Argippo

"Argippo" (RV 697) is an opera by Antonio Vivaldi that premiered in the opera theatre of Count Sporck, Prague in 1730.

Rediscovery

The libretto was preserved but the music was presumed to have been lost until portions of it (over two thirds) was discovered in the private archive of the Thurn und Taxis house in Regensburg, in 2006 by harpsichordist and conductor Ondřej Macek [http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/autori/t_om.htm] . [cite news
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title = Czech harpsichordist finds Vivaldi's lost opera
url = http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/294/arts_in_prague/19988
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publisher = Prague Daily Monitor
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date = 2008-03-14
accessdate = 2008-03-23
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archivedate = ] He stated: "I found out that in 1733, three years after the premiere, the Italian music ensemble appeared in Regensburg. They'd been invited there after the theatre in Prague burnt down." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7382451.stm BBC NEWS, Vivaldi work revived 278 years on] ] Macek used other arias from Vivaldi and said: "I used music from operas he wrote at the time, shortly before and after the date of the premiere, and sometimes they [the arias] fit really perfectly." Ondřej Macek and his Hofmusici orchestra chose Prague Castle (seat of the Czech presidency) the 16th-century Spanish, and was performed by 13 singers and 24 musicians [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/vivaldis-longlost-opera-returns-to-prague-after-278-years-820860.html independent.co.uk, Vivaldi's long-lost opera returns to Prague after 278 years] ] on May 3, 2008, the first performance since 1730.

ynopsis

The opera is set in an Indian royal court and centers around a young princess smitten by a dishonest suitor. It has three acts and lasts over two hours.

References

* [http://www.muni.cz/research/publications/728294 Vivaldi's Prague opera Argippo revival. Interwiew with Ondřej Macek] (in Czech)