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Écho et Narcisse

96'

French

Synopsis

The nymph Echo is in love with Narcissus, but the god Apollo also desires her. Jealous, Apollo casts a spell on Narcissus, causing him to fall in love with his own reflection. Echo, believing he has rejected her for a water goddess, dies of a broken heart. The spell is broken, and a remorseful Narcissus is about to kill himself when Cupid reunites the lovers in a final happy ending

Composer

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

Louis-Théodore de Tschudi (Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Théodore Baron de Tschudi)

Year of composition/publication / premiere

1779

Genre

Opera

LGBTQAI+ category

Bisexual, Queer

Level of centrality

Main character

Characters

Narcisse (Narcissus)

Voice type

Contra-tenor

Pronouns

he/him

Publisher / Rights holder

The work is in the public domain. Modern urtext editions are published by Bärenreiter

Where to buy / access the work

The score is available for purchase from Bärenreiter (BA02295), and a vocal score can be found on IMSLP.

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.