Europa riconosciuta

Europa riconosciuta
Europa riconosciuta
Opera by Antonio Salieri
	Poster for the premiere at the inauguration of La Scala
Librettist	Mattia Verazi
Language	Italian
Premiere	3 August 1778; La Scala, Milan

Europa riconosciuta (Italian: [euˈrɔːpa rikonoʃˈʃuːta]; meaning "Europa revealed" or "Europa recognized") is an opera in two acts by Antonio Salieri, designated as a dramma per musica, set to an Italian libretto by Mattia Verazi.

The opera takes place in Tyre in Phoenicia and tells a story of love, violence and political discord in ancient times. The central character, Europa, was once the lover of Zeus and helps resolve all disagreements after she discloses her identity – thus the title "Europa Revealed".^[1] Though a traditional opera seria, the work differentiates itself from several of the typical characteristics of the genre. For example: a murder is seen onstage and an extended finale is used in both acts, a practice more typical of opera buffa. Musically, the opera is quite challenging, requiring four principal singers capable of spanning wide tessituras, sustaining long phrases, and making dextrous leaps.^[2] For example, the roles of Europa and Semele go up to a high F sharp above high C a few times.^[3]

^ Horowitz, Jason, 'For Mozart's Archrival, an Italian Renaissance', New York Times, December 28, 2004
^ Sachs, Harvey, 'La Scala Is the Star at Its Own Reopening', New York Times, December 9, 2004
^ Gurewitsch, Matthew, 'In search of a lost reputation', Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2005. (Available online here Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine)

[1] Horowitz, Jason, 'For Mozart's Archrival, an Italian Renaissance', New York Times, December 28, 2004

[2] Sachs, Harvey, 'La Scala Is the Star at Its Own Reopening', New York Times, December 9, 2004

[3] Gurewitsch, Matthew, 'In search of a lost reputation', Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2005. (Available online here Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine)

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