Francesco Domenico Araja (1709-c.1770) - Sinfonia in Re maggiore

Autor: Francesco Domenico Araja (1709-c.1770) Obra: Sinfonia in Re maggiore Intèrprets: Ensеmble Arcο Antiqua Pintura: Pietro Antoniani (c.1740-1805) - Naples, a view of the Strada di Santa Lucia --- Francesco Domenico Araja [Araia] [Франческо Арайя] (Napoli, 25 June 1709 - Bologna, c.1770) Italian-Russian composer. His musical education was at the Conservatorio where he studied under Leonardo Leo and Leonardo Vinci. At the age of 20 he began his career as a composer of opera with Lo matriomonio permenetto, establishing a career primarily in Rome. In 1735 he was hired by Empress Elisabeth of Russia as her court composer. His first opera for St. Petersburg, La forza dell’amore e dell’odio, of 1736, was a success in both its Italian original and in a Russian translation. Over the next two decades he worked at the Russian court, reaching the apex of his success with Tsefal i Prokris in 1755, the first Russian opera to a text by Aleksandr Sumarokov. In 1759 Araja returned to Italy, only to be called back to Russia for the coronation of Czar Peter III two years later. When the emperor was murdered the following year, Araja left for Italy, taking up residence in Bologna, where he lived the remainder of his life in obscurity. His 21 operas all reflect the Neapolitan early Classical idiom with clear-cut lyrical lines, diatonic harmonies, and close attention to text. In addition he composed two oratorios for Bologna, as well as six large celebratory cantatas, one of which was used for the coronation of the tzar.