Tarare (opera)

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Tarare is an opéra (tragédie lyrique) composed by Antonio Salieri to a French libretto by Pierre Beaumarchais. It was first performed by the Paris Opera at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin on 8 June 1787.[1] Salieri also reworked the material into an Italian version retitled Axur, re d'Ormus with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, which opened in Vienna in January 1788.

Roles

Cast Voice type[2] Premiere, 8 June 1787[3]
(Conductor: Jean-Baptiste Rey )
The genius that presides over the reproduction of creatures, or Nature soprano Mlle Joinville
The genius of fire, which presides over Sun, in love with Nature basse-taille (bass-baritone) Louis-Claude-Armand Chardin (stage name, "Chardini")
Atar,[4] King of Ormus, a wild and unrestrained man basse-taille (bass-baritone) Auguste-Athanase (Augustin) Chéron
Tarare,[4] a soldier in his service, honoured for his great virtues taille (baritenor) Étienne Lainez
Astasie,[4] Tarare's wife, both tender and pious soprano Marie Thérèse Maillard
Arthénée,[4] High Priest of Brahma, a misbeliever devoured by pride and ambition basse-taille (bass-baritone) Martin-Joseph Adrien
Altamort,[4] an army general, son of the High Priest, a reckless and fiery youth basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Châteaufort
Urson, captain of Atar's guard, a valiant man of great honor basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Moreau
Calpigi,[4] chief of the Eunuchs, an European slave and a former singer emerged from the Chapels of Italy, being sensitive and gay haute-contre J. Rousseau
Spinette,[4] an European slave woman, Calpigi's wife and a former Neapolitan cantatrice, being meddlesome and coquettish soprano Adelaïde Gavaudan, "cadette"
Elamir, a boy of the Augurs, being naive and very devout boy soprano Joseph-François-Narcisse Carbonel[5]
A priest of Brahma basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Le Roux "cadet" (the younger)[6]
A slave basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Le Roux "cadet" (the younger)
A eunuch basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Le Roux "cadet" (the younger)
A shepherdess/A shadow (prologue) soprano Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan "l'aînée"
A peasant basse-taille (bass-baritone) M Dessaules

References

Notes
  1. Amadeus Almanac, accessed March 18, 2010.
  2. "Tarare di Salieri" at italianOPERA.org, accessed June 10, 2010.
  3. According to the original libretto.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 This character also appears in the prologue in the form of his/her own shadow.
  5. Carbonel, a singing student of the Paris Opera, was fourteen when he took part in the premiere of Tarare (Alexandre Choron & François Fayolle (editors), Dictionnaire Historique des Musiciens, Paris: Valade/Lenormant, 1810, I, p. 118, accessible for free online at Internet Archives).
  6. Le Roux was a member of the Choir included among the tailles (bari-tenors) (cf. composition of the Choirs reported in the original libretto).
Sources
  • Original libretto: Tarare, Opéra en cinq actes, avec un prologue; Représenté, pour la première fois, sur le Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, le vendredi 8 Juin 1787, Paris: Delormel, 1787 (accessible for free online at books.google)
  • Georges d'Heylli & Fernand de Marescot (editors), Théâtre complet de Beaumarchais. Réimpression des éd. princeps, avec les variantes des ms originaux ..., Paris: Académie des bibliophiles, 1869-1871, IV, pp. 1-171 (accessible for free online at Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France)
  • Dizionario dell'opera, page: Tarare, "myword.it"

External links