Oristeo

Francesco Cavalli

Oristeo is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Francesco Cavalli. It was designated as a dramma per musica. The Italian libretto was by Giovanni Faustini.

The opera is notable for containing one of the first examples of a da capo aria, Udite amanti, sung by Corinta.

Performance history

It was first performed in Venice on the occasion of the inauguration of the Teatro Sant'Apollinare on 9 February 1651.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 1651 (Conductor: – )
Diomeda, Princess of Caonia	soprano
Oristeo, King of Epirus	baritone or bass
Euralio, his son	soprano
Trasimede, Prince of Archaea	tenor
Corinta, Princess of Locri	soprano

Recordings

Oristeo, Atto I Scena 4: Dimmi amor, che farò? Mariana Flores, Cappella Mediterranea, Leonardo García Alarcón 2014

References

Sources

• Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Oristeo". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
• Clinksdale, Martha Novak, " Oristeo ", The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7