Dardanus (opera)
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| Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau |
|---|
Hippolyte et Aricie (1733) |
Dardanus is an opera in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau. The French libretto was by Le Clerc de La Bruyère.
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[edit] Performance history
It was first performed at the Académie de musique in Paris on November 19, 1739. It received 26 performances, mainly because of the support from Rameau's followers in the dispute between the styles of Rameau and Lully.
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.
Dardanus was produced three times in the 20th century: in 1907 at Dijon, in 1979 at the Opéra de Paris, and finally in 1998, in a concert version, at the time of a recording (below) by Marc Minkowski. The Royal Academy of Music also staged Dardanus in London in 2006.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, November 19, 1739 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Vénus | soprano | |
| Iphise, daughter of Teucer | soprano | |
| Dardanus, son of Electra and Jupiter | tenor | |
| Anténor, a King | bass-baritone | |
| Teucer, a King | bass-baritone | |
| Isménor, a magician | bass |
[edit] Synopsis
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 Isménor, and fall in love. Dardanus attacks a monster ravaging Teucer's kingdom, saving the life of Anténor who is attempting, unsuccessfully, to kill it. Teucer and Dardanus make peace, the latter marrying Iphise.
[edit] Selected recordings
- In 1980 Raymond Leppard recorded Dardanus with Frederica von Stade as Iphise but unfortunately omitted the prologue. Leppard otherwise followed the 1744 version of the opera.
- In 1998 Marc Minkowski recorded Dardanus with John Mark Ainsley as Dardanus and Veronique Gens as Iphise. Minkowski's Musiciens du Louvre used period instruments in this recording and Minkowski followed the original 1739 version of the opera with the addition of two scenes from the 1744 version. This recording now "easily replaces Raymond Leppard's 1980 recording of the work"[1] as the benchmark recording of Dardanus.
[edit] Sources
- The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
[edit] External links
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