Composed in 1625 to celebrate Ladislao Sigismund of Poland's visit to Florence, La liberazione di Ruggiero is a fine if slightly short work involving three principle protagonists (Alcina, Melissa and Ruggiero - Soprano, Alto and Tenor respectively), a sizeable chorus (whose roles includes "six damsels", monsters and Alcina's unenchanted prisoners), and a band consisting of at least five strings, four trombones, recorders, organ and harpsichord(s). Most of the drama is recounted in recitative, but Francesca Caccini builds a unified whole by using ritornello structures and cleverly structured choral blocks. The final madrigal is in eight parts (SATB SATB) and originally featured an equestrian ballet!
Click here to see the first two pages of the score (PDF file, 94kb).
Edited by Brian Clark.
64pp.
Scoring: SSSSSSAATTBB, instruments, continuo.
Our good friends Anne Graf and Selene Mills very kindly produced a pamphlet that details the on-stage action and includes a full English translation.
You can download it here (PDF file, 174kb). We are enormously grateful to both ladies for the huge effort they put into the project.
If you plan to perform this work, please contact us for details. We do not hire scores, but we can make multiple copies available more cheaply and our performing rights are very reasonable.
Instrumentalists can mostly play from the score, too, allowing directors the maximum flexibility in adding colour to the production. We are happy to discuss (and accommodate) your needs!