Mitridate Eupatore

Il Mitridate Eupatore (Mithridates Eupator) is an opera seria in five acts by the Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti with a libretto by Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti.[1] It was first performed at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice on 5 January, 1707. A failure at its premiere, Mitridate Eupatore is now considered one of the finest of Scarlatti's operas.

Alessandro Scarlatti

Roles
Role Voice type[2] Premiere Cast, 5 January, 1707
Conductor: the composer
Mitridate, right but dispossessed heir to the throne of Pontus, disguised as Eupatore, ambassador of Ptolemy, king of Egypt soprano
Stratonica Mitridate's mother, party to the assassination of her husband, and now wife of Farnace soprano
Laodice Mitridate's sister, married against her will to the peasant Nicomede soprano
Nicomede Pontus peasant, of noble birth and great heart, married to unwilling Laodice, but without ever trying to consummate their marriage soprano
Issicratea Mitridate's wife, desguised as Antigono, second ambassador of the king of Egypt contralto
Farnace Stratonica's former lover and now her husband, usurper of the throne of Pontus tenor
Pelopida Farnace's minister and confidant tenor
Mutes: Mitridate Evergete, Stratonica's first husband; Ptolemy, King of Egypt, and Mitridate and Laodice's friend; Cleopatra, Ptolemy's sister

Synopsis

In the ancient kingdom of Pontus, Farnace has seized the throne, killing the king and marrying his wife, Stratonica. The murdered king's daughter, Laodice, has been married to the ruined nobleman, Nicomede, now reduced to working as a cowherd, while her brother, Mitridate Eupatore, has taken refuge in Egypt. Mitridate and his wife, Issicratea, arrive at the court of Pontus disguised as Egyptian ambassadors. They promise Mitridate's head to the usurping king and queen in return for peace between Egypt and Pontus. Mitridate's mother assents to the death of her own son. Mitridate meets his sister Laodice and reveals his true identity. Mitridate and Issicratea assassinate Farnace and Stratonica, and Nicomede announces to the people the return of their rightful king.

Performances

The opera was performed in July 2017 at the Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune, by Thibault Noally and his ensemble Les Accents[3]

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References

Notes

  1. the original libretto (Il Mitridate Eupatore. Tragedia per musica, Venice, Rossetti, 1707) is accessible for free online in books.google
  2. According to Vaccarini.
  3. Mitridate Eupatore de Scarlatti au Festival de Beaune : une découverte 25/07/2017 Emmanuel Deroeux ; "Comme chaque année au Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune, Thibault Noally et son orchestre Les Accents offrent au public une œuvre italienne méconnue, voire inédite : Mitridate Eupatore d’Alessandro Scarlatti."

Sources

  • Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Mitridate Eupatore". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  • The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
  • Vaccarini, Marina, Mitridate Eupatore, in Gelli, Piero & Poletti, Filippo (editors), Dizionario dell'opera 2008, Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, pp. 1168-1169, ISBN 978-88-6073-184-5 (reproduced online at Opera Manager (in Italian))
  • Magazine de l'opéra baroque (in French)
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