Following on from “Penelope”, four more works by Francesco Bartolomeo Conti are now available from Alkor-Edition. The first critical edition of the Italian composer’s works, who came to fame in Vienna, is being edited by conductor and musicologist Marco Comin.

Born in Florence in 1682, the composer Francesco Bartolomeo Conti was justifiably highly regarded by renowned colleagues such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel, Quantz and Mattheson. From 1711 until his death in 1732 he was court composer in Vienna, where he combined the contrapuntal style of Fux with an Italianate and spirited theatrical instinct. This can be clearly discerned not only in his operas, but also in his sacred oratorios composed for Lent.

“La colpa originale” is a perfect example of this. Seldom does the biblical story of Adam and Eve seem as human as in this work, which contains some true musical jewels such as Adam’s touching aria with solo trombone. “Mia compagna io la credea” or Eve’s aria “La speranza m’ingannò” with a grandiose theorbo solo. Conti’s mastery in counterpoint and his imaginative harmonic language clearly come into effect in the Sinfonia and in the choruses.

For “Galatea vendicata” Conti chose a special genre: the Festa teatrale, a one-act work based on a mythical subject matter, intended for the birthday or name day of members of the imperial family – in this case it was Emperor Charles VI, who commissioned the opera for the name day of his wife. The work intertwines the myth of Acis and Galatea, as well as that of Arethusa and Alpheus (both from Ovid’s Metamorphoses) and the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus (taken freely from Homer’s Odyssey) in a witty way. Musically, we find both tender, moving and irresistibly rhythmic arias, as well as the powerful chorus of the Cyclops, an extremely sensuous strophic aria with mandolin – all original and sensuous-sounding forms of their genre.

“Il finto Policare” is the seventh opera which Conti composed for the carnival season at the Viennese court, and which was premiered on 11 February 1716 in the Hofburg Theatre, the winter residence of the imperial family. It was written in collaboration with the librettist Pietro Pariati, with the kindred duo making a valuable contribution to the genre of tragicommedia. It is about the truly original double story of the title hero Policare, who grows up under a false name as the rightful heir to the Prince of Messina until his true identity is revealed and he wins back his paternal inheritance. A special feature is the comic roles in a tragic context, strongly resembling opera seria. These are not confined to individual scenes at the end of an act, but are played out more or less continuously with the other figures.

The dramma pastorale “Il trionfo dell’amicizia e dell’amore” composed for carnival 1711 is Conti’s second opera and the earliest to survive. And thus began de facto the monopoly in composing carnival operas which Conti was to exercise for over fifteen years at the Viennese imperial court; a task which was regarded as an artistic privilege and was reserved exclusively for composers of rank. The libretto was by Francesco Ballerini, a well-known castrato who sang the role of Tirsi himself. The opera is distinguished by a specially rich use of instrumental numbers – more than in any other opera by Conti – and integrates dances as an essential component in the plot, often with the involvement of the singers. In the centre of the story is a group of friends, whose love intrigues finally end in three happy couples – a true triumph of friendship and love.

Marco Comin/Tessa Singer
(from [t]akte 2/2025)
(translation: Elizabeth Robinson)