This is a complete list of the operas of the Italian composer Francesco Bianchi (1752–1810).
Bianchi had a varied career, working in different places and different styles and with many different collaborators. Not only was he active in Italy (in Venice, Naples, Florence, Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Brescia, Cremona, and Padua) but also frequently in Paris and London.
Although he wrote 41 'serious' drammi per musica (opere serie), he also composed 16 opéras comiques and 14 opere buffe, as well as one each of works designated azione scenica, azione teatrale, drame héroïque, drame lyrique, festa teatrale, and opera giocosa.
List TitleGenreSubdivisionsLibrettoPremière datePlace, theatreNotes Giulio Sabino dramma per musica 1772 CremonaIl gran Cidde dramma per musica 3 actsGioacchino Pizzi after Pierre Corneille27 January 1773 Florence, Teatro della Pergola Demetrio dramma per musica3 acts MetastasioCarnival 1774 Cremona Eurione dramma per musica3 actsAntonio Papi25 May 1775 Pavia, Teatro Quattro Signori La réduction de Paris drame lyrique3 actsBarnabé Farmian de Rosoi Paris, Théâtre des ItaliensLe mort marié opéra comique 2 actsMichel-Jean Sedaine25 October 1776 Fontainebleau, Théâtre Royal de la Cour Erifile dramma per musica 3 actsGiovanni de Gamerra29 January 1779 Florence, Teatro della PergolaL'innocenza perseguitata opera buffa3 acts Carnival 1779 Rome, Teatro delle DameCastore e Polluce dramma per musica4 actsCarlo Innocenzo Frugoni, after Pierre-Joseph Bernhard's Castor et Pollux10 September 1779 Florence, Teatro della Pergola 2nd version: Padua 1780Il Demetrio dramma per musica2 acts (26 scenes) 3 January 1780 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto Arbace dramma per musica3 actsGaetano Sertor20 January 1781 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo Demofoonte dramma per musica3 actsMetastasio Spring 1781 Genoa, Teatro di Sant'Agostino Venere e Adone azione teatrale2 actsFerdinando Casori14 September 1781 Florence, Teatro della PergolaZemira dramma per musica 2 actsGaetano Sertor4 November 1781 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo 2nd version: Padua 1786L'Olimpiade dramma per musica3 actsMetastasio26 December 1781 Milan, Teatro alla ScalaIl trionfo della pace festa teatrale 2 actsCesare Olivieri16 April 1782 Turin, Teatro RegioLa Zulima dramma per musica3 actsCarlo Olivieri, after Voltaire4 November 1782 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo Medonte dramma per musica2 acts 14 November 1782 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket pasticcio containing music by many hands incl. Bianchi, but principally Giuseppe SartiL'astrologa opera buffa3 actsPietro ChiariDecember 1782 Naples, Teatro del Fondo Piramo e Tisbe dramma per musica3 acts (32 scenes)Gaetano Sertor7 January 1783 Venice, Teatro La Fenice Briseide dramma per musica3 actsFrancesco Sebastiano Gambino27 December 1783 Turin, Teatro Regio Aspardi, principe di Battriano dramma per musica3 actsGaetano SertorCarnival 1784 Rome, Teatro delle Dame Cajo Mario dramma per musica3 actsGaetano Roccaforte30 May 1784 Naples, Real Teatro di San CarloLa villanella rapita opera giocosa 2 actsFilippo Livigni29 August 1784 Süttör, Eszterháza TheaterThis première is reported by Casaglia (2005); according to the Grove Dictionary it took place, instead, in Venice, at San Moisè theatre in autumn 1783. 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 1796La finta principessa opera buffa2 actsFilippo Livigniautumn 1784 Bologna, Teatro FormagliariIl disertore francese dramma per musica 3 acts (34 scenes)Bartolomeo Benincasa 26 December 1784 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto Alessandro nell'Indie dramma per musica3 acts (36 scenes)Metastasio28 January 1785 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San BenedettoLa stravagante inglese opera buffa2 actsGiovanni Greppiautumn 1785 Venice, Teatro San MoisèLe villanelle astute opera buffa 2 actsGiuseppe FoppaCarnival 1786 Venice, Teatro San Samuele Alonso e Cora dramma per musica3 acts (24 scenes)Giuseppe Foppa, after Ferdinando Moretti's libretto Idalide7 February 1786 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto Mesenzio, re d'Etruria dramma per musica2 actsFerdinando Casorri4 November 1786 Naples, Real Teatro San CarloL'orfano cinese dramma per musica3 acts (29 scenes)after Voltaire30 January 1787 Venice, Teatro (Gallo) San Benedetto Artaserse dramma per musica 3 actsMetastasio11 June 1787 Padua, Teatro Nuovo Pizzarro dramma per musica3 acts summer 1787 Brescia, Accademia degli Erranti Scipione africano dramma per musica3 actsNicolò Minato13 August 1787 Naples, Real Teatro di San CarloIl ritratto opera buffa2 actsSaverio Ziniautumn 1787 Naples, Teatro del Fondo Calto dramma per musica3 acts (23 scenes)Giuseppe Foppa, after Ossian23 January 1788 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San BenedettoLa morte di Cesare dramma per musica2 acts (29 scenes)Gaetano Sertor, after Shakespeare's Julius Caesar27 December 1788 Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San SamueleLa fedeltà tra le selve opera buffa2 actsMichelangelo PrunettiCarnival 1789 Rome, Teatro Capranica It includes 4 arias by Valentino Fioravanti Nitteti dramma per musica3 actsMetastasio20 April 1789 Milan, Teatro alla Scala Daliso e Delmita dramma per musica2 actsGiovanni de Gamerra12 June 1789 Padua, Teatro NuovoIl finto astrologo opera buffa2 actsAngelo MarianiCarnival 1790 Rome, Teatro CapranicaL'Arminio dramma per musica3 actsFerdinando Moretti6 September 1790 Florence, Teatro della PergolaLa vendetta di Nino, o sia Semiramide dramma per musica3 actsPietro Giovannini, after Voltaire12 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 actsEustachio ManfrediCarnival 1791 Rome, Teatro ArgentinaLa dama bizzarra opera buffa2 actsTommaso MarianiCarnival 1791 Rome, Teatro Capranica Deifile azione scenica2 acts March 1791 Venice, Palazzo BrünnerLa sposa in equivoco opera buffa2 actsSaverio Ziniautumn 1791 Venice, Teatro San Moisè Seleuco, re di Siria dramma per musica3 acts (29 scenes)Mattia Botturini, after Antioco by Apostolo Zeno and Pietro Pariati26 December 1791 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto Aci e Galatea dramma per musica2 acts (28 scenes)Giuseppe Foppa13 October 1792 Venice, Teatro (Venier) San Benedetto revision 1795 London, King's Theater in the Haymarket Tarara, o sia La virtù premiata dramma per musica3 acts (30 scenes)Gaetano Sertor26 December 1792 Venice, Teatro La FeniceIl cinese in Italia opera buffa2 actsAlessandro Pepoliautumn 1793 Venice, Teatro San Moisè staged also under the title of L'olandese in Venice in Turin in 1794La secchia rapita opera buffa2 actsAngelo Anelli13 February 1794 Venice, Teatro (Grimani) San Samuele) revision 1796 Milan with a new act by Zingarelli Ines de Castro dramma per musica 3 actsLuigi de Sanctis, after Cosimo Giotti30 May 1794 Naples, Real Teatro di San Carlo Revised version in 3 acts (35 scenes), 14 October 1795, Venice, Teatro (Venier) San BenedettoLa capricciosa ravveduta opera buffa2 actsCaterino Mazzolàautumn 1794 Venice, Teatro San Moisè Antigona dramma per musica 2 actsLorenzo Da Ponte24 May 1796 London, King's Theatre in the HaymarketIl consiglio imprudente opera buffa 1 act Lorenzo Da Ponte, after Carlo Goldoni20 December 1796 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket Merope dramma per musica2 actsLorenzo Da Ponte, after Voltaire10 June 1797 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket Cinna dramma per musica3 actsLorenzo Da Ponte, after Angelo Anelli?20 February 1798 London, King's Theatre in the Haymarket Alzira dramma per musica2 actsGaetano Rossi, after Voltaire28 February 1801 London, King's Theatre in the HaymarketLa morte di Cleopatra dramma per musica 2 actsSerafino Buonaiuti30 April 1801 London, King's Theater in the Haymarket Armida dramma per musica2 actsLorenzo Da Ponte, after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata1 June 1802 London, King's Theatre in the HaymarketL'avaro opéra comique 2 actsGiovanni Bertati30 March 1804 Paris, Théâtre des Italiens Blaisot et Pasquin opéra comique 1 act Alexandre-Joseph Leroy de Bacre, Francis d'Allarde, and Martinelli9 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, neveu7 July 1804 Paris, Théâtre MolièreL'eau et le feu, ou Le gascon à l'épreuve opéra comique1 actCharles Gaugiran-Nanteuil10 August 1804 Paris, Théâtre Montansier-Variétés (Variétés-Montansier, galeries du Palais-Royal)Le contrat signé d'avance, ou Laquelle est ma femme? opéra comique1 act F. Ligier29 September 1804 Paris, Théâtre MolièreLe gascon, gascon malgré lui opéra comique1 act P. Guillet and Eugène Hus17 November 1804 Paris, Théâtre Molière Amour et coquetterie opéra comique1 act André-Jacques Coffin-Rony7 January 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLe livre des destins opéra comique1 act Félix Nogaret2 February 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLa famille venitienne, ou Le château d'Orseno opéra comique3 actsFrédéric Dupetit-Méré7 May 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes (rue de Bondy) Monsieur Jugolo, ou Les chercheurs opéra comique1 act 22 May 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLe château mystérieux, ou Le crime commis et vengé opéra comique3 actsMaxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy12 July 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLe triomphe d'Alcide à Athènes drame héroïque2 actsPierre-Louis Moline and Adrien-Firmin PillonSeptember 1806 Paris, Théâtre MolièreLa soeur officieuse, ou Addresse et mensonge opéra comique1 act Maxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy18 October 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-Élèves Almeria, ou L'écossaise fugitive opéra comique 3 actsMarie-Adélaïde Barthélemy-Hadot8 December 1806 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLes illustres infortunés, ou La souveraine vindicative opéra comique 3 actsMaxime de Redon and Charles Rivière Defresnoy8 January 1807 Paris, Théâtre des Jeunes-ÉlèvesLe pied de boeuf et la queue du chat opéra comique3 actsPierre-Joseph Charrin and Maxime de Redon9 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;La première représentation, ou, le couplet d'annonce, Warwick Digital Collections 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.Les sirènes, ou, les sauvages de la montagne d'or, Warwick Digital Collections
References Notes
Sources
"Bianchi, Francesco" by Marita P. McClymonds and Sven Hansell in Oxford Music Online, accessed 5 January 2010 Operone list of works, accessed 12 March 2011