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Monday, October 3, 2011

Ippolito

Speranza

"Ippolito" was the bastard son of Teseo with Ippolita, an Amazon. The
ultimate source is the tragedy by Euripides. Ippolito's claim to fame (or
infame, rather) was to fall in In love with the daughter of the king of Minos,
Fedra, who happened to be his stepmother (due to Teseo's second wedding).
Ippolito reigned in Italy under a different name. He is taken as a symbol of
chastity since utlimately, the myth suggests that his love for Fedra was not
'natural' and imposed on him as a vengeance for he having chosen, rather,
a chaste life dedicated to hunting (or riding -- a chariot).

Operas:

1661. Vanarelli -- n. Roma, 1615, m. Padova, 1676 -- (Libretto: Montio,
Spoleto). It would be interesting to see if contemporary sources, back in
Spoleto, realised that this was a _first_.

1700. Torri (n. Peschiera, 1650).

1733. Rameau. Libretto: via Pellegrin, tratto da Racine. Ippolito "is found
alive after his session with the monster and trots off happily with A".

1744. Gluck (Libretto: Gorini, Milano).

1750. Conti.

1759. Traetta (Libretto: Frugoni, Teatro Ducale, Parma). Ippolito role
created by castrato Elisi. (Hancock suggests that possibly all early Ippolitos
were castrati. L. Smerillo goes on to add that perhaps Fedra's role was
also a castrato role, originally.

1760. Roseingrave -- n. Ireland -- a composer gone mad, R. H. tells us.

1783. Holzbauer

1786. Lemoyne. (Oddly, this is the same name as the sculptor of the statue,
"La caduta d'Ippolito" at the Louvre).

1787. Paisiello (Libretto: Salvioni, Napoli).

1790. Niccolini (n. Piacenza, 1762).

1799. Piccinni

1800. C. Cavos (n. Venezia)

1806. Romberg.

1811. Radicati

1814. Orlandi -- n. Parma, 1777, m. 1840 (Libretto Romanelli, Milano).

1815. "Opera seria, posta in musica dal Conte di Westmorland" (real name:
Fane).

1820. Mayr -- m. Bergamo 1845.

1836. Sborgi.

1898. Federman (libretto: Pohl).

1900. Massenet

1915. Pizzetti (libretto: D’Annunzio),. Also Senilov.

1920. Bell.

1949. Honegger

1976. Britten. Strictly a 'cantata', but perhaps meant as an opera,
originally. Created for la Baker.

1981. Humphreys.

2000. Namann

2001. Guglielmo

2002. Drysdale.

2007. Henze.

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