The chapter of the myth of Achilles in the island of Skyros, and specifically the attraction of the carnival-like disguises and the transposition of genders serves as the inspiration for over thirty lyrical compositions between the middle of the XVIII century until over two centuries later.
Thetis, the mother of Achilles, determined to masquerade him as a woman in order to hide him in the Court of the King Lycomedes, and therefore avoid that the Greek warriors take him off to the battle at which they intend to destroy Troy. Their determination in counting Achilles among their ranks is the consequence of a prophecy which states that, without him, the victory will not be possible. What starts out as an apparently effective idea, is complicated when Achilles falls in love with one of the princesses, and it becomes even more serious when Achilles is sent to the island to try to find his own whereabouts.
Francesco Corselli wrote Acilles on Skyros in Madrid, where he lived during the majority of his professional career and where he worked as Maestro of the Royal Chapel
This work, which initially had its future limited to a few performances for the Court, now arrives at the Teatro Real as part of an indispensable effort to recuperate our best lyric patrimony.
