Cupid's New Weapons of Love | Las Nuevas Armas de Amor
First performed: 1711, Madrid | Staged by the Orchestra of New Spain: 2013, Dallas
Las Nuevas Armas de Amor is a baroque zarzuela, a genre of traditional Spanish drama featuring spoken dialogue and music. Zarzuelas of this flavor focused on mythological beings, regional folklore, and allegorical battles–often for the purpose of entertaining the Spanish royal court.
This 1711 masterpiece blends classical mythology with lively Spanish rhythms. The plot follows a mischievous Cupid who loses his traditional bow and arrows after a confrontation with Jupiter. Seeking revenge, Cupid forms an unlikely alliance with his rival, the goddess Diana, to secure new, even more chaotic weapons. Known for his expressive melodies, composer Sebastián Durón masterfully weaves this lighthearted divine battle into a brilliant treasure of the Spanish Baroque theater.
The Orchestra of New Spain staged and performed Las Nuevas Armas de Amor on February 14th-16th, 2013, at the Dallas City Performance Hall. Directed by Gustavo Tambascio; Conducted by Grover Wilkins 3d.
Watch Carla López Speziale's Cupid transform his emotional suffering into the greatest weapon–the weapon of love in this pivotal Act I Scene!
The Story
Act I Scene i
Experience the first standoff between Jupiter and Cupid
in this Act I Scene ii clip
Jupiter declares his love for Astrea as Cupid uses
his new arrows for the first time
Act I Scene ii
Jupiter orders Cupid to surrender his arms; he refuses, and a struggle ensues, during which he is overpowered by Jupiter's superior strength. He swears vengeance and declares his intention to seek help from Diana.
Act I Scene iii
Diana and her armed nymphs welcome Cupid. She pledges her support to Cupid by presenting him with new arrows, each one having a symbolic significance: disillusionment, suspicion, knowledge, and oblivion.
Act I Scene iv
In the forest Enareta (the graciosa) appears, bemoaning Cupid's demise and affirming her faith in love with a song in a lively folk rhythm. She realizes Titere is following her and engages in flirtatious banter. Enareta plays along, and just as they are about to embrace, her husband, Silvio, appears. She introduces Titere as her long-lost cousin. Unconvinced by this explanation, the enraged Silvio chases Enareta off, wielding his belt. Titere tries to follow her, but is intercepted by Anteo, who confesses that he has fallen in love with the beautiful Astrea. He is interrupted by the arrival of the islanders, who enter with a cart bearing a statue of Jupiter, while Jupiter himself, disguised as a commoner, mingles with the crowd.
Act I Scene v
At the temple, the islanders sing Jupiter's praises and dance around his statue. As they enter the temple, the disguised Jupiter blocks Astrea's way. After he declares his love for her in song, she realizes that he is a deity because of the "sweet language which only the gods use". Cupid appears in the background, swearing revenge. He calls to Diana, who comes to observe as he shoots his new arrows indiscriminately in all directions—the earth trembles. Sirene runs out of the temple, struck by an arrow. A mystified Zéfiro follows, who can't understand why she scorns him. Astrea, who has suffered a similar fate, declares to Anteo that her feelings have changed drastically. Cupid observes the effect his "new" arrows are having on people's behavior. Enareta rages against Silvio and Títere. When Jupiter emerges looking for Astrea, he is surprised to encounter Cupid. The act ends with a trio in canon form with a martial-sounding accompaniment in which Cupid and Diana declare war on Jupiter.
Outside the walls of Jupiter's temple, Palemón (high priest of Jupiter) narrates how Cupid has created chaos among the islanders and announces Jupiter's decision to intervene and to restore law. "Mortal" characters are introduced: Anteo (a shipwrecked prince); Zéfiro (a shepherd); the damas, Astrea and Sirene; the graciosos; Silvio and his wife, Enareta, who introduce the comic-relief sub-theme of marital infidelity, which also involves the third gracioso, Titere. The scene ends with a chorus and dance, accompanied by castanets, to express general rejoicing at the news.
Watch the full first act while following the story!
Act II Scene i
Cupid enters the forest at night, wearing a mask and carrying a lantern. A bemused Anteo follows, realizing Cupid's identity when he sings. Cupid promises Anteo can regain Astrea's affections in exchange for infiltrating the ranks of the people of Cyprus and restoring his reputation in their eyes.
Act II Scene ii
A throne of clouds and a large moon appear. Diana sits on the throne while an allegorical figure of Beauty kneels before her, in chains and weeping. Figures representing Despair and Oblivion stand at each extremity of the moon, holding the chains, which they move in time. Cupid agrees to the terms imposed by Diana for the use of her arrows.
Act II Scene iii
In the forest, Astrea and Sirene enter in a highly confused state and try to explain their feelings to Palemón. His diagnosis is that the only solution to their ailment is death, since, by foolishly rejecting Cupid's arrows of love and happiness, they have obliged him to use arrows of hate and revenge. Astrea is surprised on hearing the word "love" sung by Jupiter as he descends on an eagle. As Astrea begins to succumb to Jupiter's "sweet and pleasant cadences", Cupid appears again, observing the proceedings from his hiding-place and "dovetailing" his sung asides with Jupiter's persistent declarations of love for Astrea. Offstage drums and bugles sound a call to arms. Anteo, supported by the people, confronts the lascivious god and openly challenges him over the terrified Astrea. Jupiter mockingly reminds him that he is a mere mortal, but Cupid steps forward and takes up the challenge on Anteo's behalf. They leave to settle the matter offstage. Anteo accuses Astrea of abandoning him for another, but she directs Sirene to hold back the jealous suitor as she storms off. Zéfiro enters to find Sirene in Anteo's arms, and, jumping to the wrong conclusion, remonstrates with her. In the general mayhem, the graciosos appear on the scene and mock each other in song, as a piece of light relief before the final climax.
Act II Scene iv
Jupiter and Cupid meet in the temple for their final showdown. They engage in combat, but on this occasion, Cupid gains the upper hand with his "sacred arrows of Diana". Palemón and the islanders enter the temple to witness Jupiter's final humiliation at the hand of Cupid, who is once again hailed by the people of Cyprus. Foiled in his attempts to impose his authority and to win the hand of Astrea, Jupiter returns to his throne on high. Diana descends into the abyss of the underworld, and Cupid ascends into the clouds. Palemón decrees that Cupid's own love-darts should be returned to him, and that Anteo and Zéfiro should be joined in matrimony with Astrea and Sirene, respectively, while Silvio wonders why, if the gods can change everything, he cannot "unmarry" Enareta. The work ends with a chorus in praise of Cupid and his "New Arms of Love".