List of operas by Francesco Bianchi

Francesco Bianchi

This is a complete list of the operas of the Italian composer Francesco Bianchi (1752–1810).

Bianchi had an extraordinarily varied career, working in different places, in different styles with different collaborators. Not only did he work in Italy, in Venice, Naples, Florence, Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Brescia, Cremona, and Padua, but also extensively in Paris and London.

Although he wrote 41 'serious' drammi per musica (opera seria), he also composed 16 opéras comiques and 14 opere buffe, as well as one each of works designated as azione scenica, azione teatrale, drame héroïque, drame lyrique, festa teatrale, and opera giocosa.

List

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Title Genre Sub­divisions Libretto Première date Place, theatre Notes
Giulio Sabino dramma per musica     1772 Cremona
Il gran Cidde dramma per musica 3 acts Gioacchino Pizzi after Pierre Corneille 27 January 1773 Florence, Teatro della Pergola
Demetrio dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio Carnival 1774 Cremona
Eurione dramma per musica 3 acts Antonio Papi 25 May 1775 Pavia, Teatro Quattro Signori
La réduction de Paris drame lyrique 3 acts Barnabé Farmian de Rosoi 30 September 1775 Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Le mort marié opéra comique 2 acts Michel-Jean Sedaine 25 October 1776 Fontainebleau, Théâtre Royal de la Cour
Erifile dramma per musica 3 acts Giovanni de Gamerra 29 January 1779 Florence, Teatro della Pergola
L'innocenza perseguitata opera buffa 3 acts   Carnival 1779 Rome, Teatro delle Dame
Castore e Polluce dramma per musica 4 acts Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, after Pierre-Joseph Bernhard's Castor et Pollux 10 January 1779 Florence, Teatro della Pergola second version in 3 acts,
performed on 8 September 1779
Il Demetrio dramma per musica 2 acts (26 scenes)   3 January 1780 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Arbace dramma per musica 3 acts Gaetano Sertor 20 January 1781 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Venere e Adone azione teatrale 2 acts Ferdinando Casori 14 September 1781 Florence, Teatro della Pergola
Zemira dramma per musica 2 acts Gaetano Sertor 4 November 1781 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo 2nd version: Padua 1786
L'Olimpiade dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio 26 December 1781 Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Il trionfo della pace festa teatrale 2 acts Cesare Olivieri 16 April 1782 Turin, Teatro Regio
La Zulima dramma per musica 3 acts Carlo Olivieri, after Voltaire 4 November 1782 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Medonte dramma per musica 2 acts   14 November 1782 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket pasticcio containing music by many hands incl. Bianchi, but principally Giuseppe Sarti
L'astrologa opera buffa 3 acts Pietro Chiari December 1782 Naples, Teatro del Fondo
Piramo e Tisbe dramma per musica 3 acts (32 scenes) Gaetano Sertor 7 January 1783 Venice, Teatro La Fenice
Briseide dramma per musica 3 acts Francesco Sebastiano Gambino 27 December 1783 Turin, Teatro Regio
Aspardi, principe di Battriano dramma per musica 3 acts Gaetano Sertor Carnival 1784 Rome, Teatro delle Dame
Cajo Mario dramma per musica 3 acts Gaetano Roccaforte 30 May 1784 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
La villanella rapita opera giocosa 2 acts Filippo Livigni 29 August 1784 Süttör, Eszterháza Theater[1] Re-staged on 28 November 1785, Vienna, at the Burgtheater, with the vocal terzetto "Mandina amabile" K. 480 and the vocal quartet "Dite almeno in che mancai?" K. 479 by Mozart – staged besides under the title of Le gelosie di Pippo in Lisbon in 1796
La finta principessa opera buffa 2 acts Filippo Livigni autumn 1784 Bologna, Teatro Formagliari
Il disertore francese dramma per musica 3 acts (34 scenes) Bartolomeo Benincasa 26 December 1784 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica 3 acts (36 scenes) Metastasio 28 January 1785 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
La stravagante inglese opera buffa 2 acts Giovanni Greppi autumn 1785 Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Le villanelle astute opera buffa 2 acts Giuseppe Foppa Carnival 1786 Venice, Teatro San Samuele
Alonso e Cora dramma per musica 3 acts (24 scenes) Giuseppe Foppa, after Ferdinando Moretti's libretto Idalide 7 February 1786 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Mesenzio, re d'Etruria dramma per musica 2 acts Ferdinando Casorri 4 November 1786 Naples, Real Teatro San Carlo
L'orfano cinese dramma per musica 3 acts (29 scenes) after Voltaire 30 January 1787 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Artaserse dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio 11 June 1787 Padua, Teatro Nuovo
Pizzarro dramma per musica 3 acts   summer 1787 Brescia, Accademia degli Erranti
Scipione africano dramma per musica 3 acts Nicolò Minato 13 August 1787 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Il ritratto opera buffa 2 acts Saverio Zini autumn 1787 Naples, Teatro del Fondo
Calto dramma per musica 3 acts (23 scenes) Giuseppe Foppa, after Ossian 23 January 1788 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
La morte di Cesare dramma per musica 2 acts (29 scenes) Gaetano Sertor, after Shakespeare's Julius Caesar 27 December 1788 Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San Samuele
La fedeltà tra le selve opera buffa 2 acts Michelangelo Prunetti Carnival 1789 Rome, Teatro Capranica It includes 4 arias by Valentino Fioravanti
Nitteti dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio 20 April 1789 Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Daliso e Delmita dramma per musica 2 acts Giovanni de Gamerra 12 June 1789 Padua, Teatro Nuovo
Il finto astrologo opera buffa 2 acts Angelo Mariani Carnival 1790 Rome, Teatro Capranica
L'Arminio dramma per musica 3 acts Ferdinando Moretti 6 September 1790 Florence, Teatro della Pergola
La vendetta di Nino, o sia Semiramide dramma per musica 3 acts Pietro Giovannini, after Voltaire 12 November 1790 Naples, Real Teatro San Carlo second version in 2 acts, 1794, London, King’s Theater in the Haymarket
Caio Ostilio dramma per musica 2 acts Eustachio Manfredi Carnival 1791 Rome, Teatro Argentina
La dama bizzarra opera buffa 2 acts Tommaso Mariani Carnival 1791 Rome, Teatro Capranica
Deifile azione scenica 2 acts   March 1791 Venice, Palazzo Brünner
La sposa in equivoco opera buffa 2 acts Saverio Zini autumn 1791 Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Seleuco, re di Siria dramma per musica 3 acts (29 scenes) Mattia Botturini, after Antioco by Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati 26 December 1791 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
Aci e Galatea dramma per musica 2 acts (28 scenes) Giuseppe Foppa 13 October 1792 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto revision 1795 London, King's Theater in the Haymarket
Tarara, o sia La virtù premiata dramma per musica 3 acts (30 scenes) Gaetano Sertor 26 December 1792 Venice, Teatro La Fenice
Il cinese in Italia opera buffa 2 acts Alessandro Pepoli autumn 1793 Venice, Teatro San Moisè staged also under the title of L'olandese in Venice in Turin in 1794
La secchia rapita opera buffa 2 acts Angelo Anelli 13 February 1794 Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San Samuele) revision 1796 Milan with a new act by Zingarelli
Ines de Castro dramma per musica 3 acts Luigi de Sanctis, after Cosimo Giotti 30 May 1794 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo Revised version in 3 acts (35 scenes), 14 October 1795, Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
La capricciosa ravveduta opera buffa 2 acts Caterino Mazzolà autumn 1794 Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Antigona dramma per musica 2 acts Lorenzo Da Ponte 24 May 1796 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Il consiglio imprudente opera buffa 1 act Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Carlo Goldoni 20 December 1796 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Merope dramma per musica 2 acts Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Voltaire 10 June 1797 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Cinna dramma per musica 3 acts Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Angelo Anelli? 20 February 1798 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Alzira dramma per musica 2 acts Gaetano Rossi, after Voltaire 28 February 1801 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
La morte di Cleopatra dramma per musica 2 acts Serafino Buonaiuti 30 April 1801 London, King's Theater in the Haymarket
Armida dramma per musica 2 acts Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata 1 June 1802 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
L'avaro opéra comique 2 acts Giovanni Bertati 30 March 1804 Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Blaisot et Pasquin opéra comique 1 act Alexandre-Joseph Leroy de Bacre, Francis d'Allarde, and Martinelli 9 April 1804 Paris, Théâtre Montansier (Salle de l'Opéra Bouffe)
Le maître de chapelle opéra comique     3 May 1804 Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Corali, ou La lanterne magique opéra comique 1 act André Joseph Grétry, neveu 7 July 1804 Paris, Théâtre Molière
L'eau et le feu, ou Le gascon à l'épreuve opéra comique 1 act Charles Gaugiran-Nanteuil 10 August 1804 Paris, Théâtre Montansier-Variétés (Variétés-Montansier, galeries du Palais-Royal)
Le contrat signé d'avance, ou Laquelle est ma femme? opéra comique 1 act F. Ligier 29 September 1804 Paris, Théâtre Molière
Le gascon, gascon malgré lui opéra comique 1 act P. Guillet and Eugène Hus 17 November 1804 Paris, Théâtre Molière
Amour et coquetterie opéra comique 1 act André-Jacques Coffin-Rony 7 January 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le livre des destins opéra comique 1 act Félix Nogaret 2 February 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
La famille venitienne, ou Le château d'Orseno opéra comique 3 acts Frédéric Dupetit-Méré 7 May 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes (rue de Bondy)
Monsieur Jugolo, ou Les chercheurs opéra comique 1 act   22 May 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le château mystérieux, ou Le crime commis et vengé opéra comique 3 acts Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy 12 July 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le triomphe d'Alcide à Athènes drame héroïque 2 acts Pierre-Louis Moline and Adrien-Firmin Pillon September 1806 Paris, Théâtre Molière
La soeur officieuse, ou Addresse et mensonge opéra comique 1 act Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy 18 October 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Almeria, ou L'écossaise fugitive opéra comique 3 acts Marie-Adélaïde Barthélemy-Hadot 8 December 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Les illustres infortunés, ou La souveraine vindicative opéra comique 3 acts Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy 8 January 1807 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le pied de boeuf et la queue du chat opéra comique 3 acts Pierre-Joseph Charrin and Maxime de Redon 9 June 1807 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes (rue de Bondy)

Doubtful operas

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  • Mitridate (1781, Genova)
  • Attalo, re di Bitinia (1783, Venice)
  • Demofoonte (1783, Venice)
  • La caccia di Enrico IV (1784, Venice)
  • Il barone a forza (1785, Rome)
  • Li sposi in commedia (1785, Venice)
  • Il nuovo Don Chischiotte (1788, Voltri)
  • Il gatto (1789, Brescia)
  • La calamità dei cuori (1789, Padua)
  • Il difensore (1793–94, Vienna)
  • Zenobia (1797, London)
  • Telemaco (v. 1800, Cremona)
  • Vonima e Mitridate (1803, Venice)

Isolated songs

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Surviving play-texts suggest that Bianchi contributed isolated numbers to La premiere représentation by Pierre-Joseph Charrin, first performed at the Théâtre des Nouveaux Troubadours in Paris on 20 September 1806;[2] and to Collin d'Harleville aux Champs-Élysées by Joseph Aude, Décour and Defrénoy, first given in Paris on 20 March 1806.[1] He is also credited as having arranged the music, previously chosen by the author, for Les Sirènes by Jean-Baptiste-Augustin Hapdé, first performed at the Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes on 24 January 1807.[3]

References

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Notes

  1. ^ This première is reported by Casaglia (2005); according to the Grove Dictionary it took place, instead, in Venice, at San Moisè theatre in autumn 1783.
  2. ^ La première représentation, ou, le couplet d'annonce, Warwick Digital Collections
  3. ^ Les sirènes, ou, les sauvages de la montagne d'or, Warwick Digital Collections

Sources