''Iphigénie en Aulide'' ('' Iphigeneia in Aulis'') is an opera in three acts by

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...

, the first work he wrote for the Paris stage. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

was written by François-Louis Gand Le Bland Du Roullet and was based on

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...

's tragedy ''

Iphigénie ''Iphigénie'' is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by the French playwright Jean Racine. It was first performed in the Orangerie in Versailles on August 18, 1674, as part of the fifth of the royal ''Divertissements d ...

'', itself based on the play ''

Iphigenia in Aulis ''Iphigenia in Aulis'' or ''Iphigenia at Aulis'' (; variously translated, including the Latin ''Iphigenia in Aulide'') is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripides. Written between 408, after ''Orestes'', and 406 BC, the year of Eu ...

'' by

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

. It was premiered on 19 April 1774 by the

Paris Opéra 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 kn ...

in the second Salle du Palais-Royal and revived in a slightly revised version the following year. A German version was made in 1847 by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, with significant alterations.

Performance history

At first, ''Iphigénie'' was not popular, except for its overture which was applauded generously.Pitou, p. 288 After the premiere, it was billed for three days in April 1774, but its first run was interrupted by the theatre's six-week closure due to the dying of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

. ''Iphigénie en Aulide'' returned to the theatre on 10 January 1775, and was revived annually from 1776 to 1824 with a few exceptions. During that 50-year span from 1774 to 1824, it was performed in Paris more than 400 times, and eventually turned out to be Gluck's most frequently performed opera in Paris. For the 1775 revival, "Gluck revised ''Iphigénie en Aulide'' ... introducing the goddess Diana (soprano) at the end of the opera as a '' dea ex machina'', and altering and expanding the ''divertissements'' ... So, broadly speaking, there are two versions of the opera; but the differences are by no means so great or important as those between '' Orfeo ed Euridice'' and ''Orphée et Euridice'' or between the Italian and the French '' Alceste''". In 1847

presented a revised German version of Gluck's opera, ''Iphigenia in Aulis'', at the court of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. Wagner edited, re-scored and revised the opera significantly including a different ending and some other passages of his own composition. Wagner's version of the opera is available on Eichhorn's 1972 LP recording starring

Anna Moffo Anna Moffo (June 27, 1932 – March 9, 2006) was an American opera singer, television personality, and actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agili ...

and

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (; 28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music. One of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's ...

, and was also revived at the 1984 Waterloo Festival with Alessandra Marc as Iphigenia. Wagner's finale translated back into French was also performed in the 2002/2003

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

production conducted by

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is current music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the ...

.Leonetta Bentivoglio, "''Ifigenia'' travolta dagli applausi", ''La Repubblica'', 8 December 2002. ''Iphigénie en Aulide'' was first performed in the United States on 22 February 1935 at the Academy of Music,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The fully staged production was presented by the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

and conductor Alexander Smallens. Directed by Herbert Graf, it used sets by

Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer, described in 2012 by the New York Times as "a brilliant craftsman and draftsman, a master of style, the 20t ...

and starred

Georges Baklanoff Georgy Andreyevich Baklanoff, known as Georges Baklanoff (sometimes spelled Baklanov; 6 December 1938) was a Russian operatic baritone who had an active international career from 1903 until his death in 1938. Possessing a powerful and flexible v ...

as Agamemnon, Cyrena van Gordon as Clytemnestre, Rosa Tentoni as Iphigénie, Joseph Bentonelli as Achille, and Leonard Treash as Patrocle.

Roles

Synopsis

Calchas, the great seer, prophesies that King Agamemnon must sacrifice his own daughter, Iphigenia, in order to guarantee fair winds for the king's fleet en route to

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

–- a demand that comes from the goddess Diana herself. Throughout the opera, Agamemnon struggles with the terrible choice between sparing his daughter's life and ensuring his subjects' welfare. Agamemnon summons his daughter to Aulis, the port where the Greek navy is gathering, ostensibly for her to marry Achilles, the great warrior hero. Then, reconsidering his decision to sacrifice her, the king tries to prevent her arriving with the fabricated explanation that Achilles has been unfaithful. Iphigenia, however, has already reached the Greek camp accompanied by her mother Clytemnestra. The two women are dismayed and angered by Achilles' apparent inconstancy, but he eventually enters declaring his enduring love for the girl, and the first act ends with a tender scene of reconciliation. The wedding ceremony is due to be celebrated and festivities take place with dances and choruses. When the couple are about to proceed to the temple, however, Arcas, the captain of Agamemnon's guards, reveals that the king is awaiting his daughter before the altar in order to kill her. Achilles and Clytemnestra rush to save the girl from being sacrificed. Agamemnon finally seems to give up his plan to kill her. The third act opens with a chorus of Greeks: they object to the king's decision in case they are never allowed to reach Troy, and demand the ceremony be celebrated. At this point, Iphigenia resigns herself to her fate, and offers her own life for the sake of her people, while Clytemnestra entreats the vengeance of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

upon the ruthless Greeks. As the sacrifice is going to be held, however, Achilles bursts in with his warriors and the opera concludes with Gluck's most significant revision of the original myth: Calchas' voice rises over the general turmoil and announces that Diana has changed her mind about the sacrifice and consents to the marriage. In the second 1775 version Diana appears personally to consecrate both the wedding and Agamemnon's voyage.

Recordings

(Agamemnon), Johanna Blatter (Klytämnestra), Martha Musial (Iphigenie), Helmut Krebs (Achilles), Josef Greindl (Kalchas), Maria Reith (Artemis), Leopold Clam (Arkas); RIAS Kammerchor and RIAS Sinfonieorchester, Artur Rother (Gala 100.712). Sung in German, December 1, 1951. *

(Agamemnon), Trudeliese Schmidt (Klytämnestra),

(Iphigenie), Ludovic Spiess (Achilles), Thomas Stewart (Kalchas), Arleen Auger (Artemis), Bernd Weikl (Arkas); Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Müncher Rundfunkorchester, Kurt Eichhorn (

Eurodisc Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

/BMG, 1972). Sung in German, this recording presents the score as revised by

. * José van Dam (Agamemnon), Anne Sofie von Otter (Clytemnestre),

Lynne Dawson Lynne Dawson (born 3 June 1953) is an English soprano. She came to great prominence through her performance as a soloist in ''Libera me'' from Requiem (Verdi), Verdi's Requiem with the BBC Singers at Princess Diana's Funeral of Diana, Princess o ...

(Iphigénie), John Aler (Achille), Gilles Cachemaille (Calchas); Monteverdi Choir, Lyon Opera Orchestra,

John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...

(

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully sugge ...

, 1990). This recording, sung in French, presents the score as revised by Gluck in 1775. * Walter Berry (Agamemnon), Inge Borkh (Klytämnestra), Christa Ludwig (Iphigenie), James King (Achilles), Otto Edelmann (Kalchas), Elisabeth Steiner (Artemis), Alois Pernerstorfer (Arkas); Wiener Philharmoniker,

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

( Orfeo, 1996). Sung in German, using Gluck's last version from 1775. * Nicolas Testé (Agamemnon), Anne Sofie von Otter (Clytemnestre), Veronique Gens (Iphigénie), Frédéric Antoun (Achille), Christian Helmer (Calchas), Salomé Haller (Diane), Laurent Alvaro (Arcas);

Les Musiciens du Louvre Les Musiciens du Louvre (literally ''The Musicians of the Louvre'') is a French Historically informed performance, period instrument ensemble, formed in 1982. Originally based in Paris, since 1996 it has been based in the Couvent des Minimes de Gre ...

, Marc Minkowski (DVD and Blu-ray discs; Opus Arte, 2011). Sung in French. * Oliver Zwarg (Agamemnon), Michelle Breedt (Klytämnestra), Camilla Nylund (Iphigenia), Christian Elsner (Achilles), Raimund Nolte (Kalchas), Mirjam Engel (Artemis); Chorus Musicus Köln and Das Neue Orchester, Christoph Spering ( Oehms Classics, 2013). This recording again follows Wagner's rearrangement of the opera set to his own translation and first performed in Dresden in 1847. * Tassis Christoyannis (Agamemnon), Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Clytemnestre), Judith van Wanroij (Iphigénie), Cyrille Dubois (Achille), Jean-Sébastien Bou (Calchas); Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Le Concert de la Loge Julien Chauvin (Alpha Classics, 2024). This recording uses the 1774 score.Robins, Brian. Opera on CD - Iphigénie en Aulide. ''

Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

'', December 2024, Vol.75, No.12, p1715-16.

References

Notes Sources * Blanchetti, Francesco , ''Iphigénie en Aulide'', in Piero Gelli and Filippo Poletti (eds) (2007), ''Dizionario dell'opera 2008'', Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai, pp. 1176–1177, (the article is reproduced online a
OperaManager.com
* Harewood, Earl of, and Peattie, Antony (eds) (1997), ''The New Kobbés Opera Book'', New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. *Hayes, Jeremy, ''Iphigénie en Aulide'', in Stanley, Sadie (ed.) (1997), ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', New York: Oxford University Press. Vol. II, pp. 816–819 * Lajarte, Théodore (1878) , ''Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique'', Parigi: Librairie des bibliophiles. Tome I (accessible for free on-line a
Internet Archive
* Pitou, Spire (1985), ''The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715–1815'', Westport/London: Greenwood Press,

External links

Libretto
(French or German) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iphigenie En Aulide 1774 operas French-language operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas based on works by Euripides Operas based on works by Jean Racine Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck Agamemnon Works based on Iphigenia in Aulis Clytemnestra