Paul Groves Sang 14 Friendly Performances as Met Opera's Second Pylade

Summary: Paul Groves sang 14 friendly performances as Met Opera's second Pylade, the friendship-epitomizing role in Christoph von Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride.

In Christoph von Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Iphigénie offers escape to Oreste, still unknown as her brother, and sacrifice to Oreste's friend Pylade, but Oreste finally convinces her to free Pylade instead: Barenreiter @Baerenreiter, via Twitter July 2, 2020

Paul Groves sang 14 friendly performances as Met Opera's second Pylade in Christoph von Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride and as Met Opera's first Pylade to sing the role with the opera's original French libretto.

Met Opera's first Pylade, Johannes Sembach (born Johannes Semfke; March 9, 1881-June 20, 1944), created the role in the opera's United States premiere, which took place Saturday, Nov. 25, 1916, at the Metropolitan Opera House. The German operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 26, 1914, in the title role in the opera house's 74th performance of Parsifal by German Romantic Era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

All five of the 1916-1917 season's performances of Iphigénie en Tauride by German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787) were sung in German. The German libretto was credited to German composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sep. 8, 1949) and German composer and poet Carl August Peter Cornelius (Dec. 24, 1824-Oct. 26, 1874).

Met Opera's next round of performances of Iphigénie en Tauride occurred 90 seasons later. The 2007-2008 season debuted a new production that introduced into the opera house's repertoire the opera's original French libretto by French librettist Nicolas-François Guillard (Jan. 16, 1752-Dec. 26, 1814). Iphigénie en Tauride's new production received eight performances in the 2007-2008 season. The Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, debut was followed by performances on Saturday, Dec. 1; Wednesday, Dec. 5; Saturday, Dec. 8; Tuesday, Dec. 11; Friday, Dec. 14; Wednesday, Dec. 19. The new production's eighth, closing performance took place Saturday, Dec. 22.

The new, French-language production was directed by Stephen Wadsworth (born April 3, 1953, as Stephen Wadsworth Zinsser). The American opera and theater director had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Rodelinda by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759).

Paul Groves (born Nov. 24, 1964) became Met Opera's second Pylade with his appearance in the new production's debut, Tuesday, Nov. 27. His appearances in the 2007-2008 season's new, French-language production of Iphigénie en Tauride also qualified him as the first Met Opera Pylade to sing the role in French. The American operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 9, 1992, as the Steersman in the opera house's 127th performance of Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer.

Paul Groves honed his impersonation of Pylade with his reprisal of the role in the 2010-2011 season's first revival of Stephen Wadsworth's French-language production. Iphigénie en Tauride received six performances in the 2010-2011 season. Iphigénie en Tauride's first revival opened Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. The second through fifth performances occurred Wednesday, Feb. 16; Monday, Feb. 21; Saturday, Feb. 26; and Wednesday, March 2. The sixth, closing performance took place Saturday, March 5.

Paul Groves made his 14th and last appearance as Met Opera's second Pylade and first French-language Pylade in the first revival's sixth, closing performance. The season's closing performance of Iphigénie en Tauride's first revival numbered as the opera house's 19th performance of the Gluck opera.

The role of Pylade, lifelong friend of Prince Oreste, epitomizes friendship in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride. As shipwrecked captives in Scythian Tauris, Pylade and Oreste are both condemned to death in accordance with the Scythian practice of ritually sacrificing strangers. Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, however, has a happy ending that emphasizes the strength of true friendship and family values.

As Met Opera's second Pylade, Paul Groves extolled friendship in all 14 performances with Met Opera's second Oreste, Plácido Domingo (born Jan. 21, 1941). The Spanish tenor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Sep. 28, 1968, as Maurizio in the opera house's 16th performance of Adriana Lecouvreur by Italian composer Francesco Cilea (July 23, 1866-Nov. 20, 1950).

The takeaways for Paul Groves' singing 14 friendly performances as Met Opera's second Pylade are that the American operatic tenor's appearances in the 2007-2008 season's new, French-language production of Gluck's Iphigénie also qualified him as Met Opera's first Pylade to sing the role with the original French libretto; that he reprised the role in the new production's first revival in the 2010-2011 season; that Paul Groves sang friendship in all 14 performances with Met Opera's second Oreste, Plácido Domingo; and that the first revival's sixth, closing performance in the 2010-2011 season marked Paul Groves' 14th and last appearance as friendship-appreciating Pylade.

In Met Opera's 2010-2011 season, Susan Graham and Paul Groves reprised their 2007-2008 roles of sister-and-brother Iphigénie and Oreste, reunited in Tauris by the shipwreck of Oreste and his friend, Pylade: Tucker Foundation @RTuckerMusicFdn, via Twitter March 24, 2021

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

In Christoph von Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Iphigénie offers escape to Oreste, still unknown as her brother, and sacrifice to Oreste's friend Pylade, but Oreste finally convinces her to free Pylade instead: Barenreiter @Baerenreiter, via Twitter July 2, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/Baerenreiter/status/1278575999903502337

In Met Opera's 2010-2011 season, Susan Graham and Paul Groves reprised their 2007-2008 roles of sister-and-brother Iphigénie and Oreste, reunited in Tauris by the shipwreck of Oreste and his friend, Pylade: Tucker Foundation @RTuckerMusicFdn, via Twitter March 24, 2021, @ https://twitter.com/RTuckerMusicFdn/status/1374782601588789259

For further information:

Barenreiter @Baerenreiter. "Gluck's birthday Iphigénie en Tauride, Act 3 duet, Orestes and Pylades are in a rough situation: captured by the Taurians, one of them will be sacrificed to death, while the other will go home to Greece. They quarrel about which of them will lay down his life to save his friend." Twitter. July 2, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/Baerenreiter/status/1278575999903502337

"Debut: Johannes Sembach." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 58110 Parsifal {74} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/26/1914.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=58110

"Debut: Paul Groves." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 307060 Der Fliegende Holländer {127} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/9/1992.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=307060

"Debut: Plácido Domingo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 216130 Adriana Lecouvreur {16} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/28/1968.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=216130

"Debuts: Kobie van Rensburg, Zachary Vail Elkind, Harry Bicket, Stephen Wadsworth, Thomas Lynch, Peter Kaczorowski." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351094 Rodelinda {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/02/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351094

Gluck, Christoph von. "Iphigénie en Tauride Libretto." Opera Arias > Gluck > Iphigénie en Tauride > Libretto.
Available @ https://www.opera-arias.com/gluck/iphig%C3%A9nie-en-tauride/libretto/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Iphigénie en Tauride Was To Be Saturday Matinee Broadcast Feb. 26, 2022." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/iphigenie-en-tauride-was-to-be-saturday.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Launched Iphigénie en Tauride's New Production Nov. 27, 2007." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/met-opera-launched-iphigenie-en.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Staged Iphigénie en Tauride's U.S. Premiere Nov. 25, 1916." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 15, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/met-opera-staged-iphigenie-en-taurides.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Revived Stephen Wadsworth's New Iphigénie en Tauride in 2011." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/met-opera-revived-stephen-wadsworths.html

"New Production: Iphigénie en Tauride." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352202 New Production Iphigénie en Tauride {6} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/27/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352202

Tucker Foundation @RTuckerMusicFdn. "The @MetOpera's stream tonight of its 2011 production of "Iphigénie en Tauride" features Tucker Recipients @MezzoGraham and Paul Groves." Twitter. March 24, 2021.
Available @ https://twitter.com/RTuckerMusicFdn/status/1374782601588789259

"United States Premiere: Iphigénie en Tauride." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 64130 United States Premiere Iphigénie en Tauride {1} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/25/1916.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=64130