The Life and Times of the Legendary Opera Impresario Domenico Barbaja

The Life and Times of the Legendary Opera Impresario Domenico Barbaja

Unscrupulous, devilishly ambitious and undeniably charismatic, DOMENICO BARBAJA ( 1777-1841). He was the most celebrated Italian impresario of the early 1800s, an intriguing character who rose from waiting tables to run an operatic empire that at its height stretched into France and Austria. Dubbed the ‘Viceroy of Naples', Barbaja managed both the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and La Scala in Milan. He was the influential force behind the careers of a plethora of artists including Vincenzo Bellini, Gioachino Rossini and the great mezzo-soprano Isabella Colbran, who became Barbaja's lover before eventually deserting him to marry Rossini. Most vitally, Barbaja's vision had an irrevocable impact on the history of Italian opera; determined to create a lucrative business, he cultivated an energetic environment of new artists producing innovative, exciting opera that people would flock to hear. (There is a 12 page plate section with colour images that can also be licensed. Naxos produced a companion CD "Bel Canto Bully" "The musical legacy of the legendary opera impresario Domenico Barbaja with music by Rossini, Weber, Bellini, Donizetti, Mercadante. www.naxos.com) PHILIP EISENBEISS was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1963. He initially trained as an opera singer before becoming a journalist for publications including the New York Post, New York Daily News and Paris Match. He now lives in Hong Kong. -------- – Domenico Barbaja was a figure of critical importance to the Bel Canto period, whose influence reached deep into Germany and Austria and continues to this day. Barbaja was the first Italian impresario to reach beyond the Italian boundaries, running two of the most important opera houses of Vienna (Kaerntnertor Theater and Theater an der Wien) – Barbaja is just being re-discovered again, and this is the first biography ever on the impresario – Barbaja spearheaded the great cultural battle in Vienna between Italian and German opera; a debate which raged for nearly a decade during the Biedermeier Period. – The book outlines the history of the golden years of opera in Vienna, when world stars such as Henrietta Sontag and Caroline Unger were launched (by Barbaja, of course) – Barbaja not only popularised Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini in Vienna, he also commissioned major works by Carl Maria von Weber and Franz Schubert – The book sheds a unique perspective on the golden years of the Habsburg Empire, and its cultural, military and political involvement in Europe, especially Italy – Operas from the bel canto period have been experiencing a huge renaissance on the German stages, as evidenced by the programmes of the opera houses of Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna as well as the large festivals of Salzburg and Baden-Baden – 2018 marks the 150th death year of Rossini. This will be extensively celebrated on all main European opera stages. Without Barbaja there would never have been (the same) Rossini. facebook: belcantobully (2014 wird das Salzburger Pfingstfestival ganz Rossini gewidmet sein, Barbajas Star!)