We’ve recently had two contemporary operas on the Sunday Opera, but for this week’s program (2/8 3:00 p.m.), we’re heading back to the 18th century for an opera that takes place around the 12th century BC in Christoph Willibald Gluck’s “Demonfoonte” or “Demofonte” or a variety of other titles. Based on a very popular libretto by Pietro Metastasio, the opera had its premier in Milan in 1743.
The story is set in ancient Thrace during a “legendary and mythical” time.
King Demofonte (Colini Balzer) asks the oracle of Apollo how long the practice of the annual sacrifice of a virgin will continue. The answer is puzzling: "as long as the innocent usurper sits on the throne."
The nobleman Matusio (Vitoria Prato) tries to protect his daughter Dircea (Sylvia Schwartz) from being sacrificed. He and Demofonte are unaware that Dircea is secretly married to Timante (Aryea Nussbaum Cohen), the older son of Demofonte and the heir to the throne. However, Demofonte wants Timante to marry Creusa Ann Hallenberg), a princess of Phrygia.
Timante's younger brother Cherinto (Romina Basso) is accompanying her to the kingdom of Thrace, and as often happens in these things, he falls in love with her. When Timante meets Creusa, he admits that he can't marry her but does not explain why, which causes a new set of complications.
Dircea has been caught while trying to flee the country and imprisoned, and Demofonte orders her immediate sacrifice. Timante tries to release her but with no success, and he is also imprisoned. Creusa asks Demofonte for mercy on their behalf, and the king releases Timante and Dircea. After he finds out that Cherinto and Creusa are in love, Timante decides to give up the throne in favor of Cherinto.
Another traditional plot point of Baroque operas occurs in the third act when they suddenly find a letter revealing that Dircea is really the daughter of Demofonte, which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. Timante is in despair and tries to avoid Dircea.
Another convenient surprise when a second letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio, not Demofoonte, so they aren’t brother and sister. Now, everybody is happy. The marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and Cherinto is the real crown prince and can marry Creusa, the innocent usurper, Timante has renounced the crown, and no more virgins are sacrificed.
Also in the cast is Nerea Barraondo as Adrasto, a captain of the royal guards. Our conductor is Alan Curtis who not only reconstructed this version of the opera, but he also wrote the recitatives and is leading the ensemble he founded in the 1970s, Il Complesso Barocco.
There will be time for more instrumental music of Gluck after the opera when we’ll hear his Flute Quintet in G major, selection arranged for chamber orchestra from another of his operas, “Orfeo ed Euridice,” and his Symphony No. 2 in G which often goes by the title of ‘Weimarer.”
