Antonio Sacchini was an early composer of the classical era -- he studied with Francesco Durante -- whose place in the scheme of things was not established until relatively late in the classical game. Sacchini's posthumous fame rested chiefly on one work, the French opera seria Oedipe à Colone. Premiered at the Paris Opéra in February 1787 -- a few months after Sacchini died -- Oedipe à Colone was seen as vindication for its composer, whose last years had been marked by straightened financial circumstances, declining ...
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Antonio Sacchini was an early composer of the classical era -- he studied with Francesco Durante -- whose place in the scheme of things was not established until relatively late in the classical game. Sacchini's posthumous fame rested chiefly on one work, the French opera seria Oedipe à Colone. Premiered at the Paris Opéra in February 1787 -- a few months after Sacchini died -- Oedipe à Colone was seen as vindication for its composer, whose last years had been marked by straightened financial circumstances, declining popularity, and humiliating, public squabbling with his colleagues in London. Created on a commission from Marie Antoinette, the premiere of Oedipe à Colone was not given at Fontainebleau as she'd hoped, owing to political pressure. Sacchini died during this conflict and when the work finally opened, it was immediately hailed as a masterpiece; Oedipe à Colone remained in the repertoire until the 1820s, when all classical operas began to drop from the rolls. A belated revival of Oedipe à...
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