Gluck, Christoph Willibald << VIHL ih `bahlt` >> (1714-1787), a German composer, reformed opera in the 1700’s. Gluck eliminated the mere display of brilliant singing that previously had dominated opera. He tried to achieve a balance between the musical and the dramatic aspects of opera. Gluck enriched the orchestral component of opera and gave more emphasis to choral and ensemble singing. The enhanced orchestra provided more opportunity to develop an opera’s dramatic qualities.
Loading the player...Gluck: Iphigenie in Aulis
Gluck was born in Erasbach in Bavaria. His important operatic work began in Vienna. There he collaborated with an Italian poet, Ranieri di Calzabigi, on three operas–Orpheus and Eurydice (1762), also known as Orfeo; Alceste (1767); and Paris and Helen (1770). Like all of Gluck’s best operas, these works were based on ancient Greek themes. Gluck’s next opera, Iphigenia in Aulis, opened in Paris in 1774. He achieved another reform with this work by insisting on six months of rehearsal instead of the usual few weeks. Gluck also stressed the importance of the composer’s wishes, rather than the whims of the star singers, in deciding how an opera should be performed. His greatest opera, Iphigenia in Tauris, was presented in Paris in 1779.
Loading the player...Dance of the Blessed Spirits
