University of Pennsylvania, Lerner Center, Music Department, 201 S 34th street, third floor, conference room (312). Contact info: mauroca@sas.upenn.edu or lilykass@sas.upen.edu

Giuseppe Sarti in Copenhagen: Cultural Transfer and Opera in Migration, 1747-1782

Italian opera had been performed regularly in Copenhagen since 1747 by Mingotti’s troupe. Giuseppe Sarti became music director of the troupe in 1753 and kapelmester of King Frederik V two years later. In a long letter recently discovered in the National Archives of Copenhagen, Sarti carefully explains to the board of the Royal Theater how to perform Italian opera. He discusses all the aspects relevant to the spectacle: from the translation of the libretto to the music rehearsals, actors, extras, scenery, machines, lightning and –especially– costumes. Italian opera in eighteenth-century Copenhagen has scarcely attracted scholarly attention until now, despite Sarti’s importance. His letter, however, is a revelatory source through which to understand Italian opera in migration at Europe’s peripheries. This presentation explores the issues related to the costumes and their function, the most detailed segment of Sarti’s observations. Apart from practicalities, such as their expenses, and convenience in performance, he discusses in detail the relationships between colors and characters, theatrical performance, and good taste. Moreover by comparing Sarti’s comments with the operas he mentions (Semiramide and Didone abbandonata, both in 1762, Narciso in 1763), and with the inventory of costumes found in the Danish National Archives, we see how his aesthetic ideas were translated upon the stage. The operas were sung in Italian, but each of them was translated in Danish and published in a bilingual libretto. The audience couldn’t pick up the nuances of the text or the way that music related to it. Therefore costumes, colors, and accessories were crucial in transmitting immediate information on the characters, their feelings, their social status and represent a visual marker for the audience.

Prof. Jeanneret is currently a Fellow at the Italian Academy of Advanced Studies at Columbia University. For bio and more please see here and here

The talk is announced also on the Penn Music Department’s webpage. Plese feel free to browse for other music events taking place in the Department–concerts, talks etc. For a calendar of the Opera Workshop talks, see here.