''La Calliroe'' 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 three acts by

Josef Mysliveček Josef Mysliveček (9 March 1737 – 4 February 1781) was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music. Mysliveček provided his younger friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with significant com ...

set to a

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 Matteo Verazi that is based on Greek legends about the

Oceanid In Greek mythology, the Oceanids or Oceanides ( ; , ) are the nymphs who were the three thousand (a number interpreted as meaning "innumerable") daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Description and function The Oceanids' father Oceanu ...

Callirrhoe. This opera (and all the rest of Mysliveček's operas) belong to the serious type in Italian language referred to as ''

opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abou ...

''. Vocal pieces from the opera composed for the singer

Luigi Marchesi Luigi Marchesi (; 8 August 1754 – 14 December 1829) was an Italian castrato singer, one of the most prominent and charismatic to appear in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century. His singing was praised by the likes of Mozart a ...

in the role of Tarsile were widely copied in eighteenth-century collections of operatic

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

Performance history

The opera was first performed at the

Teatro San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and a ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

on 30 May 1779 to commemorate the

nameday In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

, the king of Naples. ''La Calliroe'' was the first opera Mysliveček composed after returning to Italy from

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he was detained for months in order to recover from an operation intended to alleviate the effects of

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

. Taking advantage of his position as the composer most frequently engaged to compose operas for the Teatro San Carlo during the 1770s, he made certain that the finest singers who had appeared in his opera ''Ezio'' in Munich in 1777 were engaged for ''La Calliroe''. In a letter to his father of 11 October 1777,

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

reported how Mysliveček bragged to him about his ability to influence the choice of singers at the San Carlo. One of the cast members was the great

castrato A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...

, a close professional associate of the composer, whose career was critically aided by Mysliveček's intervention. Following his appearances in Mysliveček's operas ''La Calliroe'' and ''

L'Olimpiade ''L'Olimpiade'' is an opera libretto in three acts by Metastasio originally written for an operatic setting by Antonio Caldara of 1733. Metastasio’s plot vaguely draws upon the narrative of "The Trial of the Suitors" provided from Book 6 of '' ...

'' the following autumn, Marchesi was able to establish himself permanently as one of the leading singers in Italy. ''La Calliroe'' was very well received by the Neapolitan musical public, one of the most successful of the nine operas Mysliveček composed for the Teatro San Carlo. It was revived in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

and

Pontremoli Pontremoli (; local ; ; ) is a small city, ''comune'' former Latin Catholic bishopric in the province of Massa and Carrara, Tuscany region, central Italy. Literally translated, Pontremoli means "Trembling Bridge" (from ''ponte'' "bridge" and ''tre ...

in the spring of 1779 and in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

the following summer.

Roles

Vocal set pieces

Act I, scene 1 - Aria of Tarsile, "Se fedel mi serba il fato"
Act I, scene 2 - Aria of Agricane, "Son guerriero e sono amante"
Act I, scene 4 - Aria of Sidonio, "Del tuo diletto del caro oggetto"
Act I, scene 5 - Aria of Calliroe, "Se dal cielo amiche stelle
Act I, scene 6 - Aria of Briceste, "Perder l'oggetto di un grato amore"
Act I, scene 8 - Cavatina for Agricane, "Care pupille belle"
Act I, scene 9 - Aria of Arsace, "Dalla fatal procella"
Act I, scene 10 - Accompanied

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...

for Calliroe and Tarsile, "Ah no, Tarsile"
Act I, scene 10 - Duet for Calliroe and Tarsile, "Serena quei rai" Act II, scene 1 - Aria of Sidonio, "So che fù troppo audace"
Act II, scene 8 - Accompanied recitative for Tarsile, "In tanto almeno"
Act II, scene 8 - Aria of Tarsile, "Parto, ma in questo addio"
Act II, scene 10 - Aria of Briceste, "Son tra notturni orrori"
Act II, scene 11 - Accompanied recitative for Calliroe, "In van ragioni"
Act II, scene 11 - Aria of Calliroe, "Tergi, o caro, il pianto amaro"
Act II, scene 13 - Aria of Arsace, "Vada, si, in campo armato"
Act II, scene 14 - Aria of Agricane, "Odo le mestre voci"
Act II, scene 15 - Accompanied recitative of Tarsile, "Che risolvi Tarsile?"
Act II, scene 15 - Aria of Tarsile, "Mille cose in un momento" Act III, scene 1 - Aria of Calliroe - "Ritorna nell'alma il dolce sereno"
Act III, scene 4 - Aria of Agricane, "Da cento affanni e cento"
Act III, scene 7 - Aria (Rondò) of Tarsile, "Volgi ridente, o cara"

Score

The complete score of ''La Calliroe'' is available for study online on the Italian website Internet Culturale in the form of a reproduction of a manuscript once in the possession of the Teatro San Carlo of Naples.

References

* Freeman, Daniel E. ''Josef Mysliveček, "Il Boemo."'' Sterling Heights, Mich.: Harmonie Park Press, 2009.

External links

Complete score in manuscript available for viewing and downloading at http://www.internetculturale.it (Subcategory: Digital Contents) {{DEFAULTSORT:Calliroe Italian-language operas Operas by Josef Mysliveček 1778 operas Opera seria Operas Operas based on classical mythology Opera world premieres at the Teatro San Carlo