Paride ed Elena (Paris and Helen) is an opera by Gluck, the third of his Italian reformist works, following Orfeo ed Euridice and Alceste. Like its predecessors, its libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It was premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 3 November 1770. Christoph Willibald Gluck (July 2, 1714 – November 15, 1787) was a German composer. ... Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... Ranieri de Calzabigi (1714-1795) was an Italian poet and librettist, most famous for his collaboration with the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck on his reform operas. ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Roles

Judgement of Paris by Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. ... In Greek mythology, Priam (Greek Πρίαμος) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War, and son of Laomedon. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy Troy (Ancient Greek Τροία Troia, also Ίλιον Ilion; Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Trojan War cycle, especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. ... A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. ... Helen was the wife of Menelaus and reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War. ... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cupidon (French for Cupid), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875. ... This article is about the goddess Athena. ...

Synopsis

The hero Paris is in Sparta, having chosen Venus above Juno and Minerva, sacrificing to Venus and seeking, with the encouragement of Erasto, the love of Helen. Paris and Helen meet at her royal palace and each is struck by the other's beauty. She calls on him to judge an athletic contest and when asked to sing he does so in praise of her beauty, admitting the purpose of his visit is to win her love. She dismisses him. In despair Paris now pleads with her, and she begins to give way. Eventually, through the intervention of Erasto, who now reveals himself as Cupid, she gives way, but Pallas Athene (Minerva) now warns them of sorrow to come. In the final scene Paris and Helen make ready to embark for Troy. Sparta (Doric: , Attic: ) is a city in southern Greece. ... Adjective Venusian or (rarely) Cytherean (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... IVNO REGINA (Queen Juno) on a coin celebrating Julia Soaemias. ... Minerva and the Muses, by Hans Rottenhammer (1603). ... In Greek mythology, Helen (Greek: , Helénē), also known as Helen of Troy, was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. ... Cupidon (French for Cupid), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875. ... This article is about the goddess Athena. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy Troy (Ancient Greek Τροία Troia, also Ίλιον Ilion; Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Trojan War cycle, especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. ...

Paride ed Elena (Paris and Helen) is the third of Gluck's so-called reform operas for Vienna, following Alceste (Alcestis) and Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus and Eurydice), and the least often performed of the three. Arias from the opera that enjoy an independent concert existence include Paris's minor-key declaration of love, O del mio dolce ardor (O of my gentle love), in the first act. His second aria is Spiagge amate (Beloved shores). In the second act, again in a minor key, Paris fears that he may lose Helen in Le belle imagini (The fair semblance) and in the fourth would prefer death to life without Helen, Di te scordarmi, e vivere (To forget you and to live). The rôle of Paris offers difficulties of casting, written, as it was, for a relatively high castrato voice. Arias of Paris have been adapted by tenors, with transposition an octave lower, or appropriated by sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Alceste can may refer to: Alcestis, the mythical Greek princess Alcestis (play), the play by Euripedes (438 BC) Several operas based on the mythical Greek princess: Alceste (Lully), an opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1674) Alceste (Gluck), an opera by Gluck (1767) Alceste (Schweitzer), an opera by Anton Schweitzer (1772... Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... This article is about the musical term aria. ... A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high vocal range. ... Look up soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Recordings

• Magdalena Kozena (Paride), Susan Gritton (Elena), Carolyn Sampson (Amore), Gillian Webster (Pallade/Un Trojano); Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, 2005)

Magdalena Kožená is a famous Czech mezzo soprano singer who was born in Brno in 1973. ... Paul McCreesh (born May 24, 1960) is a classical music conductor. ...

References