''Armide'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

, set to a libretto by Philippe Quinault. Gluck's fifth production for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works, it was first performed on 23 September 1777 by the Académie Royale de Musique in the second Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris.

Background and performance history

Gluck set the same libretto Philippe Quinault had written for Lully in 1686, based on

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

's ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (''

Jerusalem Delivered ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusad ...

''). Gluck seemed at ease in facing French traditions head-on when he composed ''Armide''. Lully and Quinault were the very founders of serious opera in France and ''Armide'' was generally recognized as their masterpiece, so it was a bold move on Gluck's part to write new music to Quinault's words. A similar attempt to write a new opera to the libretto of '' Thésée'' by Jean-Joseph de Mondonville in 1765 had ended in disaster, with audiences demanding it be replaced by Lully's original. By utilizing ''Armide'', Gluck challenged the long-standing and apparently inviolable ideals of French practice, and in the process he revealed these values capable of renewal through "modern" compositional sensitivities. Critical response and resultant polemic resulted in one of those grand imbroglios common to French intellectual life. Gluck struck a nerve in French sensitivities, and whereas ''Armide'' was not one of his more popular works, it remained a critical touchstone in the French operatic tradition and was warmly praised by Berlioz in his ''Memoirs''. Gluck also set a minor fashion for resetting Lully/Quinault operas: Gluck's rival

Piccinni Piccinni is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Niccolò Piccinni (1728–1800), Italian composer **Teatro Piccinni, Italian theater in Bari, Apulia *Louis Alexandre Piccinni (1779–1850), Italian-French composer, grandso ...

followed his example with '' Roland'' in 1778 and '' Atys'' in 1780; in the same year, Philidor produced a new '' Persée''; and Gossec offered his version of '' Thésée'' in 1782. Gluck himself is said to have been working on an opera based on '' Roland'', but he abandoned it when he heard Piccinni had taken on the same libretto. ''Armide'' remained on the repertoire of the Parisian

Académie Nationale de Musique The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera fro ...

throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, with revivals held in 1805, 1811, 1818, 1819 and 1825. A new production directed by Émile Perrin in 1866 featured sets by

Édouard Desplechin Édouard Desplechin His name is often spelt "Despléchin" » with an acute accent. (12 April 1802 – 10 December 1871), was a 19th-century French scenic designer, one of the most famous of his time. Biography He created numerous settings for ...

(Act II),

Auguste Alfred Rubé Auguste Alfred Rubé (20 June 1817 – 13 April 1899) was a French painter. Biography Born in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Rubé was an innovator in the field of theatrical set design. This "decorator of rare ingenuity", focused on a loca ...

and

Philippe Chaperon Philippe Chaperon (2 February 1823 – 21 December 1906) was a French painter and scenic designer, particularly known for his work at the Paris Opera. He produced stage designs for the premieres of numerous 19th-century operas, including Verdi' ...

(Act III), and

Charles-Antoine Cambon Charles-Antoine Cambon (21 April 1802 – 22 October 1875) was a French scenographer, theatrical production designer, who acquired international renown in the Romantic Era. Career Little biographical information exists on Cambon's early year ...

(Acts IV and V). Another big-budget production was staged at the Opéra on 12 April 1905, starring Lucienne Bréval in the title role, Alice Verlet, Agustarello Affre, Dinh Gilly, and Geneviève Vix.Giroud, Vincent, liner notes for Marston 52059-2, ''Early French Tenors, Volume 1: Émile Scaramberg, Pierre Cornubert, and Julien Leprestre'', accessed December 3, 2009
The costumes were designed by Charles Bianchini and Charles Bétout; the sets were by Cambon's student Eugène Carpezat (Act I), Amable (Acts II and V), and Marcel Jambon and Alexandre Bailly (Acts III and IV). The Opéra's 1905 production was followed on 7 November 1905 by a big-budget staging at the

Théâtre de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...

in Brussels. Overviewed by Gluck connoisseur

François-Auguste Gevaert François-Auguste Gevaert (31 July 1828 in Huysse, near Oudenaarde – 24 December 1908 in Brussels) was a Belgian musicologist and composer.N. Slonimsky, Ed., ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', 8th ed., Schirmer Books, NY L ...

, it featured

Félia Litvinne Félia Litvinne (11 October 1860, Saint Petersburg – 12 October 1936, Paris) was a Russian-born, French-based dramatic soprano. She was particularly associated with Wagnerian roles, although she also sang a wide range of parts by other opera c ...

in the title role, costumes by the symbolist artist

Fernand Khnopff Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff (12 September 1858 – 12 November 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter. Life Youth and training Fernand Khnopff was born to a wealthy family that was part of the high bourgeoisie for generations. Khnopff ...

, and eight sets by Albert Dubosq. Hugely successful, this sumptuous production enjoyed a first run of forty performances, with subsequent revivals in 1909, 1924 and 1948. The

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

staged the work for the opening of its 1910–1911 season. Toscanini conducted a cast led by Olive Fremstad, Louise Homer and Enrico Caruso.

Roles

Synopsis

For the storyline, see '' Armide'' by Lully. Gluck kept the libretto unchanged, although he cut the allegorical prologue and added a few lines of his own devising to the end of Act Three. Similarly, the roles and the disposition of the voices are the same as in Lully's opera. Ubalde_et_le_chevalier_Danois_-_Louis_Jean_Francois_Lagrenée

Ubalde_et_le_chevalier_Danois_-_Louis_Jean_Francois_Lagrenée

Recordings

*Audio conducted by Rossi, with McKnight/Gardino/Picchi/Mollet (Melodram, recorded live in Torino in 1958) *Armide ( Felicity Palmer), Renaud ( Anthony Rolfe Johnson), La Haine ( Linda Finnie), Hidraot (

Raimund Herincx Raimund Frederick Herincx (23 August 1927 in LondonGrove, ''Herincx, Raimund'' – 10 February 2018), was a British operatic bass-baritone. Through a varied international career, Herincx performed in most of the world's great opera houses and wit ...

); City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox (EMI, recorded live in London in June 1982) *Video conducted by Ramin, with Caballé/Szirmay/Lindroos/Baquerizo (YouTube, filmed in Madrid on April 16, 1985) *Armide ( Mireille Delunsch), Renaud ( Charles Workman), La Haine ( Ewa Podleś), Hidraot ( Laurent Naouri); Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (Archiv, recorded live in Paris in November and December 1996) *Audio conducted by

Muti Muthi is a traditional medicine practice in Southern Africa as far north as Lake Tanganyika. Name In South African English, the word ''muti'' is derived from the Zulu/Xhosa/ Northern Ndebele ''umuthi'', meaning 'tree', whose root is ''-thi''. ...

, with Antonacci/Urmana/Cole/ Albert (House of Opera, recorded live in Milan on December 7, 1996)

References

Notes Sources * George Lascelles and Antony Peattie, eds., ''The New Kobbés Opera Book'', G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1997 () * Théodore de Lajarte, ''Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique'', Parigi, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, Tome I, ''ad nomen'', pp. 290–293 (accessible online a
Internet Archive
* Spire Pitou, ''The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715–1815'', Greenwood Press, Westport/London, 1985 () *

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicology, musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), whi ...

(ed.), '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Grove (Oxford University Press), New York, 1997 ()

External links

* (French)
Original libretto at Gallica, Bibliothéque Nationale de France

Original printed score at Gallica, Bibliothéque Nationale de France
{{Authority control Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck French-language operas Operas 1777 operas Operas based on works by Torquato Tasso Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera