Alceste

Opera by Christoph Willibald von Gluck (libretto by Raniero de Calzabigi after Euripides), first produced in Italian at the Burgtheater, Vienna, Austria, on 26 December 1767. The French version, revised by the composer (libretto by C L G L du Roullet after Raniero de Calzabigi) was first produced at the Paris Opéra, France, on 23 April 1776. The work tells the story of Alceste and her husband Admète who are saved from Hades by Hercules as Alceste prepares to sacrifice herself for the dying Admète.

There are other operas with the same title. The one by Nicolaus Strungk (libretto by P Thiemich, based on Aurelio Aureli's Antigona delusa da Alceste) was written for the opening of the Leipzig opera house, Germany, and was produced there on 18 May 1693. A further opera by Anton Schweitzer (libretto by Christoph Wieland) was produced at the court in Weimar, Germany, on 28 May 1773. It was the first German opera in the manner of Pietro Metastasio.

Handel also composed incidental music (later used for The Choice of Hercules) to a play entitled Alceste by Tobias Smollett. It was to be produced at Covent Garden, London, England, in 1750, but did not take place.

See also Alkestis.