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Echo et Narcisse (
Echo and Narcissus) was the last original
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, specifically a drame lyrique, written by
Christoph Willibald GlückChristoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
, his sixth for the French stage. The libretto was written by Louis Theodor von Tschudi. It was first performed at the Paris Opéra on 24 September 1779.
Echo et Narcisse was a complete failure and Gluck decided to return to
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
.
Roles
| Role |
Voice type |
Premiere Cast, 24 September 1779
(Conductor: - ) |
| Aglaé, a nymph |
soprano A soprano is a singing voice with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music...
|
Mlle Joinville |
| Amour |
soprano |
Mlle Girardin |
| Narcisse, a hunter |
tenor |
Étienne Lainez |
| Cynire, friend of Narcisse |
tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
|
Joseph Legros Joseph Legros was a French singer and composer of the 18th century. He is best remembered for his association with the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck...
|
| Echo, a nymph |
soprano |
Henrietta Beaumesnil |
| Eglé, a nymph |
soprano |
Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan, 'L'aînée' |
| Sylphie, a nymph |
soprano |
|
| Thanais, a nymph |
soprano |
|