musica - Studia

THEATRICAL LIFE AND REPERTOIRE OF THE MARIONETTE THEATRE OF ESTERHÁZ
Fig. 3
Philemon and Baucis (line-engraving from Ovidius: Metamorphoses, 1703) 38
Although there is no clearly identifiable data on the second performance
of Philemon und Baucis, our conclusions are based upon the date of creation
of the borrowed elements. The premiere of Ordoñez’s work – to which
Pauersbach had written the libretto – was in the summer of 1775 at Esterház,
therefore the second version of Philemon must have been made later. Since
Philemon und Baucis appears in the Gotha Theatrical Almanac of 1777, we can
presume that it had been staged in 1776 or early in 1777. If the assumptions
are correct, it means that Haydn borrowed the aria of Il Mondo della Luna from
Philemon und Baucis, since the premiere of the former was in August, 1777.
Since Philemon und Baucis is one of the marionette operas which
remained intact, a gramophone recording had been made with the lead of
Robbins Landon. It is important to note the year 1959, when Siegfried Wehrle’s
ensemble performed the play with marionettes in Eisenstadt.
38 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baucis_and_Philemon.jpg Downloaded: 14.09.2011.
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