Palmira, regina di Persia is an opera by Antonio Salieri: more specifically, it is a dramma eroicomico. The opera is in two acts and is set to a libretto by Giovanni de Gamerra.
| Palmira, regina di Persia | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Antonio Salieri | |
 Beginning of the manuscript | |
| Librettist | Giovanni de Gamerra |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | 14 October 1795 Kärntnertortheater, Vienna |
Salieri mingled elements of comic opera and heroic opera to produce a work that was a popular success at the time of its first performance, also partly due to the grandiose staging that is called for.
Performance history
editThe opera was first performed at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna on 14 October 1795, and staged 39 times in the Austrian capital between then and 1798. It was also given in Germany in translation.
Roles
edit| Roles | Voice type | Premiere, October 14, 1795 (Conductor: - ) |
First Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Priest | bass | ||
| Palmira, Princess of Persia | soprano | ||
| Alderano, King of Egypt | bass | ||
| Oronte, King of Scythia | bass | ||
| Alcidoro, King of India | tenor | ||
| Darius the Great, King of Persia | bass |
Synopsis
editSet in ancient Persia, three Kings, arriving variously on a camel, an elephant and a horse, vie for the honour of killing a monster and winning the hand of the Persian princess Palmira.
References
edit
- John A. Rice: "Palmira, regina di Persia", Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (accessed 29 May 2007), grovemusic.com Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, subscription access.
- John A. Rice: "Palmira, regina di Persia" in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7