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La Calisto
180'
Italian
Synopsis
The king of the gods, Jupiter (Giove), becomes obsessed with the nymph Calisto, a follower of the chaste goddess Diana. To seduce her, he disguises himself as Diana. The plan works, and in the disguise, the "lesbian" seduction of Calisto takes place. Meanwhile, the real Diana falls in love with the shepherd Endimione. When Jupiter's wife Juno discovers the affair, she transforms Calisto into a bear out of jealousy. The opera ends with Jupiter transforming Calisto into the constellation Ursa Major.
Composer
Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Giovanni Faustini (1615-1651)
Year of composition/publication / premiere
1651
Genre
Opera
LGBTQAI+ category
Lesbian, Queer, Trans
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Calisto, Diana, Endimione
Voice type
Soprano, Contralto
Pronouns
Calisto: she/her; Diana: she/her; Endimione: he/him
Publisher / Rights holder
The work is in the public domain. Modern critical editions are published by Bärenreiter, A-R Editions, and others.
Where to buy / access the work
Scores can be purchased from major sheet music retailers like Bärenreiter and A-R Editions, or found for free on public domain resources like IMSLP.
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords
Twomey, Cathal. "Tracing aspects of intimacy and celibacy in Francesco Cavalli’s 17th century opera La Calisto," *3rd Symposium of LGBTQ+ Music Study Group* (2022); Hilder, Thomas. "Celibacy, Pleasure, and Gender Dynamics in Cavalli’s La Calisto: The Queer Case of Diana and Endimione" (2019)