Zanaida

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Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach by Thomas Gainsborough.jpg
Johann Christian Bach

Zanaida is a three-act opera with music by Johann Christian Bach and libretto by Giovanni Gualberto Bottarelli. It debuted in London on 7 May 1763. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

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Giovanni Gualberto Bottarelli wrote the libretto for several operas to which Johann Christian Bach wrote the music, and adapted many other operas. The first collaboration with Bach was Orione, performed at the King's Theatre in Haymarket to great acclaim in February 1763. Zanaida, a three-act opera debuted in London in May 1763, but was less well received. Other works were "Addio di Londra", "Carattaco", "Cesare e Cleopatra", "Il Cid ", "L'Endimione", and "Rodelinda regina de' Longobardi".

References

  1. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Zanaida, 7 May 1763". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  2. Wolff, Christoph. "Johann Christian Bach". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Retrieved April 27, 2012. "If, as Burney stated, Bach was initially disappointed by the mediocre operatic standards in the city, his future in London was assured by the triumph of his first complete stage work, Orione (February 1763; the première was attended by King George III and Queen Charlotte), followed by the less successful Zanaida (May 1763), and by his appointment as music master to the queen. It was now unnecessary for him to return to the claustrophobic and restrictive atmosphere of Milan."
  3. Dizionario dell'opera, 2008 p. 1437, Piero Gelli, Filippo Poletti (2007) "Nella primavera del 1762 Bach ricevette l'invito a comporre due opere per il King's Theatre di Londra: saranno Orione e Zanaida (entrambe del 1763). Alla fine della stagione Bach decise di rimanere stabilmente a Londra: in Inghilterra ..."
  4. Studies in Music from the University of Western Ontario, p. 99 (1986) "Zanaida, Bach's second London opera, was first performed on 7 May 1763, at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket. As with Orione, Bach's first opera for London, the libretto was written by Giovanni Bottarelli. There were six performances of ..."
  5. W. A. Mozart, p. 41, Hermann Abert, Cliff Eisen (2007). "Orione and Zanaida proved spectacularly successful, and Bach was appointed music master to Queen Charlotte on a salary of £300."