Giuseppe Maria Orlandini
Giuseppe Maria Orlandini was an Italian baroque composer particularly known for his more than 40 operas and intermezzos. Highly regarded by music historians of his day like Francesco Saverio Quadrio, Jean-Benjamin de La Borde and Charles Burney, Orlandini, along with Vivaldi, is considered one of the major creators of the new style of opera that dominated the second decade of the 18th century.
Life
Born in Florence, Orlandini began working as an opera composer in his late twenties for Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici. His first opera, Artaserse, premiered in Livorno in 1706. A moderate success, the work was revived in Naples in 1708. Beginning in 1711, he was the maestro di cappella to Prince Gian Gastone. In 1717 he moved to Bologna, where he met and married opera singer Maria Maddalena Buonavia. He continued to live and work in that city for the next fifteen years.Orlandini's first major critical success was the opera Antigona which premiered in Venice during carnival of 1718. The work was highly popular and enjoyed performances throughout Europe. In 1719 he became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica. That same year his intermezzo Il marito giocatore premiered in Venice. The work became one of the most frequently performed musical dramas of the 18th century. Another successful intermezzo that was played in many opera houses in Europe was L'impresario delle Isole Canarie.
The year 1721 saw two major successes for Orlandini. His opera Arsace, a revision of his 1715 Amore e maestà, premiered at the King’s Theatre in London to critical praise, and his opera Nerone premiered to great success for the carnival season in Venice. Both works became known throughout Europe.
Orlandini left Bologna to return to Florence in 1732, to become the maestro di cappella for the Medici court and the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. While serving in these positions, he continued to remain productive as an opera composer, regularly providing works for the La Pergola and Il Cocomero theatres in Florence. His last stage work was the commedia per musica ''Lo scialacquatore'', which premiered on 14 September 1744 at the Il Cocomero. He died in Florence.
Works
Operas
- Artaserse
- L'amor generoso
- L'odio e l'amore
- La fede tradita e vendicata
- Ataulfo re de' Goti, ovvero La forza della virtù
- Teuzzone
- Madama Dulcinea e il cuoco del Marchese del Bosco
- L'innocenza difesa
- L'amor tirannico
- Lisetta e Delfo
- Bacocco e Serpilla
- Amore e maestà
- La pastorella al soglio
- La virtù al cimento
- La Merope
- Lucio Papirio
- Antigona
- Le amazoni vinte da Ercole
- Ifigenia in Tauride
- Il carceriero di se stesso
- Paride
- Melinda e Tiburzio
- Nerone
- Nino
- Ormisda
- L'artigiano gentiluomo
- Alessandro Severo
- L'Oronta
- Berenice
- Il malato immaginario
- Un vecchio innamorato
- Monsieur di Porsugnacchi
- Berenice
- Adelaide
- L'impresario dell'isole Canarie
- Massimiano
- Grollo e Moschetta
- Ifigenia in Aulide
- Il marito geloso
- Il Temistocle
- L'Olimpiade
- Le nozze di Perseo e Andromeda
- Balbo e Dalisa
- La Fiammetta
- ''Lo scialacquatore''
Doubtful works
- Didone abbandonata
- Arianna e Teseo
- Venceslao
- ''Vologeso re de' Parti''
Oratorios
- Il martirio di San Sebastiano
- I fanciulli babilonesi
- La costanza trionfane nel martirio di Santa Lucia
- Sara in Egitto
- Il figliuol prodigo
- Gli amori infelici di Ammone
- L'Assalone ovvero L'infedeltà punita
- Dal trionfo le perdite ovvero Jefte che sagrifica la sua figlia
- Componimento per musica da cantarsi la notte del Santissimo Natale
- L'Ester
- Giuditta
- Jaele
- Assuero
- Davidde trionfante
- Il Gioas re di Giuda
- Giuseppe riconosciuto
- Tobia
- Componimento da cantarsi nel venerabile monastero di Santa Apollonia in Firenze
- Isacco figura del redentore
- ''La deposizione dalla croce di Gesù Cristo Signor Nostro''
Other compositions
- La ricreazione spirituale nella musica
- 3 canzonette
- 22 sonate a tre
- Sinfonia per clavicembalo