoto"
Act III, scene 6 - Chorus, "I tuoi strali terror de' mortali"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria of Clistene, "Non so donde viene"
Act III, scene 8 - Accompanied recitative for Clistene, "O degli uomini padre"
Act III, scene 11 - Chorus, "Viva il figlio deliquente"
Recordings
The overture to Mysliveček's L'Olimpiade is included in a collection of symphonies and overtures by the composer recorded by the L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg, conductor, CPO 777-050 (2004).Two arias drawn from the role of Argene in Mysliveček's L'Olimpiade are available in a collection recorded by the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená
Magdalena Kožená
Magdalena Kožená is a Czech mezzo-soprano.In 2003, Kožená was awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government...
: "Più non si trovano" and "Che non mi disse." The recording is Deutsche Grammophon 0289-4776153 (2002) with the Prague Philharmonia
Prague Philharmonia
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1995 by Czech musicians with the German conductor Friedemann Riehle. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra quickly developed into one of the leading orchestras for CD-recording in Europe. The orchestra plays about 200 recording sessions every year...
, Michel Swierczewski, conductor.