''Telemaco, ossia L'isola di Circe'' (''Telemachus, or Circe's Island'') 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 ...

tic ''

dramma per musica The phrase ''dramma per musica'' (also spelled ''drama per musica''; Italian language, Italian, literally: 'play (or drama) for music', plural: ''drammi per musica'') is commonly found after the title in Italian opera librettos beginning in the ...

'' in two acts by

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 (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...

. The Italian

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 ...

was written by

Marco Coltellini Marco Coltellini (24 May 1724, in Montepulciano – November 1777, in Saint Petersburg) was an Italian opera tenor, libretto, librettist and Printer (publisher), printer. Biography Coltellini embarked on a career in the Church, but had to leav ...

after Carlo Sigismondo Capece's libretto for Scarlatti's 1718 opera '' Telemaco''. The opera was written for the wedding of the Emperor (to be)

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

and Princess

Maria Josepha of Bavaria Maria Josepha of Bavaria (20 March 173928 May 1767) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Romans, List of Austrian consorts, Archduchess of Austria, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, among other titles, by her marriage to Joseph II, Holy Roman Empero ...

Performance history

The first performance was at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

in Vienna on 30 January 1765.

Roles

References

Notes Sources *Hayes, Jeremy: "''Telemaco''" in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', ed.

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...

(London, 1992) *Moratto, Lucia
''Fra tradizione e riforma: il Telemaco di Coltellini e Gluck''
pp. 30–39, rodoni.ch,

External links

* Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck Operas based on the Odyssey Italian-language operas Operas 1765 operas Opera world premieres at the Burgtheater Works based on Les Aventures de Télémaque {{italian-opera-stub