FULL IPHIGENIA EN TRACIA (José de Nebra) Dallas TX 2016 Anna Fredericka Popova, Carla López Speziale, Eugenia Ramírez

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Iphigenia en Tracia or Para obsequio a la deidad, nunca es culto la crueldad y Iphigenia en Tracia  
• Composer: José de Nebra  
• Libretto: Nicolás González Martínez, based on Euripedes’ Iphigenia in Tauris    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Moody Concert Hall, Dallas, Texas, Orchestra of New Spain  
• Recorded: February & March 2016
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Anna Fredericka Popova, Carla López Speziale, Eugenia Ramírez, Leslie Hochman
• Conductor: Gregory Wilkins  
• Orchestra: Orchestra of New Spain  
• Choreographer: Jaime Puente  
• Stage Director: Gustavo Tambascio  
• Stage Designer: Nicolás Boni  
• Costume Designer: Antonio Bartolo  
• Lighting Designer: Albert Faura  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Orchestra of New Spain  
• Date Published: 2026  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: yessubs, gensubs, othersubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Para obsequio a la deidad, nunca es culto la crueldad y Iphigenia en Tracia (commonly known as Iphigenia en Tracia) is a two-act zarzuela composed by the Spanish Baroque composer José Melchor Nebra (1702–1768), with libretto by Nicolás González Martínez, that premiered in Madrid in 1747. Loosely inspired by Euripides’ ancient Greek tragedy Iphigenia in Tauris, the work relocates the mythological narrative to Thrace on the Black Sea, blending tales of familial reunion, love, and jealousy involving figures such as Iphigenia, her brother Orestes, sister Electra (married to Pylades), and additional characters like Polydorus and Dircea.
  Nebra, a prominent court musician and organist known for over 40 zarzuelas, crafted the score in an Italianate style that includes secco recitatives, da capo arias, a simile aria depicting a shipwreck, and ensemble numbers like a lengthy quartet, all supported by a string-based orchestra with occasional winds such as horns and flutes. The genre’s characteristic spoken dialogue—omitted in modern recordings—adds comic relief through secondary characters, contrasting the dramatic mythological core and emphasizing themes of compassion and divine mercy in a post-Trojan War context.
  As one of Nebra’s later stage works, Iphigenia en Tracia exemplifies the evolution of zarzuela during Spain’s late Baroque period, bridging Italian operatic influences with native dramatic traditions, and has seen revivals in the 21st century, including productions at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela

  Synopsis

  Act 1

  The first act of Iphigenia en Tracia opens in a wild forest near the temple of Diana in Thrace, where Iphigenia serves as high priestess, tormented by memories of her supposed sacrifice at Aulis and her exile among the Scythians. A chorus of shepherdesses dances and sings of the pastoral serenity of the locale, contrasting with Iphigenia’s inner conflict over her isolated fate and longing for her homeland.
  Dircea, betrothed to Polidoro, enters lamenting her unrequited affections, while Polidoro confesses his deep love for Iphigenia, declaring it superior to any other bond and vowing unwavering devotion despite her priestly vows. The arrival of Orestes and his companion Pylades, strangers seeking to steal the statue of Diana, introduces tension as they are captured by temple guards; Orestes rails against the gods for his misfortunes, unknowingly drawing parallels to Iphigenia’s own plight and hinting at their sibling connection through shared laments. Dircea, smitten by Orestes’ valor, grows jealous of his interactions with Iphigenia, fueling romantic rivalries.[1][18]
  Comic relief arrives through the antics of the servants Cofieta and Mochila, whose bumbling duet pokes fun at the dangers of the wilderness and their own petty squabbles, lightening the mythic gravity. Subtle recognitions emerge as Iphigenia and Orestes exchange words that evoke familial echoes, building suspense around their identities. The act culminates in a quartet involving Iphigenia, Orestes, Dircea, and Polidoro, where mistaken affections and threats of ritual sacrifice heighten the drama, as Orestes faces potential execution as a foreign intruder.

  Act 2

  In Act 2 of Iphigenia en Tracia, the escalating romantic entanglements from the first act intensify, placing Orestes in immediate peril as he faces ritual sacrifice under Iphigenia’s priestly duties. Iphigenia, torn between her sacred obligations and her inexplicable affection for the captive stranger—whom she does not yet recognize as her brother—initially resolves to proceed with the execution to appease King Thoas and her own sense of duty. Polydorus, still smitten with Iphigenia, complicates matters by confronting Dircea over her affections for Orestes, heightening the rivalries amid the temple’s tense atmosphere.
  The drama reaches its climax as Iphigenia confronts Orestes privately, leading to a heated exchange that reveals their shared torment; she offers to spare his life if he delivers a letter to Greece revealing her fate, but Orestes refuses, insisting his friend Pylades undertake the task while he accepts death nobly. This act of selflessness prompts Pylades’ intervention, during which he inadvertently discloses Orestes’ true identity, triggering the profound sibling recognition between Iphigenia, Orestes, and Electra, who has been disguised as a shepherdess since her earlier arrival. Overwhelmed by the revelation, Iphigenia halts the sacrifice, affirming familial bonds over ritual cruelty. Polydorus invokes the metaphor of his own shipwreck survival to underscore the emotional turmoil engulfing all, likening their entangled fates to storm-tossed vessels seeking safe harbor.[
  Thoas, enraged by the defiance, orders the deaths of both Orestes and Iphigenia, but Pylades and Electra rally support, summoning a Greek fleet that arrives to engage the Thracians in battle. The conflict resolves victoriously for the Greeks, allowing the siblings to seize the statue of Artemis and flee. Dircea’s schemes to win Orestes unravel comically as her affections prove misplaced in light of the family ties, while the servants Mochila and Cofieta provide humorous relief through their witty parodies of the chaos, resolving their own minor romantic subplot with irreverent commentary on the nobility’s passions. The act concludes with the family’s escape from Thrace, emphasizing redemption and compassion triumphing over sacrificial barbarism, as Orestes, Iphigenia, and Electra sail homeward.

  Quoted from https://grokipedia.com/page/iphigenia_en_tracia

  (Visited 4 times, 1 visits today)