''Eteocle e Polinice'' (

Eteocles In Greek mythology, Eteocles (; ) was a king of Thebes, the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia. Oedipus killed his father Laius and married his mother without knowing his relationship to either. When the relationship was revea ...

and

Polynices In Greek mythology, Polynices (also Polyneices) (; grc, Πολυνείκης, Polyneíkes, lit= manifold strife' or 'much strife) was the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia and the older brother of Eteocles (according to Sophocles ...

) 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 libr ...

in 3 acts composed by

Giovanni Legrenzi Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...

with an Italian language libretto by Tebaldo Fattorini based on '' The Thebaid''. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Salvador in Venice on 13 December 1674.

Background and performance history

Little is known about the opera's librettist, Tebaldo Fattorini, apart from the fact that he came from a prominent family in

Chioggia Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...

and was employed as a "house poet" for the Teatro San Salvador in Venice. In addition to writing ''Eteocle e Polinice'', he also significantly revised

Nicolò Minato Count Nicolò Minato (b. Bergamo, ca. 1627; d. Vienna, 28 February 1698) was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 un ...

's libretto for a new version of Cavalli's ''Scipione africano'' in 1677 and may also have revised Giovanni Giovannini's original libretto for its setting by Legrenzi as ''Adone in Cipro'' in 1675. The libretto for the premiere performances of ''Eteocle e Polinice'' at the Teatro San Salvador in 1674 was dedicated of the "most noble ladies of Venice" ("Consacrato alle nobilissime dame di Venetia"). Subsequent productions of the opera with new dedications were staged in Naples (1689), Milan (1684), and Modena (1690). The opera consists of a total of 101 musical pieces, including arias, duets, quartets, etc. Its most well known aria, "Che fiero costume" (also known by its English title, "How void of compassion"), has been recorded by several well known opera singers, including Luciano Pavarotti,

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 ...

, and

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticke ...

. A manuscript score from the 1689 Neapolitan production has survived. Richard Strauss made specific reference to this opera in ''

Die schweigsame Frau ''Die schweigsame Frau'' (''The Silent Woman''), Op. 80, is a 1935 comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with libretto by Stefan Zweig after Ben Jonson's '' Epicoene, or the Silent Woman''. Composition history Since '' Elektra'' and ''Der ...

'', recomposing "Dolce Amor" as a duet which is sung in the course of the music lesson scene in act 3, as one of many such reappropriations of preexisting music Strauss used to create an "antique" atmosphere.

Roles

* Eteocle, ''King of Thebes''Fattorini, Tebaldo (1675)
''Eteocle, e Polinice''
Francesco Nicolini * Polinice, ''Eteocle's brother'' *

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & R ...

, ''Eteocle and Polinice's sister'' *Arbante, ''Antigone's tutor'' *Cleante, ''Eteocle's confidante'' *Adrasto, ''King of

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

'' *Deifile, ''Adrasto's daughter, a warrior-princess'' *Argia, ''Deifile's sister'' *Silena, ''Argia's nurse'' *Tideo, ''Prince of

Aetolia Aetolia ( el, Αἰτωλία, Aἰtōlía) is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. Geography The Achelous River separates Aetolia ...

'' *Lenone, ''Tideo's servant'' *''Eteocle's soldiers, Polinice's retinue, Antigone's pages, Adrasto's archers'' (silent roles)

Synopsis

The immediate source of the libretto was the Latin poem '' The Thebaid'' by

Statius Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; ; ) was a Greco-Roman poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving Latin poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, ...

wherein despite entreaties from their sister

the brothers

and

went to war with each other over who should rule Thebes. It ended with the principal characters all dying tragically through murder, suicide, or grief. However, Tebaldo Fattorini's libretto has a happy ending in which Antigone is reunited with Tideo, Prince of

, and Eteocle is reunited with the warrior-princess Deifile. The victorious Adrasto, the King of

who had been the ally of Polynices, supervises the return to peace and harmony.

References

{{Portal bar, Opera 1674 operas Operas Italian-language operas Operas by Giovanni Legrenzi Operas based on classical mythology