''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' is an opera in three acts by
Antonio Vivaldi to a
libretto by Giovanni Palazzo. It was first performed during the
Carnival season of 1718 at the
Teatro San Moisè in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
. Vivaldi's version is different from the more than 50 operas whose themes derive in varying degrees from the story of Rinaldo and Armida in
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
's epic poem ''
La Gerusalemme liberata
''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade i ...
'' (''Jerusalem Delivered'').
[Jellinek, George (1994) p.,. 354] Unlike the more than 50 operas based on the romance of Rinaldo and Armida, Vivaldi's version starts during previous events before the war against the Crusaders. Armida was revived for the Carnival season of 1738, with much of the music rewritten, and arias by
Leonardo Leo
Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque composer.
Biography
Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of Brindisi) in ...
added. Act II of the original version of the opera is now lost.
Roles
Recordings
Complete recording with a restored version of Act II:
*''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' (
Concerto Italiano
Concerto Italiano is an Italian early music ensemble well known for their interpretations of Monteverdi and Vivaldi, among others.
The historically informed performance ensemble was formed by the harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, and made its ...
;
Rinaldo Alessandrini
Rinaldo Alessandrini (born 25 January 1960) is a virtuoso on Baroque keyboards, including harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ. He is founder and conductor of the Italian early music ensemble Concerto Italiano, performing music of Monteverdi, ...
, conductor). Label: Naïve OP30492. (2010)
The
overture to ''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' can be heard on:
*''Vivaldi: Opera Overtures'' (
I Solisti Veneti
I Solisti Veneti is an Italian chamber orchestra founded in Padua in 1959 by Claudio Scimone.[Claudio Scimone
Claudio Scimone (23 December 1934 – 6 September 2018) was an Italian conductor.
He was born in Padua, Italy and studied conducting with Dmitri Mitropoulos and Franco Ferrara. He established an international reputation as a conductor, as well ...]
, conductor). Label: Apex 2564605372.
*''Sinfonie d'opera'' (
I Virtuosi delle Muse
I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
;
Stefano Molardi, conductor). Label: Divox CDX 70501–6.
Two arias from the work, ''Invan la mia pietà tenta l'ingrato'' and ''Chi alla colpa fà tragitto'', can be heard on:
*''Vivaldi: Arie Per Basso'' (
Lorenzo Regazzo,
bass; Concerto Italiano; Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor). Label: Naive 30415.
References
Notes
Sources
*Booth, John (1989
''Vivaldi'' Omnibus Press, p. 71.
*Jellinek, George (1994
''History Through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon'' Pro/Am Music Resources, p. 354.
{{Authority control
Operas by Antonio Vivaldi
Italian-language operas
Operas based on works by Torquato Tasso
Operas
1718 operas