Giove in Argo
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Giove in Argo (or Jupiter in Argos) (HWV A14) is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. The libretto was written by Antonio Maria Lucchini.
It was first performed in King's Theatre, Haymarket, London on May 1, 1739.
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[edit] History
The libretto by the Venetian poet Lucchini had been written for a setting by Antonio Lotti in Dresden 1717. Handel might have heard Lotti's opera on his visit to Dresden in 1719, where the famous Senesino sung the part of Jupiter. Probably Handel took a copy of the text to England and remembered it in 1739 when he was looking for a libretto for a short pasticcio opera with three female characters in it.
Handel has brought to London stage several pasticci. In most cases he adapted successful works of Italian composers for London, but he has written three pasticci, in which he re-uses music from his own earlier works. They are the well known Oreste, the hardly known Alessandro Severo and the completely unknown Giove in Argo. In the latter opera he uses apart from music from his earlier works some original compositions as well as two arias (sung by Iside) of the Italian composer Francesco Araia.
The opera failed in London and was abandoned after only two performances.
[edit] Characters
- Aretes, a shepherd, later discovered as Jupiter
- Isis, daughter of Inachus, betrothed to the King of Egypt, Osiris
- Erastus, a shepherd, later discovered as Osiris, King of Egypt
- Diana
- Calisto, daughter of Lycaon
- Lycaon, disguised as a shepherd, tyrant of Arcadia
- Chorus of huntsmen
- Chorus of shepherds
- Chorus of nymphs
[edit] Modern performances
The opera has been performed for the first time in modern period on 15th September 2006 in Bayreuth (Germany) in the 18th century Margrave's Opera House in a complete and staged production by Concert Royal, Cologne and Collegium Cantorum Cologne, directed by Igor Folwill and conducted Thomas Gebhardt. There is no published edition of the music available yet. An edition is announced to be due soon by the Complete Works Edition (HHA).
[edit] External links
- [1] Bayreuther Barock - First modern performance of Giove in Argo in Bayreuth (Germany)
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