Abstract
- Date and Time: December 6th (Sat.) 2025, 13:00 – 19:00 (JST)
- Venue: Ono Auditorium, Waseda University
Advance registration is required. - Prospected Audience: Open to the public
- Language: Japanese, Italian (Recorded video with Japanese translation available.)
- Organized by: Waseda Institute for Research in Opera and Music Theatre (WIROM), Comprehensive Research Organization of Waseda University
- Supported by: Comprehensive Research Organization of Waseda University, Istituto Italiano di Cultura
Gist
In 2025, we commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Scarlatti, widely recognized as the founder of the Neapolitan school and a key figure in establishing the structural standards of “classical opera.” Yet, the full scope and significance of his life and works remain subjects for further scholarly exploration.
This symposium offers a comprehensive overview of Scarlatti’s operatic career from 1679 to 1721. We begin with his first opera, premiered in Rome in 1679, and continue through his middle period masterpiece Pirro e Demetrio (1694)—the source of the well-known Italian art song collection Le violette. Through analyses of works performed in Venice and Naples during his middle and late periods, we aim to illuminate Scarlatti’s creative output from multiple perspectives. Furthermore, we will examine how his music was received in England, the German-speaking world, and Russia.
In 2025, we commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Scarlatti, widely recognized as the founder of the Neapolitan school and a key figure in shaping the structural foundations of classical opera. However, the full scope and significance of his life and works remain areas for further scholarly exploration.
This symposium presents a comprehensive overview of Scarlatti’s operatic career from 1679 to 1721. It begins with his first opera, premiered in Rome in 1679, and continues through his middle-period masterpiece Pirro e Demetrio (1694), which inspired the well-known Italian art song collection Le violette. Through analyses of works performed in Venice and Naples during his middle and late periods, we aim to illuminate Scarlatti’s creative output from multiple perspectives. Furthermore, we will examine how his music was received in England, the German-speaking world, and Russia.
Program
Opening Address: ISHII Michiko
Explanation of the Symposium’s Purpose: OKOUCHI Fumie
●Part I Special Lecture (On-demand Video)
FABRIS, Dinko
”The Current State of Research on Alessandro Scarlatti”
●Part II Italy
TSUJI Masahiro
“The Scandal Surrounding the Roman Premiere of Gli equivoci nel sembiante”
HAGIHARA Rika
“A Revival of Alessandro Scarlatti’s Operas: The Siena Performance of Pirro e Demetrio”
SASAKI Naomi
“Approaching Alessandro Scarlatti’s Il Mitridate Eupatore (1707): Musical Context, Characteristics, and Reception”
YAMADA Takashi
“Il Trionfo dell’onore (Napoli, 1718): From the Contest Related to the Neapolitan Public Theaters and Genre of Commedia per musica”
★Performance I
《Gli equivoci nel sembiante》(1679) Excerpt
《La Griselda》(1721) Excerpt
MORIKAWA Yuko soprano, MORI Yumiko soprano, SAKANAGA Tamami violin, TAKAHASHI Koji cello, UWAHA Tsuyoshi cembalo
Question and Answer Session
Commentator NODA Minori
●Part III Reception in Various Countries
MORIMOTO Yoriko
“Connections between Eighteenth-Century Russia and the Neapolitan School of Music”
TANAKA Nobuaki
“The Reception of Alessandro Scarlatti in Germany and the Santini Collection”
YOSHIE Hidekazu
“A London Version of Pirro e Demetrio (Pyrrhus and Demetrius)”
★Performance II
《Il Pirro e Demetrio》（1694 Napoli）Excerpt
《Pyrrhus and Demetrius》（1709 London）Excerpt
MORIKAWA Yuko soprano, MORI Yumiko soprano, SAKANAGA Tamami violin, TAKAHASHI Koji cello, UWAHA Tsuyoshi cembalo
Question and Answer Session
Commentator NODA Minori
Closing remarks OKOUCHI Fumie
Chairperson ISHII Michiko
Registration
Advance registration is required for both in-person and on-line participants by Thursday, December 4, 2025. Please complete your registration via the provided URL or QR code.
https://forms.gle/5jZpYF4QiUnSs6Ek9
