Facco | Las amazonas de España DIGITAL

In the present volume we publish the opera Las amazonas de España, with text by José de Cañizares and music by Jaime Facco. The work was promoted by the City Council of Madrid to celebrate the birth of the infant Felipe, fourth son of Felipe V and his second wife, Isabel de Farnesio. It was performed for the first time in April-May 1720 at the Coliseo del Buen Retiro by the two theatrical companies of Madrid: José de Prado's and Juan Álvarez's. It was performed again in July-August 1720 at the Coliseo del Buen Retiro. It was performed again in July-August 1724 at the Corral de la Cruz in Madrid by the company of Manuel de San Miguel and, years later, on January 8, 1728 in Lisbon during the extraordinary embassy of the V Marquis de los Balbases. The composer, Jaime Facco, had arrived in the Iberian Peninsula at the beginning of 1720 and, in addition to Las amazonas de España (1720), composed other stage works during his first years in Madrid: Amor es todo invención, Júpiter y Anfitrión (1721), La hazaña mayor de Alcides (1723) and Fieras afemina amor (1724). The playwright José de Cañizares was one of the most important poets of his time, author of the lyrics of the villancicos sung in the Royal Chapel and of more than 30 zarzuelas, operas and serenatas, as well as some of the most successful theater plays of the 18th century.

What has come down to us is a shortened version for a production with fewer means and for a reduced space. Ars Hispana offers an extended version of this opera, with a reconstructed finale. If you are interested in it, please contact us.

Instruments: oboe (flute), 2 violins, viola and bc.

Roles:

- Marfilia, princess of the Amazons (soprano)

- Celauro, prince of Provence (soprano)

- Clorilene, amazon (soprano)

- Aníbal, Carthaginian general (soprano)

- Mentor, his captain (soprano)

- Brinco, soldier, joker (soprano)

- Laureta, joker, Mariflia's servant (soprano)