La virtù de' strali d'Amore
La virtù de' strali d'Amore (The Power of Cupid's Arrows) is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the Italian composer Francesco Cavalli to a libretto by Giovanni Faustini.
[1] The opera was recently revived by Bowling Green State University, in collaboration with the Eastman School of Music, in the fall of 2007, and again at the Teatro Malibran in Venice in September 2008.
Pallante bemoans the fact that Clarindo and Dalinda can have each other, but he can never have his love, Princess Cleria of Cyprus (Darete's sister), who spurns him although he rescued her.
Eumete rushes to his side and, believing him dead, attempts to commit suicide, but is stopped by two sailors.
Scene 2 Cleria recounts to her friends Clito and Leucippe the story of how Meonte tried to carry her off to his ship, but Pallante fought him off, and she, not wanting to be with either of them, ran away and wished them both dead.
Her friends berate her for not being grateful to her rescuer, but Cleria blames the stars for her cruelty and swears that she will never love.
Marte, god of war, asks Amore to take pity on Pallante and make Cleria love him.
Amore enters, vowing to punish Venere and Marte for mocking him, and to make sure that Pallante will never be happy.
Eumete enters, lamenting tormented love, and reveals to the audience that she is actually Erabena, as the daughter of the king of Athens, and Meonte's spurned lover (Aria: “Weep, o rivers”).
Seeing Amore asleep on the ground, she stabs him in anger with one of his own arrows; he wakes, suddenly desperately in love with her.
Mercurio and Saturno grab Amore and return him to the heavens, leaving his arrows scattered on the ground.
Cleria begs her father, Evagora, to let her live as a follower of Diana instead of getting married, but he advises her to love Pallante, as it is a fair reward for his having rescued her.
Meonte and Eumete leave, and Mercurio invites all women to come with him and feel the power of Amore's arrows (Aria: “Ladies, if you want to love”).
