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[] Fabbricini, Pinti, Di Micco; Paparizou, Stamboglis; Orchestra Sinfonica di Savona, Carraro. Text and translation. Bongiovanni GB 2250-2 (Qualiton, dist.)
Arianna in Nasso (1733) was the first work Nicolo Porpora composed for London's short-lived Opera of the Nobility, a company established expressly to compete with Handel's Royal Academy of Music. Absconding with some of the star singers from Handel's troupe--including castrato Senesino and bass Montagnana--Arianna was successful enough to establish Porpora's name in England, and to prompt the Royal Academy to revive Handel's own Arianna in Creta the following season.
As in Handel's setting, the drama in Porpora's opera does not center on Teseo (Theseus) abandoning Arianna (Ariadne). Instead, librettist Paolo Rolli focused on the unexpected friendship that developed between Teseo and his rival Piritoo (Pirithous), and the ploys of Dionysus (disguised as the priest Orono) to reunite Teseo with his wife Antiope, in order to have Arianna for himself. It's not the most compelling story, even by the standards of Baroque opera, but Porpora's score is tuneful and full of invention. Teseo's hymn of victory ...