Alessandro Melani’s L’empio punito was produced during a short period of prosperity for Roman opera in the second half of the seventeenth century. The libretto, by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni, versified by Filippo Acciaiuoli, adapts the Don Juan myth into an opera seria form. By borrowing many elements from classical literature, Acciaiuoli and Apolloni distance their story from the psychological and ideological topics of the original myth, thereby creating space to parody some of its previous models. The first performance, at the Teatro Colonna on 17 February 1669, was sponsored by Cardinal Flavio Chigi, Agostino Chigi, Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, and Cardinal Giacomo Rospigliosi, a collective sponsorship following the similar successful production of Il Girello in 1668. Contemporary accounts describe L’empio punito as a novelty and praise its production, especially the visual aspect, which was so well received that a second row of seats was added to allow the entire audience a good view of the stage. The scenery, costumes, ballets, and the various nobles in attendance were all described in the surviving avvisi; the quality of the music and the singing were also highly praised.
- ISBN: 9781987208122 (1987208129)
