Proserpine (Paisiello)

Proserpine is an opera in three acts by Giovanni Paisiello to a libretto by Nicolas-François Guillard. It was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on 28 March 1803.

The opera is based on the ancient Roman myth of Proserpina (or Persephone in Greek mythology), the daughter of Ceres (Demeter), who is abducted by Pluto (Hades) to be queen of the Underworld. The libretto follows the traditional narrative of Ceres's grief and search for her daughter, Pluto's holding of Proserpine captive, and ultimately, a compromise reached whereby Proserpine spends part of the year in the Underworld and part on Earth, allowing for the cycle of seasons.

Paisiello's Proserpine was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, who sought a grand opera that would establish his own artistic patronage and rival the successes of operas by composers like Gluck and Piccinni. The opera was intended to be a significant cultural event during Napoleon's reign.

Despite the high expectations and the composer's established reputation, Proserpine was not initially a major success. While Paisiello's music is characteristically melodic and elegant, the opera was considered somewhat conservative in style compared to the more dramatic and innovative works emerging at the time. The libretto was also criticized for lacking dramatic intensity.

Although not a long-term success in the standard operatic repertoire, Proserpine represents a significant work within Paisiello's oeuvre and provides insight into the operatic tastes and political ambitions of the Napoleonic era. Its historical importance lies in its commission, its performance at the Opéra in Paris, and its reflection of the mythological subjects that were popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is also noteworthy for being Paisiello's only opera written for the French stage.