Antonio Bioni and his compositions preserved in Kroměříž archive

This article focuses on newly identified librettos of operas set to original German texts and produced at the Kärntnertortheater in the 1740s. The opera Die glückliche Vorbedeutung premiered in the spring of 1741 as part of the grandious celebrations of the birth of Archduke Joseph, the first son of Maria Theresa. The next German-language opera, Aristheus, was produced during the same year both in Vienna and Graz. Finally, the third opera, Hypsipile, was produced sometime before 1747. All three works should be understood in the social and political context of the Wars of the Austrian Succession.

Die glückliche Vorbedeutung and Aristheus : unknown libretti of german-language operas performed in the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna in 1741

Perutková¹

2018

The Teatro Sant'Angelo : cradle of fledgling opera troupes

Selfridge-Field¹

2018

Many smaller theaters of the mid-eighteenth century were established in conjunction with the establishment of Italian traveling troupes. Several troupes were formed by musicians active at the Teatro Sant'Angelo, Venice. Although Vivaldi was not personally involved in any of the troupes, the musical imprint of his operas was strong in the mix of pastiches that served several Central European venues. The musical evidence of these performances is almost entirely lost, but the troupes are traceable through libretti. The degree to which the Teatro Sant'Angelo contributed both troupe leaders and troupe musicians stands out among all theaters in Northern Italy. The reach of its musicians, particularly those of the Madonis family, extended to Belgium,

Orlandini's Antigona (vendicata) : transformation of a Venetian opera on its transalpine journey

Spáčilová¹

2018

The study focuses on the reception of the opera Antigona by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini from its premiere in Venice in 1718 to the productions in Breslau 1728 and Brno 1736. On the basis of newly discovered unique sources (a libretto from 1728 in the Moravian Museum Brno, the score in the Czech Museum of Music Prague, the score of the premiere version in the library of San Francisco State University, reviews in the contemporary press) changes which the work underwent on its way across Europe are presented, and the problem of the aesthetic categories of the pasticcio, in the context of Transalpine production of Italian opera seria, is restored.