Le cinesi

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Le cinesi (The Chinese Women) is an "azione teatrale" in one act by Christoph Willibald Gluck with an Italian-language libretto by Pietro Metastasio that had first been set by Antonio Caldara in 1735. It was first performed for the royal family at the Vienna Schlosshof on September 24, 1754.

The Chinese women of the title are Lisinga (contralto) and her two friends, Tangia (contralto) and Sivene (soprano). The only other character is Lisinga’s brother Silango (tenor), who has just returned from Europe. To entertain him, they performs arias in contrasting styles: Lisinga sings a tragic aria; Sivene, a pastoral; and Tangia, a comic. They agree that each style has its drawbacks, and the opera concludes with a ballet, The Judgment of Paris.