Johann Christian Bach by Thomas Gainsborough

''Zanaida'' is a three-act

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 libr ...

with music by Johann Christian Bach and libretto by Giovanni Gualberto Bottarelli. It debuted in London on 7 May 1763.''W. A. Mozart'', p. 41, Hermann Abert,

Cliff Eisen Cliff Eisen (born 21 January 1952 in Toronto) is a Canadian musicologist and a Mozart expert. He was based in the Department of Music at King's College London. He studied at the University of Toronto and at Cornell University, and has taught at th ...

(2007). "''Orione'' and ''Zanaida'' proved spectacularly successful, and Bach was appointed music master to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

on a salary of £300."

Recording

*''Zanaïda'' Live recording. Conductor:

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

, Ensemble: Opera Fuoco, Label: ZigZag, Date: November 2012

References

{{Authority control Operas by Johann Christian Bach Italian-language operas 1763 operas