The Fortunes of Andromeda and Perseus: Spain’s First Opera

June 30, 2021, 10:00 pm

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BaroqueBefore 20-26

This week, Baroque&Before has the rare pleasure of presenting a performance of a work not performed publicly since the mid 17th century, or commercially recorded. Often referred to as Spain’s first opera, tonight’s presentation of Las Fortunas de Andrómeda y Perseo comes to us from a recording made live in concert January 25, 2020 at the Konzerthaus in Vienna as part of the Resonanzen Early Music Festival. Musicologist and conductor Albert Recasens leads La Grande Chapelle in this work, presumably by Juan Hidalgo de Polanco, with libretto by Pedro Calderón de la Barca.

This week’s presentation will be available as a stream following the broadcast. A blue “Listen” button will appear to indicate when the stream is available.

Playlist

Juan Hidalgo (1614-1685)
Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), librettist
Las Fortunas de Andrómeda y Perseo

Pasacalle de primer tono
Prólogo
Música, Pintura, Poesía: “Vive tú, vivirá todo”
Loa
Atlante: “Yo soy el caduco Atlante”
Signos: “El que el globo sustenta”

Jornada I
Música: “Sí. ¿Qué armoniosos acentos?”
Palas, Mercurio: “Ya, hermoso galán Mercurio”
Palas: “Calla, Discordia”
Sainete
Rugero
Jácara
“Por hacer mudanzas Gila”

Jornada II
Morfeo: “Felice, infelice joven”
Música: “Ya no les pienso pedir”
Coro, Júpiter: “El que adora imposibles”
Mercurio: “Sí será, porque mi instancia”
Juno: “Ya escucho tu acento, Discordia”
Furias: “¿Qué quieres, Discordia?”
Mercurio, Palas: “Ama, espera y confía”

Jornada III
Libia, Sirene: “Pisa, pisa con tiento las floes”
Música: “La que nace para ser”
Nereidas: “Albricias, hermosa deidad”
Ecos: “Una. Una el eco me responde”
Música: “A tierra, a tierra que aquí”
Música: “Viva, viva la gala del gran Perseo”

ARTISTS
La Grande Chapelle
Javier Laorden, actor: Perseo, Bato, Libio
Monica Piccinini, soprano: Música, Júpiter, Juno, Discordia, Andromeda
Eugenia Boix, soprano: Palas, Dánae, Libia
Aurora Peña, soprano: Mercurio
Lina Marcela López, soprano: Sirene
Gabriel Díaz, countertenor: Morfeo
Elías Arranz, baritone: Atlante
Sara Ruiz – Viola da gamba
Maria Ferré – Guitar, Theorbo
Manuel Vilas – Spanish Harp
Onofre Serer – Percussion
Albert Recasens – Conductor