Carlo Canobbio: Venetian composer at the Russian court

Life

Trained during a transitional era where Rococo, Enlightenment, and Neoclassicism coexisted, his artistic maturity expressed itself fully in the Neoclassical taste and style of the late eighteenth century and the Napoleonic era.

Born in Venice in 1741, Carlo Canobbio was a violinist and composer. After a stay in Spain, he returned to Italy, where between 1773 and 1775 he directed the orchestra of the Teatro San Samuele and composed ballets performed in Venice and Bologna. In 1773 he also began a collaboration with the publisher and composer Luigi Marescalchi.

From 1779 to 1795 he was active in St. Petersburg, working in the imperial theaters. In 1789 he became lead violinist of the Italian Opera directed by Giovanni Paisiello. In 1790 he composed, along with Giuseppe Sarti and Vasily Pashkevich, the opera Nachal'noye upravleniye Olega to a libretto by Catherine II of Russia. Throughout his career, he returned to Italy several times, maintaining close ties with the Venetian environment.

He died in St. Petersburg in 1822, after a life dedicated to music between two cultural worlds, Italy and Russia.

Works

He composed two operas: L’amore artigiano (1785, St. Petersburg, to a libretto by Carlo Goldoni, now lost) and Nachal'noye upravleniye Olega (1790, St. Petersburg, libretto by Catherine II). His production also includes numerous ballets: Don Anchise Campanone (1773, Venice), Le astuzie amorose (1775, Venice), La sposa persiana (1775, Venice), Farnace (1776, Venice), Armida (1777, Venice), La schiava fedele (1778, Bologna), L’idolo cinese (1779, St. Petersburg), Don Juan (1781, St. Petersburg), Nettuno e Egle (1783, Venice), Catone in Utica (1784, Naples), Arianna e Bacco (1789, St. Petersburg), Piramo e Tisbe (1791, St. Petersburg). The variety of subjects and theatrical venues demonstrates his versatility and the international recognition of his music.