Alceste

Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, first performed in 1767. It is a key work in Gluck's operatic reform movement, which aimed to make opera more dramatically integrated and less focused on virtuosic singing. Gluck, with librettist Ranieri Calzabigi, sought to restore opera to its function as drama set to music, emphasizing natural expression and emotional truth over elaborate ornamentation. Alceste exemplifies these principles by simplifying the plot, integrating the chorus more effectively, and using music to serve the drama rather than overshadow it. The opera's foreword is considered a manifesto for this reform, advocating for a return to classical dramatic ideals and a more human, less conventional approach to opera seria.12