Echo et Narcisse (Echo and Narcissus) is a 1779 drame lyrique in three acts, the last original opera written by Christoph Willibald Gluck, his sixth for the French stage. The libretto, written by Louis-Théodore de Tschudi, tells the story of the love between Echo and Narcissus.
Performance history
Echo et Narcisse was first performed on 24 September 1779 by the [Paris Opéra] in the second [Salle du Palais-Royal. The opera is in the [pastoral] tradition, a [List of opera genres|genre] not in favor at the Opéra at the time,[1] and it was a failure, discontinued after only 12 performances. Gluck decided to go back to [Vienna] and never returned to Paris. He revised the work for 8 August 1780, but this version only enjoyed nine performances.
A third version was presented to the public on 8 June 1781. This was better received. However, it was infrequently produced until René Jacobs revived it in 1987 at the [Schwetzingen Festival]. Jacobs used the revised version as the original one has not survived, except for the [libretto].
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 24 September 1779 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Echo, a nymph, ruler of the woods and waters | soprano | Mlle Beaumesnil (born Henriette Adélaïde de Villars) |
| Aglaé, a nymph, friend of Echo | soprano | Adelaïde Gavaudan 'cadette' |
| Eglé, a nymph, friend of Echo | soprano | Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan, 'L'aînée' |
| Amour (Cupid) | soprano | Gertrude Girardin |
| Narcisse, a hunter, son of Cephisus | haute-contre | Étienne Lainez |
| Cynire, friend of Narcisse | haute-contre | Joseph Legros |
| Sylphie, a nymph | soprano | |
| Thanais, a nymph | soprano | |
| Two sylvans | bass/haute-contre | Auguste-Athanase (Augustin) Chéron/Jean-Joseph Rousseau[2] |
| Sylphs, Zephyrs and attendants and followers of Amour, Echo and Narcisse. | ||
| Ballet[3] - ballerinas: Marie-Madeleine Guimard, Anne Heinel, Marie Allard, Peslin; male dancers: Gaetano Vestris, Auguste Vestris, Maximilien Gardel, Jean D'Auberval | ||
Synopsis
The nymph Echo is loved by Narcisse, but also desired by Apollo. Apollo puts a spell on Narcisse so he falls in love with his own reflection, but Cupid is eventually successful in securing a happy ending by re-uniting Echo and Narcisse.
References
Notes
- ^ Rushton 2001, p. 327.
- ^ Gustave Chouquet, Histoire de la musique dramatique en France depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours, Paris, Firmin Didot, 1873, p. 362 (accessible for free online at Gallica - B.N.F.).
- ^ Lajarte, 1878, p. 312
Sources
- (in Italian) Amadeus Almanac, accessed 1 February 2010
- Hayes, Jeremy (1992), 'Echo et Narcisse' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- (in French) Lajarte, Théodore, Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique, Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, Tome I (accessible online at Internet Archive)
- Rushton, Julian (2001). "Christoph Willibald Gluck", pp. 313–327, in The New Penguin Opera Guide, edited by Amanda Holden. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140514759.
External links
- Libretto (French)
- Score (for free)