Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 - 7 February 1753) was an Italian

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

composer and conductor. He was the son of Tommaso Ristori, the leader of an opera troupe belonging to the King of Poland and

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

August II the Strong (based in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

). August II lent his opera troupe to the Russian Empress Anna for the celebration of her coronation in Moscow. Ristori died in

. '' Calandro'', his opera in three acts to a libretto by

Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino (21 March 1672 – 16 April 1742) was an Italian poet and opera librettist. He was the son of the composer Carlo Pallavicino (1630?-1688). (Their surname Pallavicino is sometimes spelt Pallavicini.) Biography ...

, was both the first ''

opera buffa ''Opera buffa'' (; "comic opera", plural: ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramm ...

'' written in Germany and also the first Italian opera performed in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. It was given under his, and his father's direction, with thirteen actors and nine singers including

Ludovica Seyfried Ludovica or Ludovika or Ludowika is a feminine given name, a counterpart of the masculine names Ludovic or Ludovico and the related Louis or Ludwig. As of 2021, it was among the ten most popular names for newborn girls in Italy. https://www.ist ...

, Margherita Ermini and Rosalia Fantasia, in 1731 in Moscow. In 1916 the German musicologist Curt Rudolf Mengelberg published the first study on Ristori and his music: Curt Rudolf Mengelberg, ''Giovanni Alberto Ristori: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte italienischer Kunstherrschaft in Deutschland im 18. Jahrhundert'' (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1916). Although short on biographical details it is a landmark publication because Mengelberg had access to many Dresden music sources now missing. This applies especially to Ristori’s sacred music; prior to 1945 Ristori’s sacred music was held both in score and parts by the Dresden State Library (today, Dresden State and University Library (SLUB)). Copies of Ristori's sacred music have been found in Czech and Polish music libraries. The Icelandic independent musicologist Jóhannes Ágústsson’s article "Giovanni Alberto Ristori at the Court of Naples 1738-1740" (Studi pergolesiani – Pergolesi studies 8, eds C. Bacciagaluppi, H.-G. Ottenberg and L. Zoppelli, Bern, Peter Lang, 2012, pp. 53–100), introduced many new biographical details about the Italian composer including previously unknown information about Ristori’s role as the royal music teacher of the Saxon princess Maria Amalia (1724-1760), later Queen of the Two Sicilies and Queen of Spain. Some of Ristori’s have been released on CD.

Works, editions, and selected recordings

Discography * Cantatas for Soprano and Oboe concerto. María Savastano (soprano), Jon Olaberria (oboe), Ensemble Diderot, Johannes Pramsohler (Audax Records 2017) * Missa - on ''Weihnachten am Dresdner Hof'' Kopp (Carus) * Calandro - Batzdorfer Hofkapelle (KammerTon, 2005) * Divoti Affetti alla Passione di Nostro Signore. Echo du Danube (Accent, 2011) * Canto Divoti Affetti on ''La Voce Virtuosa: Lute and the Saxon Vocal Tradition'' PGM 106"Io vorrei saper, d'amore" by Johann David Heinichen Cantata: "La bella fiammo o Tirsi" by Johann David Heinichen "Lascia che nei suo viso" by Lotti "Felice io me n'andro di Giove" by Fux Allemande in F minor by Weiss Tamara Crout Matthews (soprano), Jennifer Lane (mezzo-soprano), Jorgan-Michael Schwarz and Karen Marmer (violins), Loretta O'Sullivan (cello), Timothy Burris (lute & theorbo), Eric Milnes (organ & harpsichord) Includes the world-premiere recording of Ristori's "Canto Divoti Affetti" which was presumed until early 1995 to have been destroyed during the World War II bombings of Dresden.

References

External links

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Giovanni Alberto Ristori
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ristori, Giovanni Alberto Italian Baroque composers Italian male classical composers Italian opera composers Male opera composers 1692 births 1753 deaths 18th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian male musicians