Stories of Clorinda, Jephte and Ismene (Saint-Petersburg Opera Theatre, opera)

THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OPERA FESTIVALProduction of Collegium Musicum Riga (Latvia) 
Stories of Clorinda, Jephte and Ismène Part I Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) Operatic scena Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (1638) Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674) Oratorio Jephte (~1648) Part II François Rebel (1701-1775) / François Francœur (1698-1787)  Pastorale heroique Ismène (1747) 
One of the most beautiful master works of the first half of 17th century, one act scenes – Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Jephte – represent early form of opera. Rhetoric and historical gestures are main keywords to this wonderful world of Greek tragedy. Whereas story of Daphnis and Ismène love is delicate 18th century example of fashion of Versailles in that period. Moreover, already at that time, among their contemporaries, both composers – François Rebel and François Francœur – were famous for deliberately hiding their authorship, creating a veil of mystery around Pastorale heroique Ismène to this day.