The Ghosts of Hamlet

Around the myth of Hamlet, fragments of lost and found operas

Roberta Mameli, soprano
Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu
Franck-Emmanuel Comte, harpsichord and musical direction
Paolo Vittorio Montanari, musicology and edition

On stage:
1 soloist, 6 instrumentalists (harpsichord, violin, viola, cello, theorbo)

Duration: 70 min

The legend of Prince Hamlet, first told in Saxo Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum, is the basis for Shakespeare’s famed tragedy, but in the 18th century, the same tale inspired numerous Italian operas. Sadly, these operas have an important point in common: they have all been lost! Musicologist Paolo Vittorio Montanari has worked meticulously to research and reconstitute these works, making possible the creation of a completely original new project, based on musical fragments rediscovered in different Italian libraries.

These long-lost scores composed by Scarlatti, Gasparini, Carcani, and Vignati focus primarily on two female characters from Hamlet’s orbit: the romantic Veremonda (who Shakespeare named Ophelia) and Gerilda (Gertrude), Hamlet’s mother, who is torn between love for her son and passion for her cold and unfaithful husband.

Roberta Mameli, a charismatic and passionate soprano, interprets these different figures who inspired Scarlatti and his contemporaries to write expressive, brilliant and charming arias. As well as the pleasure of discovering these completely new musical gems, this project will transport you into the exciting, ambiguous and fascinating world of Hamlet, whose ghosts will enliven this lovely stroll through a rediscovered baroque Italy.