Iphigénie en Aulide

Having already absorbed many features of French opera into his works, it was not surprising that, by the early 1770s, Gluck should be drawn to the French stage itself. Iphigénie en Aulide (Iphigenia in Aulis) was the first of the seven operas he was to compose for Paris, and had its premiere at the Opéra in 1774. One of Gluck’s most effective dramas, he nevertheless bowed to French taste and revised the work for a revival in 1775. Set at the time of the Trojan War in Aulis, an island off the coast of Greece, the opera explores the theme of sacrifice. The goddess Diana demands that King Agamemnon sacrifice Iphigenia, his daughter, to assure the safe passage of the King’s fleet headed for Troy. The struggle between the value of one life over many dominates the opera, and eventually Iphigenia offers her own life for the sake of her people. At the last minute, Achilles, her betrothed, interrupts the sacrificial ceremony, and Diana changes her mind and consents to their marriage. The powerful pace of the action is ensured by Gluck’s flexible use of free, speech-like writing (recitative) and more melodic phases (arioso), which only coalesce into fully formed arias and ensembles when dramatically essential. The power of Agamemnon’s two great monologues in the opening acts are without precedent, and before our eyes Iphigenia herself develops from an innocent young lover to a mature heroine in music which broke new ground in its blend of French declamation and Italian lyricism.