Antonio Vivaldi, Scanderbeg e le «discordie de' Comici»

This essay traces the events surrounding the staging of the opera Scanderbeg (RV 732) by Antonio Vivaldi and Antonio Salvi, performed at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence in 1718 and revived in the same year at the Teatro Pubblico in Siena. The analysis of partly unpublished documentation, preserved in archives and libraries in Florence (Archivio di Stato, Archivio dell'Accademia degli Immobili) and Siena (Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati), provides detailed information on the staging, the expenses incurred, and the professional and personal dynamics connected with the production. The archival documents and correspondence offer a privileged insight into the negotiations between the impresario, the owners of the Teatro della Pergola, the cast members, and their patrons, as well as revealing details about the performances in Siena, which Vivaldi attended, but which were hastily closed due to disagreements between the singers. Set in the cultural and political context of the final years of Medici patronage, Scanderbeg - whose music is largely lost - is a case study for understanding the complex system of relationships between artists and society, centred on the appreciation of the «bizarrie» of Vivaldi's score.