Entita naturali e sovrannaturali nell'opera italiana, sv. 9

The ninth volume of the editorial series L’opera italiana nei territori boemi durante il Settecento brings together papers from the conference Entita naturali e sovrannaturali nell’opera italiana, held in September 2023 as part of the Festival of Baroque Arts in Český Krumlov. The majority of the studies focus on representations of ancient deities in early modern operatic librettos. Tomislav Volek demonstrates how members of ruling dynasties were particularly inclined to identify themselves with the highest gods. Milada Jonášová (Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) demonstrates the exceptional popularity enjoyed by the figure of Neptune in operatic production and the visual arts. Alfred Noe (University of Vienna) analyses divine figures in the works of the Viennese court poet Nicola Minato, while Adriano De Feo (Austrian Academy of Sciences) examines their presence in the librettos of Minato’s predecessor Pietro Pariati. The volume further includes contributions by Mariateresa Dellaborra (Milan Conservatory of Music), Nicolo Maccavino (Reggio Calabria Conservatory of Music), Matthias Pernerstorfer (Don Juan Archiv, Vienna), and Nicola Usula (University of Fribourg). In a further study, Milada Jonášová demonstrates that the serenata Endimione, performed in September 1754 during Maria Theresa’s visit to Prague, was not a work by Francesco Zoppis, as previously assumed in the literature, but rather a pasticcio involving leading European singers.