L'Arianna
Also known as Ariadne
'''''''' (SV 291, Ariadne) is the lost second opera by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. One of the earliest operas in general, it was composed in 1607–1608 and first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. All the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "''''" ("Ariadne's Lament"). The libretto, which survives complete, was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the
Key facts
- Opera.name
- ''L'Arianna''
- Opera.image
- Titian Bacchus and Ariadne.jpg
- Opera.image_upright
- 1.2
- Opera.caption
- Titian's depiction, painted 1520–23, of Bacchus's arrival on Naxos. This scene forms the climax of the opera.
- Opera.composer
- Claudio Monteverdi
- Opera.librettist
- Ottavio Rinuccini
- Opera.language
- Italian
- Opera.based_on
- Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus
- Opera.premiere_location
- Mantua
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Historical context
- Creation
- Libretto
- Composition
- Roles
- Synopsis
- Performance history
- Premiere: Mantua, 1608
- Revival: Venice, 1639–40
- Loss
- "Lamento d'Arianna"
- Recordings, "Lamento d'Arianna"
- Editions
- References
- Notes
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
'''''''' (SV 291, Ariadne) is the lost second opera by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. One of the earliest operas in general, it was composed in 1607–1608 and first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal wedding at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. All the music is lost apart from the extended recitative known as "''''" ("Ariadne's Lament"). The libretto, which survives complete, was written in eight scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, who used Ovid's Heroides and other classical sources to relate the story of Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus on the island of Naxos and her subsequent elevation as bride to the god Bacchus.
The opera was composed under severe pressure of time; the composer later said that the effort of creating it almost killed him. The initial performance, produced with lavish and innovative special effects, was highly praised, and the work was equally well received in Venice when it was revived under the composer's direction in 1640 as the inaugural work for the Teatro San Moisè.