Orlando paladino

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Operas by Joseph Haydn
Der krumme Teufel (1751) La canterina (1766) Lo speziale (1768) L'infedeltà delusa (1773) Il mondo della luna (1777) La vera costanza (1779) L'isola disabitata (1779) La fedeltà premiata (1781) Orlando paladino (1782) Armida (1784) L'anima del filosofo (1791)
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Orlando paladino (English: The Paladin Orlando) is an opera in three acts by Joseph Haydn which was first performed at Eszterháza on 6 December 1782. The libretto by Nunziano Porta is based on another libretto, Le pazzie d'Orlando, by Carlo Francesco Badini (set by the composer P.A. Guglielmi in 1771), itself inspired by Ariosto's epic poem Orlando furioso. The opera was described as a dramma eroicomico and the plot mixes heroic and comic elements. It was Haydn's most popular opera during his lifetime.

[edit] Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, December 6, 1782 (Conductor: - )
Alcina, a sorceress	soprano
Angelica, Queen of Cathay	soprano
Medoro, in love with Angelica	tenor
Caronte (Charon), ferryman to the underworld	bass
Eurilla, a shepherdess	soprano
Licone, a shepherd	tenor
Orlando, Paladin of France	tenor
Pasquale, Orlando's squire	tenor
Rodomonte, King of Barbaria	bass
Shepherds, shepherdesses, spectres, savages and Saracens - chorus

[edit] Selected recordings

• Orlando paladino, Arleen Auger, Elly Ameling, George Shirley, Lausanne CO, conducted by Antal Dorati (Philips, 1977)
• Orlando paladino, Patricia Petibon, Christian Gerhaher, Michael Schade, Von Magnus, Concentus Musicus Wien, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 2006)

[edit] Sources

• The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (1993)