''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' is an opera in three acts by

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

to a

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 ...

by Giovanni Palazzi. It was first performed during the

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

season of 1718 at the

Teatro San Moisè The Teatro San Moisè was a theatre and opera house in Venice, active from 1620 to 1818. It was in a prominent location near the Palazzo Giustinian and the church of San Moisè at the entrance to the Grand Canal. History Built by the San Bernaba ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. Vivaldi's version is different from the more than 50 operas whose themes derive in varying degrees from the story of Rinaldo and Armida in

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

's epic poem ''

La Gerusalemme liberata ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade in which Christian knights, l ...

'' (''Jerusalem Delivered'').Jellinek, George (1994) p.,. 354 Unlike the more than 50 operas based on the romance of Rinaldo and Armida, Vivaldi's version starts during previous events before the war against the Crusaders. Armida was revived for the Carnival season of 1738, with much of the music rewritten, and arias by

Leonardo Leo Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque music, Baroque composer. Biography Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of ...

added. Act II of the original version of the opera is now lost.

Roles

Recordings

Complete recording with a restored version of Act II: *''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' (

Concerto Italiano Concerto Italiano is an Italian early music ensemble well known for their interpretations of Claudio Monteverdi, Monteverdi and Antonio Vivaldi, Vivaldi, among others. The historically informed performance ensemble was formed by the harpsichordi ...

;

Rinaldo Alessandrini Rinaldo Alessandrini (born 25 January 1960) is a virtuoso on Baroque music, Baroque Keyboard instrument, keyboards, including harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ (music), organ. He is founder and conductor of the Italian early music ensemble Concer ...

, conductor). Label: Naïve OP30492. (2010) The

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

to ''Armida al campo d'Egitto'' can be heard on: *''Vivaldi: Opera Overtures'' (

I Solisti Veneti I Solisti Veneti is an Italian chamber orchestra founded in Padua in 1959 by Claudio Scimone. Since 2019, the Musical Director has been Giuliano Carella, and since 2020 he has also been Artistic Director. Background The ensemble was directe ...

;

Claudio Scimone Claudio Scimone (23 December 1934 – 6 September 2018) was an Italian conductor. He was born in Padua, Italy and studied conducting with Dimitri Mitropoulos and Franco Ferrara. He established an international reputation as a conductor, as wel ...

, conductor). Label: Apex 2564605372. *''Sinfonie d'opera'' (

I Virtuosi delle Muse I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plur ...

;

Stefano Molardi Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

, conductor). Label: Divox CDX 70501–6. Two arias from the work, ''Invan la mia pietà tenta l'ingrato'' and ''Chi alla colpa fà tragitto'', can be heard on: *''Vivaldi: Arie Per Basso'' (

Lorenzo Regazzo Lorenzo Regazzo, (born in Venice) is an opera singer. His voice can be categorised as bass, bass-baritone or ''basso cantante''. He is especially well known for interpreting Baroque, Classical, and bel canto repertoire. Among the qualities f ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

; Concerto Italiano; Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor). Label: Naive 30415.

References

Notes Sources *Booth, John (1989
''Vivaldi''
Omnibus Press, p. 71. *Jellinek, George (1994
''History Through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon''
Pro/Am Music Resources, p. 354. {{Authority control Operas by Antonio Vivaldi Italian-language operas Operas based on Jerusalem Delivered Operas 1718 operas