''Telemaco, ossia L'isola di Circe'' is a 1718 opera by Alessandro Scarlatti to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece (sometimes spelled "Capeci"), court poet to Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, living in exile in Rome, for the

Teatro Capranica The Teatro Capranica is a theatre situated at 101 Piazza Capranica in the Colonna district of Rome. Originally constructed in 1679 by the Capranica family and housed in the early Renaissance Palazzo Capranica, it was the second public theatre to o ...

in Rome, where it was premiered during the carnival season. The opera was revived in 2005 by the

Schwetzingen Festival The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany. In 1952, the broadc ...

and the

Deutsche Oper am Rhein The Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company. Axel Kober has been its Music Director since 2009. The resident orchestra, t ...

History

The libretto was written by Carlo Sigismondo Capece, based on Homer's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' and François Fénelon's didactic novel '' Les Aventures de Télémaque''. The librettist was regarded as one of the central authors in Rome at the turn to the 18th century. ''Telemaco'' is his last work for the stage. The plot is full of intrigues and complications around

Telemachus Telemachus ( ; grc, Τηλέμαχος, Tēlemakhos, lit=far-fighter), in Greek mythology, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who is a central character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in s ...

, the son of Odysseus. Scarlatti composed it, as one of his last operas, for the 1718 carnival season. The composer wrote 114 operas. ''Telemaco'' is known for a richness in melodies, contrasting characters, and a colourful orchestral treatment which includes dense textures and counterpoint. Scarlatti uses instruments on stage which support the action and play with the orchestra in the pit, sometimes in antiphony. The entrance of Neptune is accompanied by horns, oboes, and bassoon on stage, while Minerva enters in a chariot which holds a string orchestra with trumpets. ''Telemaco'' was premiered at the

in Rome.Edward T. Corp ''The Stuarts in Italy, 1719–1766: A Royal Court in Permanent Exile'' (2011): "In 1718, while James was at Urbino, the Capranica had staged one work by Alessandro Scarlatti (Telemaco), and another jointly composed by both Domenico Scarlatti and Nicola Porpora." In the leading role was

Domenico Gizzi Domenico Gizzi (Arpino, 1680 – Naples, 1745) was an Italian composer and singing teacher. Waldo Selden Pratt ''The History of Ballroom Dancing'' 1907 "Other important singing-teachers were Domenico Gizzi and his pupil Fernando Feo.." Also known ...

(1687-1758), a famous singer from Naples.

Thomas Hengelbrock Thomas Hengelbrock (born 9 June 1958) is a German violinist, musicologist, stage director and conductor. Born in Wilhelmshaven, Hengelbrock studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul. He started his career in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau. ...

rediscovered the score at the

Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...

in Vienna and prepared it for a performance. He conducted the revival at the opening of the

with the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble staged by

Lukas Hemleb Lukas Hemleb (born 1960 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe) is a German director of plays and operas, scenic designer, and librettist. Career Born Lukas Hemmleb in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, he was in Berlin assistant of Peter Stein, Klaus Michae ...

. The performance was called "Rediscovery of the Year" (''Wiederentdeckung des Jahres 2005''). In the performances in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

, Andreas Stoehr conducted the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and some specialists for

Baroque instruments Musical instruments used in Baroque music were partly used already before, partly are still in use today, but with no technology. The movement to perform music in a historically informed way, trying to recreate the sound of the period, led to the ...

Recordings

*Sinfonia and two arias on ''Arias for Domenico Gizzi – A star castrato in Baroque Rome'' Scarlatti "Crude Parche", "Telemaco: Sinfonia", "O a morire o a goder"

Roberta Invernizzi Roberta Invernizzi (born 1966, in Milan) is an Italian soprano. She originally studied piano and double bass before turning to singing. She specialises in early music from the baroque and classical period of music. She has sung in many operas ...

, I Turchini, Antonio Florio *Three arias on ''Alessandro Scarlatti: Opera Arias'' "Già nel seno", "Ho il cor tutto foco", "Vendetta, vendetta"

Daniela Barcellona Daniela Barcellona (born 28 March 1969) is an Italian operatic mezzo-soprano. Biography Barcellona was born in Trieste, where she completed her musical studies under the guidance of Alessandro Vitiello, pianist and conductor. She married Viti ...

, Concerto de Cavalieri, Marcello Di Lisa

Literature

* Thomas Hochradner: ''Alessandro Scarlatti. Telemaco (1717/18).'' In: (ed.): ''Musikerhandschriften von Heinrich Schütz bis Wolfgang Rihm.'' Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, , pp. 22–23 (with an image from the score).

References

External links

*
Telemaco. Dramma per musica di Carlo Sigismondo Capeci, da rappresentarsi nella sala dell'Illustrissimo signor Federico Capranica nel carnevale dell'anno 1718. Dedicato etc. In Roma, nella stamperia del Bernabò, 1718.
(libretto, in Italian) Digitalisat by ''Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna''
Telemaco / dramma per musica in 3 atti
Corago,

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

Barocker Opernthriller / Schwetzinger Festspiele: Alessandro Scarlatti – "Telemaco"
(review, in German) klassik-heute.com

Elisabeth Kulman {{authority control Operas 1718 operas Operas by Alessandro Scarlatti Operas based on the Odyssey Works based on Les Aventures de Télémaque