Francesco Araja
Francesco Domenico Araja (Araia) (born June 25, 1709 in Naples , † between 1762 and 1770 in Bologna or Naples) was an Italian composer and conductor .
Life
Francesco Araja received his first musical education probably from his father Angelo Araja and his grandfather Pietro Aniello Araja, who were both musicians. He may also have been a student of Leonardo Vinci or Leonardo Leo . At the age of 14 he became Kapellmeister of the Church of Santa Maria La Nova in Naples. In 1729, at the age of 20, he made his debut as an opera composer. His opera Berenice was performed in Florence in 1730 . Farinelli and Caffarelli sang the main roles in the new production in Venice in 1734 .
In 1735 he turned to St. Petersburg , where he received the post of Kapellmeister of the Italian opera at court. In 1736 he performed an opera seria for the first time in St. Petersburg : La forza dell'amore e dell'odio . After a stopover in Italy, Araja returned to St. Petersburg in autumn 1742. In 1755 he performed the first opera with a completely Russian libretto : Tsefal i Prokris by AP Sumarokov . This opera remained in the repertoire until the end of the 18th century and is considered the first national opera. The singers were also Russian for the first time. Araja spent the years from 1759 to 1761 in Italy.
At the beginning of January 1762 Peter III called him . back and Araja wrote the music for the coronation of the tsar. After the tsar's assassination in June 1762, he finally left Russia to settle in Bologna, presumably as a music teacher.
Works
Operas
- Lo Matremonnejo pe 'Venetta (T. Mariani), Naples, 1729
- Berenice ( A. Salvi ), Florence, Pratolino , 1730, newly staged in Venice , 1734
- Ciro riconosciuto ( Metastasio ), Rome, 1731
- Cleomene ( V. Cassani ) Rome, 1731
- La forza dell'amore e dell'odio , Milano, 1734
- Il Demetrio ( Metastasio ), Vicenza, 1734
- Lucio Vero ( A. Zeno ), Venice, 1735
- Il finto Nino, overo La Semiramide riconosciuta ( Metastasio ), St. Petersburg, 1737
- Artaserse ( Metastasio ), St. Petersburg, 1738
- Seleuco (G. Bonechi), Moscow, 1744
- Scipione (G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1745
- Mitridate (G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1747
- Bellerofonte (G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1750
- Eeudossa incoronata (G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1751
- Alessandro nell'Indie ( Metastasio ), St. Petersburg, 1755
- Tsefal i Prokris (A. Sumarokov), St. Petersburg, 1755
Cantatas
- La gara, dell'amore e dello zelo , St. Petersburg, 1736
- L'asilo della pace (libretto G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1748
- La corona d'Allesandro Magno (G. Bonechi), St. Petersburg, 1750
- Amor prigioniero ( Metastasio ), Oranienbaum, 1755
- Junon secourable lucine (A. Denzi), St. Petersburg, 1757
- Urania vaticinante (A. Denzi), St. Petersburg, 1757
Other works
- S. Andrea Corsini , Oratorio , Rome, 1731
- Capricci per harpsichord
- String symphonies
Web links
- Sheet music and audio files by Francesco Araja in the International Music Score Library Project
- List of the stage works by Francesco Araja based on the MGG at Operone
- Search for operas by Francesco Araja (search term in the Autore field : “Araia Francesco”) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Araja, Francesco |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Araia, Francesco |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian composer and conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 25, 1709 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Naples |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1770 |
| Place of death | Bologna or Naples |