''Le cinesi'' (''The Chinese Women'') 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 one act, with music composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck. The Italian-language libretto was by

Pietro Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Met ...

, and he described it as a ''componimento drammatico''. This libretto had first been set by

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara (ca 1670 – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, ...

in 1735. For Gluck's rework, the piece is often considered as an '' azione teatrale'', even though Metastasio and the composer both retained the original designation. The work was first performed for the Austrian royal family at the

Schloss Hof Schloss Hof is a palace located in Marchfeld, Austria near the border of Slovakia. It once belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy who purchased it late in his life in 1726. He had it enlarged in the Baroque style by the architect Johann Lukas von ...

on 24 September 1754, on the occasion of the visit of the Empress Maria Theresa to the household of

Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the District of Hildburghausen. History After the Duk ...

.Howard, Patricia, "Music in London: Opera – ''Le cinesi''" (September 1984). ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer ...

'', 125 (1699): pp. 515–517. Max Loppert has commented on Gluck's relationship with the Austrian royal family and its bearings on this work. The work has also been characterized as a satire on then-contemporary opera conventions.

Roles

Synopsis

The Chinese women of the title are Lisinga and her two friends, Tangia and Sivene. The only other character is Lisinga's brother Silango, who has just returned from Europe. To entertain him, they perform arias in contrasting styles: * Lisinga sings a tragic ''scena'', as the character of

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler ...

. * Sivene and Silango sing a pastoral duet as shepherdess and shepherd, respectively. The two already share romantic feelings towards each other. * Tangia, who is envious of Silango's affection towards Sivene, sings a comic aria that pokes fun at a young Parisian dandy standing before a mirror, and thus indirectly satirising Sivene. The characters agree that each style has its drawbacks. The opera concludes with a ballet, ''The Judgment of Paris'', sung as a vocal quartet.

Recordings

* Deutsche Harmonia Mundi EL 16 9575 1: Isabelle Poulenard, Gloria Banditelli,

Anne Sofie von Otter Anne Sofie von Otter (born 9 May 1955) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano. Her repertoire encompasses lieder, operas, oratorios and also rock and pop songs. Early life Von Otter was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her father was Göran von Otter, a Swedis ...

, Guy de Mey; Orchestra of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis; René Jacobs, conductor * Orpheo Cat: 178891A: Kaaren Erickson, Alexandrina Milcheva, Marga Schiml, Thomas Moser;

Munich Radio Orchestra The Munich Radio Orchestra (German: ''Münchner Rundfunkorchester'') is a German symphony broadcast orchestra based in Munich. It is one of the two orchestras affiliated with the Bavarian Radio (Bayerischer Rundfunk), the other being the Bavaria ...

;

Lamberto Gardelli Lamberto Gardelli (8 November 191517 July 1998) was a Swedish conductor of Italian birth,Lamberto Gardelli. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory, e ...

, conductor.''Le cinesi''
Naxos Records

References

External links

Libretto of ''Le cinesi''
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinesi, Le Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck Italian-language operas Azioni teatrali Operas 1754 operas