Haydn had a discreet affair with mezzo-soprano Luigia Polzelli, who was engaged at Esterháza with her violinist husband in 1779.
Composition History
Haydn's last opera, L'anima del filosofo ossia Orfeo ed Euridice, was commissioned for London in 1791 but was banned by King George III and not premiered until 1951.
Composition History
Haydn's first opera, Acide e Galatea, was written for the wedding of Prince Esterházy's eldest son in 1763.
Historical Context
Haydn's operatic works were created between the opera reforms of Christoph Willibald Gluck (from 1762) and the great operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1781-1791).
Composer Biography
As Kapellmeister for the Esterházy family from 1761 to 1790, Haydn was responsible for conducting, composing, arranging, programming, and managing the court's musical activities.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn's operas are rarely performed today, despite 13 of them surviving complete.
Historical Context
The Esterháza theatre, opened in 1768, was a lavish 60-meter-long building that could seat 400 people, but it was torn down in 1870.
