ORONTEA (Cesti) Milan 2024 Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Mirco Palazzi, Sara Blanch, Marianna Pizzolato, Carlo Vistoli, Maria Nazarova
Popular Singers in this Opera Recording
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Information on the Performance
- Work Title: L'Orontea
- Composer: Cesti Antonio
- Libretto: Giacinto Andrea Cicognini (revised by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni). Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Teatro alla Scala, Milano, Italy
- Recorded: October 5, 2024
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Mirco Palazzi, Francesca Pia Vitale, Hugh Cutting, Luca Tittoto, Sara Blanch, Marianna Pizzolato, Carlo Vistoli, Maria Nazarova
- Conductor: Giovanni Antonini
- Orchestra: Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
- Chorus: Coro del Teatro alla Scala
Information about the Recording
- Published by: La Scala ZV
- Date Published: 2024
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: yessubs, itsubs
- Video Recording from: lascala.tv FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Orontea is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini (revised by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni).
Libretto printed for the 1683 production at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice
The first performance took place in Innsbruck on 19 February 1656. Orontea was one of the most popular Italian operas of the 17th century. It includes well-known soprano arias such as “Intorno all’idol mio”, “Addio Corindo” and “Il mio ben dice ch’io speri”. It was revived more than 17 times before 1700, including in Genoa, Rome, Florence, Turin, Milan, Bologna, Venice, Palermo, Naples, Hannover. Almost all of the score was lost, and the opera was forgotten.
Synopsis
Prologue
Philosophy and Love argue which of them has more power over mankind.
Act 1
Queen Orontea renounces love, even though her chief adviser Creonte urges her to marry for the good of the kingdom. The young painter Alidoro arrives at the court seeking refuge from brigands with his presumed mother Aristea. He explains how he had to flee from the court of Queen Arnea of Phoenicia. In spite of vow, Orontea finds herself falling in love with Alidoro, as does the courtesan Silandra.
Act 2
Giacinta, disguised as the boy “Ismero”, arrives at Orontea’s court and explains she was behind the ambush of Alidoro, having been sent to kill him by the Queen of Phoenicia. Orontea can barely restrain herself from killing Giacinta with a sword. Creonte now guesses the queen is in love with Alidoro and reproaches her for choosing a commoner. Aristea falls in love with “Ismero”. Meanwhile, Alidoro paints a portrait of Silandra. Orontea, mad with jealousy, bursts in during the sitting and he faints. She repents and leaves Alidoro a crown and a letter confessing her love.
Act 3
Creonte forces Orontea to reject Alidoro. He is discovered to be in possession of a royal medallion and accused of theft. Aristea explains the provenance of the trinket which proves that Alidoro is none other than Floridano, the long-lost son of the King of Phoenicia. As a child he had been kidnapped by a gang of pirates led by Aristea’s husband and brought up by her as her own son. He is now free to marry Orontea.
Quoted from Wikipedia