Largely due to the rise of Puritanism in the early 17 th century (and with it, the closing of theatres), it took nearly 100 years after Dafne premiered for opera to make its way to England.Įngland’s taste makers were initially suspicious of this Italian (‘foreign’) musical drama taking over English stages. What is generally considered the very first opera, Jacopo Peri’s Dafne, premiered in Italy in 1597 – coincidentally also the premiere year of Merry Wives of Windsor, which has proven to be one of the most popular Shakespeare plays with opera composers and librettists. The birth of opera neatly coincided with the life of a man who would go on to hold – and continues to hold – great influence over the art: William Shakespeare.
0 kommentar(er)
