Dardanus (opera)
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Dardanus is an opera written by Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1739 and performed at the Académie de musique in Paris on November 19 of that year.
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[edit] Plot summary
The original story is loosely based on that of Dardanus. However, in the opera, Dardanus is at war with King Teucer, who has promised to marry his daughter Iphise to King Antenor. Dardanus and Iphise meet, through the intervention of the magician Ismenor, and fall in love. Dardanus attacks a monster ravaging Teucer's kingdom, saving the life of Antenor who is attempting, unsuccessfully, to kill it. Teucer and Dardanus make peace, the latter marrying Iphise.
[edit] Revisions
Critics accused Rameau's original opera of lacking a coherent plot. The inclusion of the sea monster also violated the French operatic convention of having a clear purpose for encounters with supernatural beings.
In 1744, and again in 1760, Dardanus was revised extensively in an attempt to correct its shortcomings. Large portions of the score were sacrificed in favour of plot.
[edit] Popularity
The initial 1739 edition received 26 performances, mainly because of the support from Rameau's followers in the disopute between the styles of Rameau and Lully. Dardanus is rarely performed today, but Marc Minkowski has made a recording of the 1739 version with John Mark Ainsley as Dardanus. The Royal Academy of Music is producing the first stage production in London in Autumn 2006.
[edit] External links
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