List of operas by Francesco Bianchi

This is a complete list of the operas of the Italian composer Francesco Bianchi (1752–1810).

Francesco Bianchi

Bianchi had an extraordinarily varied career, working in different places, in different styles with different collaborators. Not only did he work in Italy, in Venice, Naples, Florence, Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Brescia, Cremona, and Padua, but also extensively in Paris and London.

Although he wrote 41 'serious' drammi per musica (opera seria), he also composed 16 opéras comiques and 14 opere buffe, as well as one each of works designated as azione scenica, azione teatrale, drame héroïque, drame lyrique, festa teatrale, and opera giocosa.

List

Title	Genre	Sub­divisions	Libretto	Première date	Place, theatre	Notes
Giulio Sabino	dramma per musica			1772	Cremona
Il gran Cidde	dramma per musica	3 acts	Gioacchino Pizzi after Pierre Corneille	27 January 1773	Florence, Teatro della Pergola
Demetrio	dramma per musica	3 acts	Metastasio	Carnival 1774	Cremona
Eurione	dramma per musica	3 acts	Antonio Papi	25 May 1775	Pavia, Teatro Quattro Signori
La réduction de Paris	drame lyrique	3 acts	Barnabé Farmian de Rosoi	30 September 1775	Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Le mort marié	opéra comique	2 acts	Michel-Jean Sedaine	25 October 1776	Fontainebleau, Théâtre Royal de la Cour
Erifile	dramma per musica	3 acts	Giovanni de Gamerra	29 January 1779	Florence, Teatro della Pergola
L'innocenza perseguitata	opera buffa	3 acts		Carnival 1779	Rome, Teatro delle Dame
Castore e Polluce	dramma per musica	4 acts	Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, after Pierre-Joseph Bernhard's Castor et Pollux	10 January 1779	Florence, Teatro della Pergola	second version in 3 acts, performed on 8 September 1779
Il Demetrio	dramma per musica	2 acts (26 scenes)		3 January 1780	Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Arbace	dramma per musica	3 acts	Gaetano Sertor	20 January 1781	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Venere e Adone	azione teatrale	2 acts	Ferdinando Casori	14 September 1781	Florence, Teatro della Pergola
Zemira	dramma per musica	2 acts	Gaetano Sertor	4 November 1781	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo	2nd version: Padua 1786
L'Olimpiade	dramma per musica	3 acts	Metastasio	26 December 1781	Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Il trionfo della pace	festa teatrale	2 acts	Cesare Olivieri	16 April 1782	Turin, Teatro Regio
La Zulima	dramma per musica	3 acts	Carlo Olivieri, after Voltaire	4 November 1782	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Medonte	dramma per musica	2 acts		14 November 1782	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket	pasticcio containing music by many hands incl. Bianchi, but principally Giuseppe Sarti
L'astrologa	opera buffa	3 acts	Pietro Chiari	December 1782	Naples, Teatro del Fondo
Piramo e Tisbe	dramma per musica	3 acts (32 scenes)	Gaetano Sertor	7 January 1783	Venice, Teatro La Fenice
Briseide	dramma per musica	3 acts	Francesco Sebastiano Gambino	27 December 1783	Turin, Teatro Regio
Aspardi, principe di Battriano	dramma per musica	3 acts	Gaetano Sertor	Carnival 1784	Rome, Teatro delle Dame
Cajo Mario	dramma per musica	3 acts	Gaetano Roccaforte	30 May 1784	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
La villanella rapita	opera giocosa	2 acts	Filippo Livigni	29 August 1784	Süttör, Eszterháza Theater[1]	Re-staged on 28 November 1785, Vienna, at the Burgtheater, with the vocal terzetto "Mandina amabile" K. 480 and the vocal quartet "Dite almeno in che mancai?" K. 479 by Mozart – staged besides under the title of Le gelosie di Pippo in Lisbon in 1796
La finta principessa	opera buffa	2 acts	Filippo Livigni	autumn 1784	Bologna, Teatro Formagliari
Il disertore francese	dramma per musica	3 acts (34 scenes)	Bartolomeo Benincasa	26 December 1784	Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Alessandro nell'Indie	dramma per musica	3 acts (36 scenes)	Metastasio	28 January 1785	Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
La stravagante inglese	opera buffa	2 acts	Giovanni Greppi	autumn 1785	Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Le villanelle astute	opera buffa	2 acts	Giuseppe Foppa	Carnival 1786	Venice, Teatro San Samuele
Alonso e Cora	dramma per musica	3 acts (24 scenes)	Giuseppe Foppa, after Ferdinando Moretti's libretto Idalide	7 February 1786	Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Mesenzio, re d'Etruria	dramma per musica	2 acts	Ferdinando Casorri	4 November 1786	Naples, Real Teatro San Carlo
L'orfano cinese	dramma per musica	3 acts (29 scenes)	after Voltaire	30 January 1787	Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto
Artaserse	dramma per musica	3 acts	Metastasio	11 June 1787	Padua, Teatro Nuovo
Pizzarro	dramma per musica	3 acts		summer 1787	Brescia, Accademia degli Erranti
Scipione africano	dramma per musica	3 acts	Nicolò Minato	13 August 1787	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo
Il ritratto	opera buffa	2 acts	Saverio Zini	autumn 1787	Naples, Teatro del Fondo
Calto	dramma per musica	3 acts (23 scenes)	Giuseppe Foppa, after Ossian	23 January 1788	Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
La morte di Cesare	dramma per musica	2 acts (29 scenes)	Gaetano Sertor, after Shakespeare's Julius Caesar	27 December 1788	Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San Samuele
La fedeltà tra le selve	opera buffa	2 acts	Michelangelo Prunetti	Carnival 1789	Rome, Teatro Capranica	It includes 4 arias by Valentino Fioravanti
Nitteti	dramma per musica	3 acts	Metastasio	20 April 1789	Milan, Teatro alla Scala
Daliso e Delmita	dramma per musica	2 acts	Giovanni de Gamerra	12 June 1789	Padua, Teatro Nuovo
Il finto astrologo	opera buffa	2 acts	Angelo Mariani	Carnival 1790	Rome, Teatro Capranica
L'Arminio	dramma per musica	3 acts	Ferdinando Moretti	6 September 1790	Florence, Teatro della Pergola
La vendetta di Nino, o sia Semiramide	dramma per musica	3 acts	Pietro Giovannini, after Voltaire	12 November 1790	Naples, Real Teatro San Carlo	second version in 2 acts, 1794, London, King’s Theater in the Haymarket
Caio Ostilio	dramma per musica	2 acts	Eustachio Manfredi	Carnival 1791	Rome, Teatro Argentina
La dama bizzarra	opera buffa	2 acts	Tommaso Mariani	Carnival 1791	Rome, Teatro Capranica
Deifile	azione scenica	2 acts		March 1791	Venice, Palazzo Brünner
La sposa in equivoco	opera buffa	2 acts	Saverio Zini	autumn 1791	Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Seleuco, re di Siria	dramma per musica	3 acts (29 scenes)	Mattia Botturini, after Antioco by Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati	26 December 1791	Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
Aci e Galatea	dramma per musica	2 acts (28 scenes)	Giuseppe Foppa	13 October 1792	Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto	revision 1795 London, King's Theater in the Haymarket
Tarara, o sia La virtù premiata	dramma per musica	3 acts (30 scenes)	Gaetano Sertor	26 December 1792	Venice, Teatro La Fenice
Il cinese in Italia	opera buffa	2 acts	Alessandro Pepoli	autumn 1793	Venice, Teatro San Moisè	staged also under the title of L'olandese in Venice in Turin in 1794
La secchia rapita	opera buffa	2 acts	Angelo Anelli	13 February 1794	Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San Samuele)	revision 1796 Milan with a new act by Zingarelli
Ines de Castro	dramma per musica	3 acts	Luigi de Sanctis, after Cosimo Giotti	30 May 1794	Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo	Revised version in 3 acts (35 scenes), 14 October 1795, Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto
La capricciosa ravveduta	opera buffa	2 acts	Caterino Mazzolà	autumn 1794	Venice, Teatro San Moisè
Antigona	dramma per musica	2 acts	Lorenzo Da Ponte	24 May 1796	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Il consiglio imprudente	opera buffa	1 act	Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Carlo Goldoni	20 December 1796	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Merope	dramma per musica	2 acts	Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Voltaire	10 June 1797	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Cinna	dramma per musica	3 acts	Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Angelo Anelli?	20 February 1798	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
Alzira	dramma per musica	2 acts	Gaetano Rossi, after Voltaire	28 February 1801	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
La morte di Cleopatra	dramma per musica	2 acts	Serafino Buonaiuti	30 April 1801	London, King's Theater in the Haymarket
Armida	dramma per musica	2 acts	Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata	1 June 1802	London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket
L'avaro	opéra comique	2 acts	Giovanni Bertati	30 March 1804	Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Blaisot et Pasquin	opéra comique	1 act	Alexandre-Joseph Leroy de Bacre, Francis d'Allarde, and Martinelli	9 April 1804	Paris, Théâtre Montansier (Salle de l'Opéra Bouffe)
Le maître de chapelle	opéra comique			3 May 1804	Paris, Théâtre des Italiens
Corali, ou La lanterne magique	opéra comique	1 act	André Joseph Grétry, neveu	7 July 1804	Paris, Théâtre Molière
L'eau et le feu, ou Le gascon à l'épreuve	opéra comique	1 act	Charles Gaugiran-Nanteuil	10 August 1804	Paris, Théâtre Montansier-Variétés (Variétés-Montansier, galeries du Palais-Royal)
Le contrat signé d'avance, ou Laquelle est ma femme?	opéra comique	1 act	F. Ligier	29 September 1804	Paris, Théâtre Molière
Le gascon, gascon malgré lui	opéra comique	1 act	P. Guillet and Eugène Hus	17 November 1804	Paris, Théâtre Molière
Amour et coquetterie	opéra comique	1 act	André-Jacques Coffin-Rony	7 January 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le livre des destins	opéra comique	1 act	Félix Nogaret	2 February 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
La famille venitienne, ou Le château d'Orseno	opéra comique	3 acts	Frédéric Dupetit-Méré	7 May 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes (rue de Bondy)
Monsieur Jugolo, ou Les chercheurs	opéra comique	1 act		22 May 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le château mystérieux, ou Le crime commis et vengé	opéra comique	3 acts	Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy	12 July 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le triomphe d'Alcide à Athènes	drame héroïque	2 acts	Pierre-Louis Moline and Adrien-Firmin Pillon	September 1806	Paris, Théâtre Molière
La soeur officieuse, ou Addresse et mensonge	opéra comique	1 act	Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy	18 October 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Almeria, ou L'écossaise fugitive	opéra comique	3 acts	Marie-Adélaïde Barthélemy-Hadot	8 December 1806	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Les illustres infortunés, ou La souveraine vindicative	opéra comique	3 acts	Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy	8 January 1807	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves
Le pied de boeuf et la queue du chat	opéra comique	3 acts	Pierre-Joseph Charrin and Maxime de Redon	9 June 1807	Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes (rue de Bondy)

Doubtful operas

• Mitridate (1781, Genova)
• Attalo, re di Bitinia (1783, Venice)
• Demofoonte (1783, Venice)
• La caccia di Enrico IV (1784, Venice)
• Il barone a forza (1785, Rome)
• Li sposi in commedia (1785, Venice)
• Il nuovo Don Chischiotte (1788, Voltri)
• Il gatto (1789, Brescia)
• La calamità dei cuori (1789, Padua)
• Il difensore (1793–94, Vienna)
• Zenobia (1797, London)
• Telemaco (v. 1800, Cremona)
• Vonima e Mitridate (1803, Venice)

Isolated songs

Surviving play-texts suggest that Bianchi contributed isolated numbers to La premiere représentation by Pierre-Joseph Charrin, first performed at the Théâtre des Nouveaux Troubadours in Paris on 20 September 1806;^[2] and to Collin d'Harleville aux Champs-Élysées by Joseph Aude, Décour and Defrénoy, first given in Paris on 20 March 1806. He is also credited as having arranged the music, previously chosen by the author, for Les Sirènes by Jean-Baptiste-Augustin Hapdé, first performed at the Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes on 24 January 1807.^[3]

References

Notes

1. This première is reported by Casaglia (2005); according to the Grove Dictionary it took place, instead, in Venice, at San Moisè theatre in autumn 1783.
2. La première représentation, ou, le couplet d'annonce, Warwick Digital Collections
3. Les sirènes, ou, les sauvages de la montagne d'or, Warwick Digital Collections

Sources

• Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Francesco Bianchi". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
• "Bianchi, Francesco" by Marita P. McClymonds and Sven Hansell in Oxford Music Online, accessed 5 January 2010 (subscription required)
• Operone list of works, accessed 12 March 2011