''Euridice'' is an
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
in a prologue and one act by the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
composer
Giulio Caccini
Giulio Romolo Caccini (also Giulio Romano) (8 October 1551 – buried 10 December 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre o ...
. The
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
, by
Ottavio Rinuccini
Ottavio Rinuccini (20 January 1563Firenze, Registro dei battezzati al fonte di S. Giovanni tenuto dal preposto di S. Giovanni, Registro 14, Carta 76v. – 28 March 1621) was an Italian poet, courtier, and opera libretto, librettist at the end of th ...
, had
already been set by Caccini's rival
Jacopo Peri
Jacopo Peri (20 August 156112 August 1633) was an Italian composer, singer and instrumentalist of the late Renaissance music, Renaissance and early Baroque music, Baroque periods. He wrote what is considered the first opera, the mostly lost ''D ...
in 1600. Caccini's version of ''Euridice'' was first performed at the
Pitti Palace
The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...
, Florence, on 5 December 1602. Caccini hurriedly prepared the score for the press and published it six weeks before Peri's version appeared.
Roles
Synopsis
The opera follows the myth of
Orpheus and Eurydice
In Greek mythology, the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice () concerns the pitiful love of Orpheus of Thrace, located in northeastern Greece, for the beautiful Eurydice. Orpheus was the son of Oeagrus and the Muse Calliope. It may be a late addition ...
quite closely, except that it has a happy ending since Orpheus succeeds in rescuing Eurydice from the underworld through the power of his music.
Recordings
*''Euridice'' Soloists, Rennes Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Rodrigo de Zayas (Arion, 1980)
*''L'Euridice'' Scherzi Musicali,
Nicolas Achten (Ricercar, 2008)
"Giulio Caccini – ''L'Euridice''"
Scherzi Musicali (notes)
References
Further reading
*''The Viking Opera Guide'', ed. Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
(Viking, 1993)
Del Teatro (in Italian)
*''The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera'' ed. Parker (Oxford University Press, 1994)
External links
*
{{Authority control
Italian-language operas
Pastoral operas
1602 operas
Operas by Giulio Caccini
Operas
Operas about Orpheus
Operas based on Metamorphoses