Fra Milano e Barcellona: viaggi teatrali di impresari e artisti alla corte di Carlo III d’Asburgo

Abstract

Federico Piantanida was one of the theater organizers tasked with preparing operas for the court of Charles III of Habsburg in Barcelona. He was a member of the family of theater impresarios who ran the Regio Ducal Teatro in Milan for over twenty years between the 17th and 18th centuries. Opera performances at the Barcelona court were largely funded by the public coffers of the Lombard capital as a sign of homage to the sovereign. These performances were closely connected to the operas performed at the Teatro di Milano in the early 18th century. The migration of libretti, scores, singers, set designers, craftsmen, and musical instruments from Italy to Barcelona between 1707 and 1711 demonstrates one way Italian opera spread throughout Europe in the early 18th century, particularly through court theater. This story illustrates the evolution of the theater impresario, who provided his services to court theaters, where performances were organized without the economic constraints of commercial theaters.