News from Italy
A marriage that marks the oldest opera
On 6 October 1600 the Euridice, the oldest surviving opera, made its debut in Florence. The melodrama set to music by Jacopo Peri on a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini.
The occasion of the composition was the wedding of Maria de ‘Medici, daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I de’ Medici, with Henry IV of France, celebrated in the Cathedral of Florence on 5 October 1600. The melodrama set to music by Peri was performed for the first time at Palazzo Pitti the following day (6 October 1600) with Francesco Rasi, Francesca Caccini, Vittoria Archilei, Emilio de ‘Cavalieri and Jacopo Corsi on the organ.
What is the subject of the “Eurydice”?
This work by Jacopo Peri is a short work that does not require much setting and consists of 5 scenes. Its mythological subject has also been transformed into an opera by other composers. The most famous of these is Gluck’s work “Orpheus and Eurydice” (1762).
The game begins with a short Prologue. “The Tragedy” enters the scene as an allegorical character and announces the imminent meeting.
Then a choir of river nymphs and shepherds takes the stage and announces that Eurydice and Orpheus have decided to get married and that their wedding will take place. A ballet held by Eurydice’s friends follows.
After that, Orpheus enters the scene with his friends. Daphne, a messenger, goes to Orpheus and informs her that his mistress Eurydice has died suddenly. Orpheus is very sad and sings a long lament. Some shepherdesses and river nymphs try to console Orpheus.
With another lament, Orpheus begs Pluto, the ruler of the underworld. Venus, the goddess of love, also pleads with the gods, allowing them to decide that Orpheus’s lover should be sent back to earth. Eventually, the two lovers reunite. Choir and dancers express this happiness through song and dance.
Marriage without bridegroom
Bridegroom IV. Henry is not attending the wedding. At that time, there was a fashion of proxy marriage and IV. Henry’s uncle, Ferdinando I, attends the wedding. In Florence Palazzo Pitti, the wealth of the Medici and their glorious reign are reflected in the marriage, with dozens of dishes, special dishes, gigantic sugar sculptures and luminous decorations. For this wedding, an order is also made from the art of opera, which has just had a new idea. The subject of the work is immortal love, or “Eurydice”. Only 200 specially selected aristocrats have the opportunity to attend this work by Jacopo Peri on the upper floor of Palazzo Pitti.
In 2015 an exhibition on this special wedding was inaugurated at Palazzo Pitti, where the wedding took place, now used as an art museum in Florence. Joan Sallas, who prepared the exhibition, searches the archives of Florence for days. Make the important ornaments and objects of the night for the exhibition. Large sculptures and sugar napkins would be the most interesting works in the exhibition.