Les fêtes vénitiennes

Les fêtes vénitiennes (English: The Venetian Festivals) is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and three acts by the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by Antoine Danchet. It was first performed at the Académie royale de musique on 17 June 1710.

Versions

For the premiere the prologue was entitled Le triomphe de la folie sur la raison dans le temps du carnaval and was followed by the three entrées: 1.La feste des barquerolles, 2.Les sérénades et les jouers, and 3.L'amour saltimbanque.

However during the course of the next four months Campra and Danchet experimented with a total of two prologues and seven entrées. For the performance on 10 October 1710, the prologue was entitled Le carnaval dans Venise and was followed by 1. Les devins de la place St-Marc, 2.L'amour saltimbanque, 3. L'opéra, ou le maître à chanter, 4. Le bal, ou le maître à danser, and 5. Les sérénades et les jouers.

Main roles

Sources

• The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
• Le magazine de l'opéra baroque
• Amadeus Almanac