| Antonio Sacchini |
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Operas
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Armida is an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini set to a libretto by Jacopo Durandi (a.k.a. Giacomo Duranti), originally based on the epic poem Gersulamme liberata by Torquato Tasso. The opera was first performed at Milan's Teatro Regio Ducale, during the 1772 Carnival season.
In Armida, Sacchini incorporated many elements of French opera, including frequent use of chorus, ballet, and theatrical spectacle on a grand scale. Sacchini later wrote two more operas loosely based on the same story from Tasso: the 1780 London work Rinaldo, and his first French opera, Renaud, which was dedicated to Marie Antoinette.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast[1] 11 February 1772 |
|---|---|---|
| Armida | soprano | Antonia Girelli Aguilar |
| Rinaldo | soprano castrato | Vito Giuseppe Millico |
| Ubaldo | bass | Giovanni Battista Zonca |
| Idreno | alto castrato | Giuseppe Cicognani |
| Clotarco | contralto | Rosa Polidora |