Introduction

Francesco Cavalli's La Doriclea represents the culmination of Italian Renaissance expression and the initial impetus for Baroque aesthetics. The opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Faustini, premiered at the Venice Carnival in 1645. The piece was censored in its early stages due to the story's queer romance, which challenged the conventions of sexuality and gender of the time: Against the backdrop of two warring nations, the captured Amazon warrior Doriclea and her enemy’s sister, the princess Eurinda, fall in love. However, both women are in political alliances of their own, and the jealous rival suitors besiege the couple in an attempt to expose them. Although toned down after censorship, the love scene between these two characters shocked patrons of its time even in a Carneval context, and the opera was closed after its initial run. Although queer stories have often been covered in the history of opera in veiled or humorous ways, Cavalli's piece is a boundary- breaking example with its openly respectful underlying message.

Musically, La Doriclea is a refined example of early-17th century style and inspired Pietro Andrea Ziani and Antonio Vivaldi to re-arrange the libretto. In the Tanssintalo performance, the opera is surrounded by instrumental intermezzos, i.e. interludes, from the Nordic Düben manuscript collection of the time. The project is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Nordic Culture Fund, the Goethe Institute, the Oskar Öflund Foundation, Culture Moves Europe and the Embassy of Estonia in Finland.

The project is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Nordic Culture Fund, the Goethe Institute, the Oskar Öflund Foundation, Culture Moves Europe and the Embassy of Estonia in Finland.

Pre-show discussions on November 15–16 at 6:30 PM and on November 17 at 5:30 PM in the Dance House Helsinki Lobby.

The event is organized by Ensemble Nylandia.