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Elena
Francesco Cavalli
07 July 2013
Dramma per musica in a prologue and 3 acts
Libretto by Giovanni Faustini and Niccolo Minato
Created at Teatro San Cassiano of Venice, on 26th December 1659
Before being Helen of Troy, Helen was a daughter of Sparta and already the most beautiful woman in the world. In her early youth she already turned heads, when she neglected the games of love to privilege the games of the stadium. In order to approach her, King Menelaus disguised himself as an Amazon adept at Olympic fighting, but he had rivals: King Theseus and Prince Menesteas also burnt with desire for this beauty. The race began as to who would be first to conquer her, even at the price of a pursuit over earth and sea.
In Seicento Venice, collaboration between the librettist impresario Giovanni Faustini and the composer Francesco Cavalli engendered ten lyrical works of which the immortal Calisto. When he died in 1651, Faustini left several librettos in preliminary stages, among which Elena, which Niccolo Minato completed. The creation of this tragi-comical work took place in Venice in 1659 and seems to have met with great success. Intensely sensual and incredibly inventive, Cavalli’s score is both entertaining and deep. It contains catching good spirits, immoderate taste for dressing up and incredible group scenes. Elena has not been staged since the century it was born. The performance at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence was its first production on stage since the 17th century. It is for the revival of this young 350 year old masterpiece that thirteen singers directed by Jean-Yves Ruf and Capella Mediterranea conducted by Leonardo García Arlarcón play the melody of all powerful desire for us.
Distribution
Conductor Leonardo García Alarcón
Stage design Jean-Yves Ruf
Set design Laure Pichat
Costume design Claudia Jenatsch
Lighting design Christian Dubet
Venere / Elena, soprano Emöke Barath
Menelao, high countertenor Valer Barna-Sabadus
Teseo / Chorus, tenor Fernando Guimaraes
Peritoo, countertenor Rodrigo Ferreira
La Pace / Menesteo, soprano Anna Reinhold
Giunone / Erginda / Castore Mariana Flores
Pallade / Ippolita Solenn’ Lavanant
La Verita / Eurite Majdouline Zerari
La Discorde / Euripilo / Polluce Christopher Lowrey
Diomede / Creonte Brendan Tuohy
Iro / Chorus Emiliano Gonzalez Toro
Antiloco / Chorus Job Tomé
Tindaro / Nettuno / Chorus Scott Conner
Orchestra Cappella Mediterranea
Co-production
A co-production of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation with the support of enoa and Culture Programme of the European Union.
Distribution
Conductor Leonardo García Alarcón
Stage design Jean-Yves Ruf
Set design Laure Pichat
Costume design Claudia Jenatsch
Lighting design Christian Dubet
Venere / Elena, soprano Emöke Barath
Menelao, high countertenor Valer Barna-Sabadus
Teseo / Chorus, tenor Fernando Guimaraes
Peritoo, countertenor Rodrigo Ferreira
La Pace / Menesteo, soprano Anna Reinhold
Giunone / Erginda / Castore Mariana Flores
Pallade / Ippolita Solenn’ Lavanant
La Verita / Eurite Majdouline Zerari
La Discorde / Euripilo / Polluce Christopher Lowrey
Diomede / Creonte Brendan Tuohy
Iro / Chorus Emiliano Gonzalez Toro
Antiloco / Chorus Job Tomé
Tindaro / Nettuno / Chorus Scott Conner
Orchestra Cappella Mediterranea