Publisher's Synopsis
Carnaval de Venise, Campra's second work for the Académie Royale de Musique, has significance in the history of the French lyric theatre for it is a rare example of an opéra- ballet with continuous action. The m ore typical genre, exemplified by L'Europe galant, has a separate plot for each act. By virtue of its single intrigue, Le Carnaval de Venise is an important precursor of the French lyric comedy of which Rameau's Platée (1746 is perhaps the best known example. Le Carnaval de Venise served Campra as a study for his later opéra-ballet, Les Fêumflex;tes vénitiennes (1710).
Of special interest in both works is the interpolation of an op era within an opera. A miniature Italian opera in eight scenes, Orfeo nell'inferni, forms one of the divertissements in the final act of Le Carnaval de Venise.
