''Eliogabalo'' (''Heliogabalus'') is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

by the Italian composer

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque music, Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverd ...

based on the life of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

emperor Heliogabalus. The author of the original

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

is unknown but it was probably reworked by

Aurelio Aureli Aurelio Aureli (Venice, before 1652 – id. after 1708) was an Italian librettist. Life Little is known about Aureli's life. He began his operatic career in 1652 with ''L'Erginda''. Until 1687, he worked as a librettist mainly in Venice, excep ...

. The opera was composed in 1667 and was intended to be premiered during the

Venetian Carnival The Carnival of Venice ( it, Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (''Martedì Grasso'' or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The festival i ...

season of 1668. In fact, it was never staged and was replaced by another opera of the same name by Giovanni Antonio Boretti, perhaps because Cavalli's style was considered too old-fashioned. ''Eliogabalo'' was first performed in 1999, in Crema, Italy. ''Eliogabalo'' was revived at La Monnaie in 2004 by René Jacobs. Its North American premiere took place in 2007 at the

Aspen Music Festival The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...

, conducted by

Jane Glover Dame Jane Alison Glover (born 13 May 1949) is a British-born conductor and musicologist. Early life Born at Helmsley, Glover attended Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls. Her father, Robert Finlay Glover, MA ( TCD), was headmaster of M ...

. Gotham Chamber Opera in performed it in 2013 in a Manhattan nightclub in Chrystie Street,

Richard Kimmel Richard Kimmel is a New York City-based theatre director, writer, and theatrical producer. He is executive director of The Box, a venue for theater, music, and nightlife in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and artistic director of Cannon Com ...

's The Box, directed by James Marvel. In a co-production with the

Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

, the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

opened its 2016/17 season in the

Palais Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

with ''Eliogabalo'' under the baton of

Leonardo García Alarcón Leonardo García Alarcón (born 1976 in La Plata) is an Argentinian conductor specializing in baroque music. He studied harpsichord and organ and was assistant to Gabriel Garrido for several years, before founding the ensemble Cappella Mediterrane ...

and with

Franco Fagioli Franco Maximiliano Fagioli (born 1981, in Tucumán) is an Argentinian operatic countertenor. Life Born in Argentina, Fagioli initially studied piano and then singing at the Superior Art Institute of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He began h ...

in the title role, Paul Groves as Alessandro,

Nadine Sierra Nadine Sierra (born May 14, 1988) is an American soprano. She is most well known for her interpretation of Gilda in Verdi's ''Rigoletto,'' and Lucia in Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor.'' Currently performing in leading roles in the top opera hou ...

as Flavia,

Valer Barna-Sabadus Valer Barna-Săbăduș (born 15 January 1986), also Valer Sabadus, is a Romanian-German countertenor. He sings in both the alto and soprano range. Life Barna-Sabadus was born in Arad (Romania), near the Hungarian border. He is the child of ...

as Giuliano,

Elin Rombo Eva Elin Rombo, née Karlsson (born 29 January 1976), is a Swedish operatic soprano. In November 2013 she was named '' Hovsångerska''. Biography Rombo grew up in a musical family in Katrineholm and studied at the esthetics program at in Norrk� ...

as Eritrea. In 2017 it was performed again under

in Amsterdam.

Roles

References

External links

''Eliogabalo''
Brenac, Jean-Claude, ''Le magazine de l'opéra baroque'' {{Authority control Cultural depictions of Elagabalus Operas Operas by Francesco Cavalli 1668 operas Italian-language operas Operas based on real people Operas set in ancient Rome Fiction set in the Roman Empire Works set in the 3rd century