Rivale

André Campras’ opera »Tancrède«, which was written in 1701 with a libretto by Antoine Danchet, tells the story of love and war. Based on the »Selva di Saron« episode from Torquato Tasso’s Renaissance epic »La Gerusalemme liberata«, the figure of the Muslim princess Clorinda, who falls in love with the Christian King Tankred (her enemy and later murderer) appears as a complex character study in Danchet’s libretto, in which the transformation from desperate lover to decisive warrior is clearly articulated.
For her new music theatre piece, the Italian composer Lucia Ronchetti has redefined the baroque libretto and condensed it into an intense monologue. Clorinda becomes the narrator and witness of her own tragedy – an irreconcilable conflict between rivalry and desire. The composition itself also reveals an impressive combination of baroque and modern elements of style, which is an important aspect of Ronchetti’s musical expression. Thus, »poetic, musical descriptions of nature«, as found in works by baroque composers such as Francesco Geminiani and Clément Janequin, are taken up and transposed into contemporary musical language.