Nicola Porpora's "Carlo il Calvo" in Bayreuth
Thursday, September 3, 2020
The Bayreuth Festival was cancelled this year due to coronavirus, but a different Bayreuth festival, the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, is opening tonight with Nicola Porpora’s Carlo il Calvo.
Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) was one of the most important voice teachers of his day, and his students included Farinelli. In addition to many short stays in places such as Darmstadt and Vienna, he was active in London from 1733 to 1736 and in Dresden from 1745 to 1752. Carlo il Calvo, after a libretto by Francesco Silvani (born ca. 1660), premiered in spring 1738 at the Teatro delle Dame.
The three performances in Bayreuth are sold out, but you can take a look at the only surviving score of the opera. It is preserved in the Biblioteca del Conservatorio di Musica S. Pietro a Majella in Naples (I-Nc Rari 7.2.16-18) and can also be viewed online.
Image: Overture to Nicola Popora’s opera Carlo il Calvo, in I-Nc Rari 7.2.16-18
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