Atalanta (HWV 35) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel composed in 1736. It is based upon the mythological female athlete, Atalanta, the libretto (which is in Italian) being derived from the book La Caccia in Etolia by Belisario Valeriani. The identity of the librettist is not known.
Handel composed it for the London celebrations of the marriage in 1736 of Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King George II. The first performance took place on 12th May 1736 in the Covent Garden Theatre. It closed with a spectacular display of fireworks, which was highly popular with the Prince of Wales and the London audience, and the opera and fireworks display were revived a number of times in the year of its first performance.
The opera is rarely recorded or performed nowadays (before a production in 1970 the critic Winton Dean claimed that it had never been revived since 1736). However, one arioso from it, Care Selve, Ombre Beate, has acquired popularity as a recital piece. In the original score it is sung by Meleagro - despite being a male character, a soprano part, nowadays taken as a breeches role though in the original production it was taken by the castrato Gioacchino Conti.
Contents |
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 12 May 1736 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Atalanta | soprano | Anna Maria Strada del Po |
| Meleager | soprano | Gioacchino Conti |
| Irene | contralto | Maria Caterina Negri |
| Aminta | tenor | John Beard |
| Nicandro | bass | Gustavus Waltz |
| Mercurio (Mercury), the messenger of god | bass | Henry Theodore Reinhold |
The plot is generally described as thin, with some critics rating it thin in the extreme. It takes place in legendary times in Greece, circa 13th century BC. The hero is Meleager, the young King of Etolia. He is courting the eponymous Atalanta, who runs away to the woods of Etolia where she lives under the name of Amaryllis among the nymphs and shepherds. Meleager follows her there and disguises himself as a shepherd, taking the name of Thyrsis. There their loves become confused with those of a couple of young shepherds, Irene and Amyntas (Aminta); Irene's father, Nicandro is the only person who knows Meleager's true identity. In the end, however, Atalanta falls in love with Meleager in his disguised form, and they are revealed to each other by Nicandro; Irene and Amyntas are reconciled, and all ends happily.
The complete list of arias is as follows:
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There are two duets in the opera sung by Meleager and Atalanta. They are Amarilli? - Oh Dei, che vuoi and Caro/Cara.
Score of Atalanta (ed. Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig 1882)