Iphigénie en Aulide (1755)

This was an opera libretto published as a part of Algarotti's treatise 'Saggio sopra l'opera in musica' (1755) in which he criticised Italian opera and suggested an opera reform: all parts of music, including singing, should be subordinated to a unifying poetic idea. Modelled on Racine's Iphigénie it was intended as a model libretto; the subject was thought to be ideal because of its remoteness and exoticism, which should lend itself readily to the extreme stylization endemic to the operatic genre. The libretto returns to Greek-like simplicity and severity. Choruses, ballets and spectacle are integrated into its action. It was never set to music, but it influenced a spate of operas on this subject in the last third of the 18th century, the best known of them being Gluck's opera for Paris (Production ID 5911). This libretto was never set to music, but it influenced a spate of operas on this subject in the last third of the 18th century, the best-known of them being Gluck's opera for Paris. It was published as a part of Algarotti's treatise 'Saggio sopra l'opera in musica' (1755) in which he criticised Italian opera and suggested an opera reform: all parts of music, including singing, should be subordinated to a unifying poetic idea. Modelled on Racine, Iphigénie was intended as a model libretto; the subject was thought to be ideal because of its remoteness and exoticism, which should lent itself readily to the extreme stylization endemic to the operatic genre. The libretto returns to Greek-like simplicity and severity. Choruses, ballets and spectacle are integrated into its action.