About the work
Demofoonte is an opera seria by Christoph Willibald Gluck to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio (1733) and is regarded as his first independent stage work. It premiered on 6 January 1743 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan.
Plot
King Demofoonte of Thrace must sacrifice a virgin to the god Apollo every year. His son Timante is secretly married to Dircea and has a son with her; when the union is discovered, both face condemnation and death. After many complications it emerges that Dircea is in fact Demofoonte's daughter and Timante not his biological son — the oracle is fulfilled, and the sacrifice is abolished.
Cultural significance
With more than 70 settings, Metastasio's text ranks among his most frequently used librettos. Gluck's Milan version marks the start of his career as an opera composer, long before his later reform operas.