The Cincinnati opera season has been over since the end of July – but I am just now writing a review of the rowdy and outrageous La Calisto, written by Francesco Cavalli, first performed in 1651.
It is as outrageous as any of Shakespeare’s comedies, with as many plot twists, disguises and hidden identities (Jove the baritone becomes the huntress Diana – truly over the top), and both god/desses and humans eager to tell on one another. There is no end of confusion.
It was performed in the School for Creative and Performing Arts, with basically the same set as last year’s Galileo, which was wonderful.
This was wonderful, too, though not many characters got to end up happy. And poor Calisto is now a bear in our night sky. But what beautiful music and wild mix-ups preceeded that finale.