Composer

:

Luigi Rossi

Genre

:

Choral

Style

:

Cantata

Average_duration

:

15:44

La Cecità del misero mortale is an opera in three acts composed by Luigi Rossi. The opera premiered in Rome in 1662 and was one of the most successful operas of its time. The libretto was written by Francesco Buti and is based on the story of Samson and Delilah from the Bible. The first act of the opera begins with Samson, the Israelite hero, lamenting his blindness and captivity at the hands of the Philistines. Delilah, a Philistine woman, enters and attempts to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength. Samson resists her advances and is eventually taken away by the Philistines. The second act takes place in the temple of Dagon, the Philistine god. Samson is brought in as a prisoner and is mocked by the Philistines. Delilah enters and continues to try to seduce Samson, eventually succeeding in getting him to reveal the secret of his strength. She then orders the Philistines to cut off his hair, which is the source of his power. The final act takes place in a prison cell where Samson is being held. He laments his loss of strength and his blindness, but is eventually able to regain his strength and destroy the temple of Dagon, killing himself and all of the Philistines inside. The music of La Cecità del misero mortale is characterized by its use of recitative and aria, which was a popular style of the time. The opera also features a number of duets and ensemble pieces, which were relatively new to the genre. The music is highly expressive and emotional, with a focus on the vocal lines and the text. Overall, La Cecità del misero mortale is a powerful and dramatic opera that was highly influential in its time. Its success helped to establish the popularity of opera in Italy and paved the way for future composers in the genre.

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