Giasone

Giasone (Jason) is an opera in three acts and a prologue with music by Francesco Cavalli and a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini. It was premiered at the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice on 5 January 1649, during carnival. Giasone was "the single most popular opera of the 17th century". The plot is loosely based on the story of Jason and the golden fleece, but the opera contains many comic elements too.

Two mythological characters appear in the prologue: Sole (the sun, i.e. Apollo) and Amore (love, i.e. Cupid). Sole opens with an aria about the gloriousness of the day because Giasone (i.e. Jason) will set out leading his Argonauts on a quest to find the Golden Fleece - or so it is expected. Sole is also elated that Giasone will marry his descendant Medea and so he lets forth his brightest light. In the following recitative, Amore chides Sole because no one has asked her for permission for this marriage. She had intended that Giasone marry Queen Isifile of the Island of Lemnos: the two are already married and have had twin children. After Amore's aria, they argue over this problem for the remainder of the prologue without resolution and they intend to fight one another.

A recitative begins with the Argonaut Ercole (i.e. Hercules), who complains that Giasone has not awoken yet, even though the sun is shining. He is perturbed because Giasone has grown soft as a result of enjoying the pleasures of love with Queen Medea and as a result he has been neglecting his duties. Captain Besso enters and tries to convince Ercole that all men have their vices and so he should not be too concerned. Ercole, being a man of honor, tells Besso that is too effeminate, to which Besso replies: "Of woman I was born."

Giasone enters and sings the aria "Delizie, contenti" of his contentment in seeking sexual pleasure. Ercole admonishes him for neglecting to prepare for battle and the two discuss duty versus the pleasures of love.

Medea is alone singing a strophic aria "Se dardo pungente" about the pain of desiring love. She is joined by Egeo (i.e. King Aegus of Athens) and together they discuss their marriage, which Medea would like to terminate. Egeo is unable to deal with this and he asks Medea to kill him with a dagger. She refuses and leaves. Alone, Egeo laments over his lost love with the recitative "Si parte, mi deride?" and the aria "Misero, cosi va".

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