Bel Canto Bully: The Life and Times of the Legendary Opera Impresario Domenico Barbaja

by Philip Eisenbeiss

Overview

Unscrupulous, devilishly ambitious and undeniably charismatic, Domenico Barbaja was the most celebrated Italian impresario of the early 1800s and one of the most intriguing characters to dominate the operatic empire of the period. Dubbed the "Viceroy of Naples", Barbaja was the influential force behind the careers of a plethora of artists including Vincenzo Bellini, Gioachino Rossini and the great mezzo-soprano Isabella Colbran. In this book, Eisenbeiss unlocks the enigma of this eccentric and fascinating personality that has been hitherto neglected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908323255
Publisher:	Haus Publishing
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Pages:	450
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Philip Eisenbeiss has been living in Hong Kong for the past 20 years, where he has wored as a banker and financial headhunter. After extended training as an opera singer, he started his career in journalism.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements viii

Map of Italy, 1796 xii

Introduction 1

1 From Coffee Waiter to Croupier (1777-1806) 8

2 Naples, the only Capital of Italy 20

3 Feeding Naples' Twin Addictions (1806-1813) 32

4 Rossini and Roulette (1813-1816) 50

5 Rising from the Ashes (1816-1819) 73

6 The End of Easy Money (1819-1822) 96

7 The Conquest of Vienna (1822-1824) 114

8 Juggling Europe's Stages (1824-1828) 129

9 Finding Successors to Rossini and Colbran 149

10 Retreat from Milan and Vienna (1828-1831) 173

11 Counting the Losses (1831-1836) 186

12 Death is in the Air (1836-1841) 202

Epilogue: Barbaja's Legacy 226

Appendix 1 Cast of Characters 233

Appendix 2 The Bourbons and the Habsburgs 1638-1859 239

Appendix 3 Barbaja's Operas 240

Appendix 4 A Note on Currency 244

Notes 246

Bibliography 280

Index 288

Editorial Reviews

A story that started with a personal obsession (the author’s passion for opera and, more specifically, its 19th-century impresarios) becomes a highly readable, even entertaining historical work about music and culture in Italy during the 1800s. Author Eisenbeiss, heart in hand, displays admirable research and analytic skills as he makes sense of an almost-unheard-of opera impresario, Domenico Barbaja. Barbaja, writes Eisenbeiss, revolutionized the way Neapolitans enjoyed music and opera, including the performances’ costuming, singing styles, impact on society, and the halls themselves. Besides that, he was a womanizer, a gambler, and a charming bully. Readers get a firsthand look at the cultural and political fabric of Naples, Vienna, and Paris, including a discussion of the Bourbons vs. the Hapsburgs. The opera that grew and developed during this time would foster later composers such as Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Includes appendixes about singers, currencies, and operas.

Verdict A rich look at an overlooked figure in opera history.—Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
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