Venice Baroque - L'Olimpiade
From the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Andrew McGregor presents a performance of Act 1 of L'Olimpiade, with a libretto by Metastasio and music by various composers.
Metastasio's L'Olimpiade - an Olympian 'best seller' set by sixteen composers
Andrew McGregor presents Metastasio's tale of friendship, loyalty and passion as depicted against the back drop of the Ancient Olympic Games. In this performance live from the Queen Elizabeth Hall, sixteen of the leading operatic composers of the eighteenth century vie with one another in their settings of the great poet's tale.
Metastasio's L'Olimpiade is presented as a pasticcio with music by Caldara, Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Leo, Galuppi, Perez, Hasse, Traetta, Jommelli, Piccinni, Gassman, Myslivecek, Cherubini, Cimarosa and Paisiello, just some of the fifty or so composers who followed Caldara's lead in 1733 with their settings of of Metastasio's Olympian drama. For decades L'Olimpiade was to be seen and heard in royal courts and public opera houses from Naples to Moscow and from London to Warsaw.
The egocentric noble son, Licida asks his more athletically inclined friend, Megacle to run a race using his name. As Licida excitedly compares himself to a racehorse, the unquestioning young hero, Megacle readily agrees, only to find out that the prize in this race is his teenage crush, Aristea. Megacle faces a tremendous conflict between love and duty and, in one of the most famous theatrical moments of the entire eighteenth century, he and Aristea bid one another farewell. Things are complicated when parents and oracles get involved and a command is given to kill the arrogant Licida on the altar. Can anything save the mad and inconstant, Licida?
Act 1: At the urgent request of his friend Licida, Megacle arrives in Elide, where Clistene, King of Sicione, has been appointed to host the Olympics.
approx 8.25pm
Interval - Twenty Minutes: Arne's Olympic Flop
The only known setting of Metastasio's L'Olimpiade by an English composer is one by Thomas Arne - and it has disappeared. Piers Burton-Page tells the story of one of the lesser-known catastrophes of English music
approx. 8.45pm
Act 2: Argene and Aristea are informed that Licida (i.e. Megacle) has won the race and Aristea is summoned to the arena
approx 9.15pm
Act 3: Argene restrains Aristea from following Megacle in suicide, while a fisherman saves Megacle. Licida in a fury attempts to kill the King and is condemned to die.
Argene ..... Luanda Siqueira (soprano),
Aristea ..... Ruth Rosique (soprano),
Megacle ..... Romina Basso (mezzo-soprano),
Licida ..... Delphine Galouu (mezzo-soprano),
Clistene ..... Jeremy Ovenden (tenor),
Aminta ..... Nicholas Spanos (countertenor),
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Andrea Marcon (conductor).
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Music Played
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L鈥橭limpiade act 1
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Leonardo LEO
Sinfonia
Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Johann Adolf Hasse
Aria (Megacle) Superbo di me stesso
Performer: Romina Basso (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Baldassare Galuppi
Aria (Licida) Quel destrier, che all'albergo e vicino
Performer: Delphine Galou (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Giuseppe Sarti
Aria (Argene) Oh care selve, oh cara felice liberta!
Performer: Luanda Siqueira (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Josef Myslivecek
Aria (Clistene) Del destin non vi lagnate
Performer: Jeremy Ovenden (tenor) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Giovanni Paisiello
Aria (Aristea) Tu di saper procura
Performer: Ruth Rosique (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Davide PEREZ
Aria (Argene) Piu non si trovano
Performer: Luanda Siqueira (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Antonio Vivaldi
Aria (Licida) Mentre dormi
Performer: Delphine Galou (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Florian Leopold Gassmann
Duo (Megacle, Aristea) Ne' giorni tuoi felici
Performer: Romina Basso (mezzo-soprano) Performer: Ruth Rosique (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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L鈥橭limpiade act 2
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Antonio Caldara
Aria (Aristea) Grandi, e ver, son le tue pene
Performer: Ruth Rosique (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Tommaso Traetta
Aria (Argene) Che non mi disse un di
Performer: Luanda Siqueira (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Johann Adolf Hasse
Aria (Aminta) Siam navi all'onde algenti
Performer: Nicholas Spanos (countertenor) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Tommaso Traetta
Chorus (tutti) Del forte Licida
Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Niccol貌 Jommelli
Aria (Clistene) So ch'e fanciullo Amore
Performer: Jeremy Ovenden (tenor) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Luigi Cherubini
Aria (Megacle) Se cerca, se dice 'L'amico dov'e?'
Performer: Romina Basso (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Leonardo LEO
Aria (Aristea) Tu me da me dividi
Performer: Ruth Rosique (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Aria (Argene) No, la speranza piu non mi alletta
Performer: Luanda Siqueira (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Baldassare Galuppi
Aria (Licida) Gemo in un punto, e fremo
Performer: Delphine Galou (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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L鈥橭limpiade act 3
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Niccol貌 Piccinni
Aria (Aristea) Caro, son tua cosi
Performer: Ruth Rosique (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Niccol貌 Piccinni
Aria (Megacle) Lo seguitai felice
Performer: Romina Basso (mezzo-soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Davide PEREZ
Aria (Argene) Fiamma ignota nell'alma mi scende
Performer: Luanda Siqueira (soprano) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Johann Adolf Hasse
Aria (Aminta) Son qual per mare ignoto
Performer: Nicholas Spanos (countertenor) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Johann Adolf Hasse
Chorus (tutti) I tuoi strali terror de' mortali
Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Domenico Cimarosa
Aria (Clistene) Non so donde viene
Performer: Jeremy Ovenden (tenor) Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Johann Adolf Hasse
Chorus (tutti) Viva il figlio delinquente
Conductor: Andrea Marcon Performer: Venice Baroque Orchestra
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Broadcast
- Mon 28 May 2012 19:30大象传媒 Radio 3
New Music on Radio 3
A chance to listen to recent broadcasts of new music - including premieres - on Radio 3.