Gaspare Spontini: Olimpie

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Criterion (iv) : Olympia is an outstanding example of a great Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of antiquity, with its multiple functions: religious, political and social. Ancient sanctuaries, such as the Pelopion and a row of Treasuries to the north at the foot of Kronion Hill, are present within the peribolus of the Altis, consecrated to the gods, alongside the principal temples of Zeus and Hera. All around the divine precinct are the structures used by the priests (Theokoleon) and the administration (Bouleuterion), as well as common buildings (Prytaneion), accommodation (Leonidaion and Roman hostel), residences for distinguished guests (Nero’s House), and all the sports structures used for the preparation and celebration of the Olympic Games: the stadium and the hippodrome to the east, and the thermal baths, the Palaestra and the Gymnasium to the south and west. Particularly toothsome are some dramatic entries by the brass, played in the raspy manner favored by such early-music conductors as Nikolaus Harnoncourt. An instance can be heard at the beginning of the scene in Act 1 in which Antigone welcomes his warriors and the people of Ephesus into the temple of Diana for the wedding of Cassandre to—as Antigone will learn to his dismay—the slave Aménaïs (i.e., Olimpie). The carefully calibrated writing for winds and for muted and unmuted strings (explained in the accompanying essays) is much more audible here than in two earlier recordings of the opera, both currently unavailable except as used copies or via streaming: a 1950 live performance in Italian with the young Renata Tebaldi; and a 1984 radio-broadcast from Berlin that is in French (not always well pronounced). Both of those recordings used a version of the score that was published after Spontini’s death and that blended aspects of 1821 Berlin and 1826 Paris. Formed to promote French Romantic repertoire, Palazzetto Bru Zane continues its outstanding work with its book+CD series. There is a treasure trove of high-quality recordings to explore. With this revival of Spontini’s neglected opera Olimpie, Bru Zanes’ Opéra français series has reached volume 20, a limited edition of 3,500. Incidentally, Palazzetto Bru Zane no longer uses Ediciones Singulares as the title of its label; it is now Bru Zane. Another location that has a special interest to both ancients and moderns is the stadium. It is basically a field with start and end lines marked off by transverse curbing. The athletes entered under an archway of a vaulted corridor at the start. Spectators sat mainly on the field's sloping flanks. The length of this field became the standard stadion, an ancient Greek unit of distance, which appears in all the geographers. [note 2] The stadium has been resurrected for Olympic use with no intentional alteration of the ancient topography. Transient stands are easily thrown up and removed.

In fact the opera is remarkably passionate, but with the period instruments comes the ability to use somewhat lighter, more flexible voices than modern instruments would require.

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French libretto by Armand-Michel Dieulafoy and Charles Brifaut, based on Voltaire’s tragédie nouvelleOlympie(1761)

Eugène-Emmanuel Amaury-Duval (painter, member of the scientific commission), Souvenirs (1829-1830), Librairie Plon, E. Plon, Nourrit et Cie, imprimeurs-éditeurs, Paris, 1885. In the summer you can enjoy performances during the International Festival of Ancient Olympia; hike through the beautiful nature surrounding Alpheios River; have a refreshing swim in the small lakes created by the Neda waterfalls; and head to Kato Samikos beach – it’s an 18 km trip from Ancient Olympia. Don’t miss out on a visit to the Kaiafas spa area – the hot springs are in a lush forest that is part of the Natura 2000 network: enjoy the treatments and the wonderful view by the lake. Extreme sports lovers will enjoy hiking, bicycling, rafting, kayaking, and kitesurfing in the area. Amy titled her five star review " Great Olympea Dupe!" and added: "Instead of forking out loads of money for Olympea, try this instead! It smells exactly the same and although the smell doesn't last as long as the real thing, it's still a good price considering!" Revised version of 1826, in French ( OCLC 856341732). "On-line catalogue entry ORFEO". ORFEO . Retrieved 2 October 2010. Tenor Mathias Vidal has a firm core to his sound, with a plangent quality that draws the listener in. I have previously admired his skill and insight in operas by Catel, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel.According to the CD booklet, the performance was recorded on 31 May and 2 June 2016 and used the 1826 revised version of the score in French. "Presto Classical". Bru Zane . Retrieved 3 March 2019. The final configuration of the Altis is depicted in "Introduction to tour of Olympia". Tour with pictures. Perseus Digital Library. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021 . Retrieved 13 July 2021. Schumann's Myrthen at Wigmore Hall with Sarah Connolly, Robin Tritschler, Anna Huntley and Malcolm Martineau (★★ ★★) - concert review As usual with Palazzetto Bru Zane the book includes extensive articles but curiously neither the article by Olivier Baras nor the one by Gerard Conde makes a good case for the revised version, and I would be interested to hear the original tragic ending. Unfortunately, the musical sources for this does not seem to exist. Lajarte, Théodore (1878). Bibliothèque musicale du Théâtre de l'Opéra. Vol.2 [1793–1876]. Paris: Librairie des Bibliophiles.

In Act 2 Cassandre reveals to Statira and Olimpie what actually happened on that day long ago, thereby making clear to both of them that Aménaïs is in fact Olimpie, daughter of Statira and Alexandre. Statira still worries that Cassandre was “my assassin.” In Act 3, the guilt-ridden Antigone admits his guilt and kills himself, Statira mounts the throne, and Cassandre and Olimpie marry amid radiant expressions of relief and gratitude from the people of Ephesus. The Flemish Radio Choir sings splendidly, and the period-instrument orchestra, under its founding artistic director Jérémie Rhorer, makes consistently interesting, colorful, and apt sounds, assisted by the resonant acoustics of the Philharmonie de Paris. The large-ensemble scenes (e.g., end of Act 2) have a lift and forward impulse that help explain what Berlioz and Wagner—and, yes, Meyerbeer, Halévy, and Verdi—learned from Spontini’s operatic craftsmanship. Having completed her exercise programme, HMS Olympus (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Dymott, RN), returned to Malta. ( 16)Ancient and modern Shot put revisits Olympia". the Guardian. 19 August 2004. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019 . Retrieved 11 August 2016. Olimpie is based on a Voltaire play from 1761 in which the classical unities are preserved, and the ending with its triple death was designed to provoke 'terreur'. The original 1819 libretto preserved the sense of the Voltaire play but reduced the number of deaths to two. The revised version, however, substantially re-wrote the final act, removing the deaths altogether and adding a lieto fine to what had been a tragedy. It is this version that we hear. Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. "Altis". Britannica. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2021. During the night of 14/15 December 1940, HMS Olympus (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Dymott, RN), conducted trials and exercises off Malta. ( 16)

It would be easy for this opera to fail because, frankly, its characters are rather unloveable. But this terrific recording manages to revivify the neo-classical drama, giving us a performance which combines style and passion. Rather worryingly, this might be the most recommendable Spontini opera recording on disc as by far the majority of recordings are either cut or in Italian or unavailable and La Vestale does not yet have a completely recommendable modern account in French. Olimpie (also spelled Olympie) is an opera in three acts by Gaspare Spontini. The French libretto, by Armand-Michel Dieulafoy and Charles Brifaut, is based on the play of the same name [ fr] by Voltaire (1761). Olimpie was first performed on 22 December 1819 by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Montansier. When sung in Italian or German, it is usually given the title Olimpia. The story takes place in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great, who left a vast empire, stretching from Macedonia through Persia to the Indian Ocean. His surviving generals fought for control of the empire and divided it up. Two of the historical characters in Voltaire's play and Spontini's opera, Cassander and Antigonus, were among the rivals competing for parts of the empire. Antigonus was one of Alexander's generals, while Cassander was the son of another of Alexander's generals, Antipater. Alexander's widow, Statira was supposedly killed by Alexander's first wife Roxana shortly after his death, but in Voltaire's play and Spontini's opera, she survives incognito, as a priestess of Diana in Ephesus. The title character Olimpie, daughter of Statira and Alexander, is likely entirely fictional. Ancient Olympic Games and the Elis Olympic Coins for Olympia". Elis Olympic Coins. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021 . Retrieved 9 March 2021.HMS Olympus (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Dymott, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Monteponi (742 GRT, built 1917) about 10 nautical miles north of Cape Comino, Sardinia, Italy in position 40°40'N, 09°50'E. Panagiotis Kondylis, one of the most prominent modern Greek thinkers and philosophers, was born and raised in Olympia. Spontini's operas, despite the iconic status of La Vestale, still have not made the impact on the modern opera house that they deserve. A composer much admired by Berlioz, the neo-classical nature of his style seems somewhat difficult to re-capture in modern performance. Escape to the Country: Rachmaninov at Ivanovka: soprano Alexandra Dunaeva, countertenor Iestyn Morris, pianist Nigel Foster at London Song Festival