Page - 364 - in Musiktheater im höfischen Raum des frühneuzeitlichen Europa - Hof – Oper – Architektur

Juan José Carreras 364 Public opera seria performances began in Madrid in February 1738 given by an Italian company at the Caños theatre.22 A few weeks later, the announcement of the royal wedding of Carlo di Borbone with Princess Maria Amalia, daughter of Friedrich August II, Prince elector of Saxony, was the occasion of great public festivities in Madrid. For the first time, instead of the customary spoken play, the production of an Italian opera at the Coliseo del Buen Retiro was planned to commemorate the wedding. The opera, Alessandro nell’Indie with a libretto by Pietro Metastasio and music by the royal chapel master Francesco Corselli, was performed on 8  July. A year later, a new opera produc- tion at court celebrated another royal wedding, this time between the Infante Philip of Bourbon and the French princess, Louise Élisabeth, the future Duchess of Parma. Farnace, with libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini and music again by Corselli, was pro- duced at the Coliseo del Buen Retiro. If in 1738 the production of the court opera was more or less improvised, using the singers who were in Madrid under contract for the commercial theatre, this second production responded to a well-planned enterprise, in- 22 See Carreras 1996/97. Figure  1.  The Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid 1656.