The lyrical grace of the earlier work is as it were
concentrated and condensed in a series of pictures which for voluptuous
beauty surpass anything that had been written before Gluck's day.
Against the background formed by the magical splendour of the enchanted
garden, the figure of Armida stands out in striking relief. The mingled
pride and passion of the imperious princess are drawn with wonderful
art. Even while her passion brings her to the feet of her conqueror, her
haughty spirit rebels against her fate. Such weaknesses as the opera
contains are principally attributable to the libretto, which is
ill-constructed, and cold and formal in diction. Rinaldo is rather a
colourless person, and the other characters are for the most part merely
lay-figures, though the grim figure of Hate is drawn with extraordinary
power. But upon Armida the composer concentrated the full lens of his
genius, and for her he wrote music which satisfies every requirement of
dramatic truth, without losing touch of the lyrical beauty and
persuasive passion which breathes life into soulless clay.
In 'Iphigenie en Tauride,' the last of his great works, which was
produced in 1778, Gluck reached his highest point. Here he seems for the
first time thoroughly to fuse and combine the two elements which are for
ever at war in his earlier operas, musical beauty and dramatic truth.
Throughout the score of 'Iphigenie en Tauride' the declamation is as
vivid and true as in 'Alceste,' while the intrinsic loveliness of the
music yields not a jot to the passion-charged strains of 'Armide.
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