About the work
Le cinesi is a one-act azione teatrale by Christoph Willibald Gluck to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. It premiered on 24 September 1754 at Schloss Hof during a multi-day celebration held in honour of Empress Maria Theresa's visit to the Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Plot
Three young Chinese women while away an afternoon with one of their brothers by acting out different theatrical styles in turn: a tragic scene, a pastoral scene, and a comic interlude. At the end they combine all three genres in a shared dance depicting the Judgement of Paris.
Cultural significance
Through its playful juxtaposition of tragedy, pastoral, and comedy, the short work also comments on the operatic genres of its day and reflects Gluck's early standing at the Viennese imperial court.