The Portuguese King Joseph I and his wife Mariana Victoria were passionate about Italian opera and significantly promoted it within Portuguese culture.
Composition History
Il mondo della luna, an opera by Pedro António Avondano, premiered in 1765 at the Royal Theatre of Salvaterra, Portugal.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Avondano's score for Il mondo della luna features classical characteristics, with short themes, clear cadences, simple harmonic progressions, and light textures.
Recording & Production
This recording uses an abbreviated edition of the opera, commissioned in 1994 by the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon, with some scenes, arias, and recitatives omitted.
Interpretation
For this recording, the recitatives were recorded live, and singers were encouraged to learn only the texts, reacting intuitively to the accompaniment for a more spontaneous feel.
Composer Biography
Pedro António Avondano, born in Lisbon to an Italian father and French mother, followed his father's footsteps as a violinist in the Portuguese royal chapel.
Composition History
The libretto for Il mondo della luna, written by Carlo Goldoni, was highly successful and set by many composers, including Joseph Haydn.
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