Scylla et Glaucus (Scylla and Glaucus) is a tragédie en musique with a prologue and five acts, the only full-length opera by Jean-Marie Leclair. The libretto by d'Albaret is based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, books 10, 13 and 14.
Contents |
Performance history [edit]
It was first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris on 4 October 1746. It was given 18 times.
Roles [edit]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 4 October 1746 (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | ||
| The chief of the Amathons | baritone | Person |
| First Propoetida, in denial of Vénus | soprano | |
| Second Propoetida, in denial of Vénus[1] | tenor (taille)[2] | Louis-Antoine Cuvillier |
| Vénus | soprano | Mlle Romainville |
| L'Amour (Cupid)[1] | soprano | Marie-Angélique Coupé[3] |
| Tragédie (Acts 1–5) | ||
| Circé, a sorceress | soprano | Marie-Jeanne Fesch "Mlle Chevalier" |
| Dorine, Circé's confidante | soprano | Louise Jacquet |
| Glaucus, a sea god | haute-contre | Pierre Jélyotte |
| Licas, Glaucus's friend | baritone | de La Marre (also spelled Lamare or Lamarre) |
| Scylla, a nymph | soprano | Marie Fel |
| Témire, Scylla's friend | soprano | Marie-Angélique Coupé |
| Divertissement (during Act 1) | ||
| Shepherd, attracted to Scylla | haute-contre[4] | La Tour (also spelled Latour) |
| Sylvan, attracted to Scylla | baritone | Albert |
| Shepherdess | soprano | |
| Dryad | soprano | |
| Hécate[1] | baritone[2] | Albert |
| Girl from Sicily | soprano | |
| People of Amanthus and Sicily, Propoetides, shepherds, sylvans, attendants of Circe, sea gods, underworld gods | ||
Synopsis [edit]
During the prologue members of a cult in Amanthus called the Propoetides are turned to stone for denying the authority of Vénus. The tragédie proper (Acts 1-5) that follows is a love triangle. Circé, the sorceress, loves Glaucus, a sea god, who loves Scylla, a nymph. Circé eventually turns Scylla to stone in the form of the famous rock in the Strait of Messina, beside the whirlpool of Charybdis.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c role en travesti
- ^ a b according to The New Grove Dictionary, “haute-contre”
- ^ Amadeus Almanac; Mlle Coupé was an "incredible" specialist in performing the part of Amour “during the years between 1739 and 1753”, when “she represented the ubiquitous character [on no fewer than] 15 different works over a period of 14 years” (Pitou, article: "Coupé, Marie-Angélique", p. 128); however, according to Le magazine de l'opéra baroque, the first performer of the role in “Scylla et Glaucus” was Mlle Cazeau; Pitou, while stating the appearance of Mlle Coupé in the première, does not pronounce upon the roles she performed (article: “Scylla et Glaucus”, pp. 491-92), but, on the other hand, he does not either include this part among the fifteen ones listed in the cited article concerning the singer: it would, therefore, become the sixteenth Cupid performed by Mlle Coupé during her artistic life
- ^ according to The New Grove Dictionary, “tenor”
- (Italian) Amadeus Almanac, accessed 28 January 2010
- (French) Le magazine de l'opéra baroque, accessed 1 February 2010
- Pitou, Spire, The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815, Greenwood Press, Westport/London, 1985 (ISBN 0-313-24394-8)
- Sadler, Graham (1992), 'Scylla et Glaucus' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Viking Opera Guide (ed. Holden, 1993)
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