Opera Scotland

Pier Francesco Cavalli Suggest updates

Pietro Francesco Bruni Caletti

Born Crema, 14 February 1602.

Died Venice, 14 January 1676.

Italian composer.

Caletti adopted the surname Cavalli in honour of the patron from his home town who paid for him to study in Venice. The greatest of Monteverdi's successors, he composed several operas which were commercially successful when the form was still in its infancy, having particular success in setting the entertaining libretti of Giovanni Faustini. He also developed an international reputation. Modern revivals began to catch on in the 1960s, but Scotland has still had little opportunity to assess the composer, with only two works being seen here in professional stagings. These were both in the editions by Raymond Leppard which are thoroughly entertaining and make a strong case for the works, but have now largely given way to more authentic realisations by younger musicologists. A more recent production of La Calisto by students of the RSAMD indicates possible scope for further revivals in future.

Operas performed in Scotland are shown in bold:-

01   Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo (Venice 1639) (Persiani)

02   Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne (Venice 1640) (Busenello)

03   La Didone (Venice 1641) (Busenello)

04   La virtù de strali d'amore (1642) ()

05   L' Egisto (Venice 1643) (Faustini)

06   L' Ormindo (Venice 1644) (Faustini)

07   La Doriclea (1645) ()

08   Il Giasone (Venice 1649) (Cicognini)

09   L’ Orimonte (1650) ()

10   L’ Oristeo (Venice 1651) (Faustini)

11   Alessandro, vincitor di se stesso (Venice 1651) (Sbarra)

12   La Rosinda (1651) ()

13   La Calisto (Venice 1651) (Faustini)

14   Veremonda, l’amazzone di Aragona (1652) ()

15   L’ Eritrea (1652) ()

16   L' Orione (Milan 1653) (Melosio)

17   Xerse (Venice 1654) (Minato)

18   Il Ciro (Venice 1654) (Sorentino)

19   La Statira, principessa di Persia (1655) (Busenello)

20   L' Erismena (Venice 1655, rev 1670) (Aureli)

21   Artemisia (1656) ()

22   L’ Hipermestra (Florence 1658) (Moniglia)

23   Elena (1659) ()

24   L’ Ercole amante (Paris 1662) (Buti)

25   Scipione Affricano (Venice 1664) (Minato)

26   Mutio Scevola (Venice 1665) (Minato)

27   Pompeo Magno (1666) ()

28   Eliogabalo () ()

29   Il Coriolano (Piacenza 1669) (Ivanovich) (music lost)