Filippo Marchetti

Filippo Marchetti (26 February 1831, Bolognola, Macerata – 18 January 1902, Rome) was an Italian opera composer. After studying in Naples, his first opera was "successfully premiered"^[1] in Turin in 1856. With only limited success, he became a teacher of singing and composition in Rome before composing Romeo e Giulietta for a premiere in Trieste in 1865.

Overshadowed like other Italian opera composers of his period by the genius of Verdi, Marchetti achieved one great success with his 1869 opera, Ruy Blas. It has been noted that "it was one of the first Italian operas to show the influence of French grand opera, partly, no doubt in response to its French source".^[1] The opera was performed into the 20th Century.^[1]

Major works

• Gentile da Varano, February 1856, Turin
• La demente, 27 November 1856, Turin
• Il paria, 1859
• Romeo e Giulietta, 25 October 1865, Trieste; revised 1872 and 1876. It is available on CD with Daolio, Portoghese, Coletta, Cassi, and Dolari, under Yurkevych on Dynamic CDS 501/1-2.
• Ruy Blas, 3 April 1869, Milan. Available on CD, but badly cut with Theodossiou, Marini, Malagnini, Gazale, Moncini, under Lipton on Bongiovanni GB 2237/38-2.
• Gustavo Wasa, 7 February 1875, Milan.
• Don Giovanni d'Austria, 11 March 1880, Turin

Recordings

• Romeo e Giulietta. With Daolio, Portoghese, Coletta, Cassi, and Dolari. Cond: Yurkevych. Audio CD: Dynamic, Cat: CDS 501/1-2.
• Ruy Blas with Theodossiou, Marini, Malagnini, Gazale, Moncini. Cond: Lipton. Audio CD: Bongiovanni, Cat: GB 2237/38-2.

Notes

References

• Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
• Nicolaisen, Jay, Italian Opera in Transition, 1871-1893, UMI Research Press, 1980 ISBN 0835711218

External links

• Free scores by Filippo Marchetti at the International Music Score Library Project