Pasticcio and Pleasure. L’abbandono di Armida (Venice 1729)

Operatic pasticcio and the need for experiencing pleasure were inseparable in eighteenth-century operatic theatre, as can be demonstrated on the example of L’abbandono di Armida, a pasticcio that was performed in the Venetian Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo on the last day of the 1729 carnival and gained considerable success. The article discusses the ingredients of pleasure derived from experiencing the pasticcio, which seems to have been multi-layered (the word ingredients used here perfectly reflects the haute cuisine roots of the pasticcio). The librettist Giovanni Boldini re-used for Armida arias from successful operas by Nicola Porpora, Tomaso Albinoni (?), Leonardo Leo, Leonardo Vinci, and Benedetto Marcello. Five arias have been analysed in order to exemplify the diversity of musical pleasure that the audience could experience. The final question is whether the pleasure drawn from a pasticcio is limited to one historical period, or possibly it presents a more universal appeal.