Alcine
Alcine (English: Alcina) is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Antoine Danchet, is based on cantos IV, VI and VII of Ariosto's epic poem Orlando furioso and tells of the love of the enchantress Alcine for the paladin Astolphe (Astolfo).
Title page of the original score
Performance history
Alcine was first performed on 15 January 1705[1] by the Académie royale de musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris. The opera was a failure at its first performance.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 15 January 1705 |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | ||
| Glory (La Gloire) | soprano | Mlle Du Peyré |
| Time (Le Temps) | basse-taille | Jean Dun 'père' |
| Male followers of Glory | hautes-contre | Jacques Cocherau and Louis Mantienne |
| A female follower of Glory | Mlle Vincent | |
| Tragédie | ||
| Alcine | soprano | Marie-Louise Desmatins |
| Mélanie | bas-dessus | Julie d'Aubigny (La Maupin) |
| Atlas | basse-taille | Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard |
| Nérine | soprano | Mlle Armand |
| Melisse | soprano | Mlle Dujardin |
| Astolphe | haute-contre | M Poussin |
| Crisalde | haute-contre | Pierre Chopelet |
| Nymphs of Alcine's court | sopranos | Mlles Loignon and Dupeyré |
| A nereid | soprano | Marie-Catherine Poussin |
| A magician | taille | Louis Mantienne |
| A male lover | haute-contre | Jean Boutelou |
| Two female lovers | sopranos | Mlles Poussin and Loignon |
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Alcine, 15 January 1705". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
Further reading
- Alcine, Tragédie; représentée pour la prémiere fois par l'Académie Royale de Musique, Le Quinziéme jour de Janvier 1705, Paris, Ballard, 1705 (original libretto) Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
- Alcine, tragédie mise en musique par Mr Campra (Partition in Folio), Paris, H. de Baussen, 1705 (original score) Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
- The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993)
- Le magazine de l'opéra baroque
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