Intrecci teatrali tra Domenico Scarlatti e Filippo Juvarra a Lisbona e a Londra

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Abstract

Based on unpublished archival documents, the article begins with a review of the chronology of Domenico Scarlatti's journey to London, dating it to the autumn of 1719, at the time of his move to Lisbon. This new dating allows for the musician's stay in England to be connected with the creation of the Royal Academy of Music and the preparation of its inaugural opera, performed in 1720. Applying this new perspective, the visit of architect and set designer Filippo Juvarra to London in the summer of 1719 also takes on new motivations. In fact, both Juvarra and Scarlatti shared a professional interest in theatrical production and the expansion of the Italian opera theater market, which was being promoted in aristocratic circles across Europe. The intertwined interests of these two artists, both of Sicilian origin, become even more significant when considered in light of new studies on the role of the Queen of Portugal, Archduchess Maria Anna of Habsburg, in the renewal of musical and theatrical tastes at the Lisbon court. The article concludes with a documentary appendix containing transcriptions of reports about Domenico Scarlatti at the Lisbon court between 1719 and 1724, written by the Austrian representative Giuseppe Zignoni.