Demofonte

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Il Demofonte (also: Demofonte, Demofoonte or Demofont) is an opera seria libretto by Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782).

[edit] General information

Title and title abbreviation: Demofoonte (Demof.) dramma per musica - dm
Volume and page number in the Brunelli edition of Metastasio's works: I, 635
Text incipit of the first line of the work: [Dircea:] Credimi, o padre: ol tuo soverchio affetto
Composer of first setting: Antonio Caldara,
Place and date of first performance (or of completion): Vienna, Hoftheater, November 4, 1733
Occasion for the first performance: Name-day of the Emperor Charles VI

[edit] Other settings

The libretto written in 1731 (or 1733) became immensely popular. By 1800 it had inspired at least 73 operas (according to the Encyclopaedia Musical St. Petersburg: The 18th Century) Here is only the short list of the operas with the same title:

Felice Alessandri, Demofoonte (June 12, 1783 Padua)
Pasquale Anfossi, Demofoonte (carnival 1773 Rome)
Maksym Berezovsky, Il Demofonte (carnival February 1773 Livorno)
Andrea Bernasconi, Demofoonte (carnival 1741 Rome)
Antonio Boroni, [Baroni, Borroni, Buroni, Burroni] Demofoonte (carnival 1762 Torino)
Giuseppe Brivio, Demofoonte (carnival 1738 Torino)
Francesco Ciampi, Demofoonte (February 5, 1735 Rome)
Gioacchino Cocchi, Demofoonte (1754 Venice)
Egidio Duni [Duny], Demofoonte (May 24, 1737 London)
Baldassare Galuppi, Demofoonte (December 18, 1749 Madrid)
Christoph Willibald Gluck, Demofoonte (January 6, 1743 Milano)
Francesco Mancini, Il Demofoonte (1735, Naples) [together with D. Sarro and F. Leo]
Josef Mysliveček, Il Demofoonte (January 1769 Venice , January 20, 1775 Naples)
Giovanni Paisiello, Demofoonte (carnival 1775 Venice)
Antonio Pampani, Demofoonte (carnival 1757 Rome)
David Perez, Demofoonte (1752 Lisbon)
Brizio Petrucci, Demofoonte (December 26, 1765 Ferrara)
Niccolò Piccinni, Demofoonte (May 1761 Reggio)
Giuseppe Sarti [Sardi], Demofoonte (January 30, 1771 Copenhagen, carnival 1782 Rome)
Gaetano Maria Schiassi, Il Demofoonte (carnival 1735 Venice)
Joseph Schuster, Demofoonte (1776 Forlì)
Angelo Tarchi, Demofoonte (September 1786 Crema, 1786 Milano)
Tommaso Traetta, Demofoonte (Authumn 1758 Verona)
Francesco Uttini, Demofoonte (c.1750 Ferrara)
Mattia Vento, Demofoonte (March 2, 1765 London)

See also operas by L. Leo, K. Graun, N. Jommelli, J. A. Hasse, L. Cherubini, etc.

[edit] Roles

Demofoonte
Dircea
Creusa
Timante
Cherinto
Matusio
Adrasto
Olinto

[edit] Synopsis

The Thracian king Demofonte asks the oracle of Apollo how long the practice of the annual sacrifice of a virgin will continue. The answer is puzzling: "as long as the innocent usurper sits on the throne". The nobleman Matusio tries to protect his daughter Dircea from being sacrificed. He and Demofonte are unaware that Dircea is secretly married to Timante, the son of Demofonte and the heir to the throne. Demofonte wants Timante to merry Creusa, a princess of Phrygia. Timante's younger brother Cherinto is accompanying her to the kingdom of Thrace, however he falls in love with her. Meeting Creusa, Timante admits that he can't marry her, but does not explain why.

Dircea has been caught while trying to flee the country and imprisoned, and Demofonte orders the immediate sacrifice of Dircea. Timante tries to release her but with no success. He is also imprisoned. Creusa asks Demofonte for mercy. The king releases Timante and Dircea, and Timante decides to give up the throne in favour of Cherinto.

Suddenly they find a letter revealing that Dircea is the daughter of Demofonte, which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. Timante is in despair, and tries to avoid Dircea. However another letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio. Everybody is happy. The marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and Cherinto is the real crown prince and can marry Creusa. No more virgins are sacrificed, since Timante is no longer the "innocent usurper of the throne".