Francesco Cavalli, originally Pier Francesco Caletti-Bruni (* 14 February 1602 in Crema; † 14 January 1676 in Venice) was an Italian composer and organist, known today mainly for his operas.
Cavalli was the most successful opera composer in the middle of the 17th century. At this time, opera was emerging, especially in Venice, following Claudio Monteverdi, and was experiencing a real "boom". The new art form spread to the rest of Europe, as the ruling class often met in Venice to attend the carnival. Together with the librettist Giovanni Faustini, with whom he wrote most of his operas in the 1640s, he turned opera into popular entertainment. Cavalli reduced Monteverdi's elaborate orchestra to (cheaper and) more practical dimensions for the intendants, introduced bel canto, with melodious arias such as the Lamento, into the music, and popular comic types and tropes lifted from the Commedia dell'Arte.
Of Cavalli's 40 or so operas, 30 have survived, most of which preserved in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice (from the collection of Marco Contarini). They share the characteristic exaggerations and absurdities of the 17th century, but also possess a sense both of dramatic effect and of musical lightness and grotesque humour that was characteristic of great Italian opera until the death of Alessandro Scarlatti. Cavalli's operas, like all operas of the time, were generally performed for only one season. (Translated and edited from Wikipedia[1])
Francesco Cavalli in Philippe Jaroussky's discography, filmography and performance history
Studio albums
Year | Title | Studio album |
---|---|---|
2020 | Ombra mai fu (Album) |
Complete list of musical pieces by Francesco Cavalli
This listing only reflects the musical pieces performed by Philippe Jaroussky.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Francesco Cavalli". Wikipedia. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ↑ <"Ombra mai fu, Philippe Jaroussky" (PDF). Digital Booklets. Idago. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.