Acide

Opera in Concert

Acide was Haydn’s first Italian opera, composed for the wedding of the eldest son of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy I on 10 January 1763. A pompous and extravagant occasion, the orchestra appeared in gold-trimmed maroon gala uniforms after guests had travelled a magically lit journey from Vienna to Eisenstadt.

Being a festive opera, Acide does not adhere to the strict rules of the opera seria, but is a brisk dramatic one-act (libretto by G.A. Migliavacca). Based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, classical mythology was ‘morally’ adapted to the requirements of the event in question. Acide follows the story of the Cyclops Polifemo wooing the half-goddess Galatea, but to no avail. Galatea is actually in love with the handsome young shepherd-boy Acide, who eventually metamorphoses into an immortal river god.

Four arias and most of the recitatives from the original version have been lost, but the libretto has survived in its entirety. In this way, the work can be performed with an actor that narrates the story between the arias. Haydn’s music is in some respect less ‘modern’ than Gluck’s contemporary ‘reform opera’ Orfeo ed Euridice, but is dramatically more precise, expressively clear and less superficially pleasant.

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