Proserpin (Kraus)
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Proserpin is a Swedish-language opera by Joseph Martin Kraus to a libretto by the poet Johan Henrik Kellgren following a plot drafted by Gustav III himself from Philippe Quinault's Proserpine. The opera was premiered at Ulriksdal Palace on 6 June 1781 for one performance. The opera was revived at the Drottningholm Theatre in 1980 under Arnold Östman.[1][2] The opera was performed with a new German libretto at the Schwetzingen Festival in 2006.[3]
Kraus wrote to his parents on 20 June 1780 that he had received from the King's secretary a text by "the best poet in Sweden"; by 14 September he wrote again that he had almost finished the score. By the following March Kraus was able to report that his opera was in rehearsal, although there were subsequent delays before the June premiere.[4]
| Role[5] | Voice type | Premiere Cast (Conductor: – ) |
|---|---|---|
| Proserpin, Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres | soprano | |
| Ceres, Proserpin's mother | soprano | |
| Cyane, Proserpin's nymph | soprano | |
| Atis, Cyane's lover, also in love with Proserpin | tenor | |
| Pluto, god of the Lower World and Jupiter's brother, also in love with Proserpin | baritone | |
| Jupiter, the highest god | baritone | |
| Mercurius, Jupiter's messenger | tenor | |
| A Bacchant / Faun | tenor | |
| Sicilians, nymphs, bacchants | ||
