''Elena'' is a dramma per musica in a prologue and three acts by

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading oper ...

, set to a libretto originally by Giovanni Faustini that was completed by Nicolò Minato. The

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 ...

was first performed in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

at the

Teatro San Cassiano The Teatro San Cassiano (or Teatro di San Cassiano and other variants) in Venice was the world’s first public opera theatre, inaugurated as such in 1637. The first mention of its construction dates back to 1581. The name with which it is best know ...

; the dedication is dated to 26 December 1659.

Recordings

*live Aix-en-Provence Festival, July 2013. DVD - conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, director Jean-Yves Ruf. Ricercarreview
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References

Sources

* Operas Operas by Francesco Cavalli 1659 operas Opera world premieres at the Teatro San Cassiano {{Italian-opera-stub