La compagnia d’opera dei Reales Sitios e il teatro De Los Caños del Peral di Madrid nella stagione 1776-77

Abstract

The operatic company of the Reales Sitios and the De Los Caños del Peral Theatre of Madrid in the 1776-77 season

During the reign of Charles III of Spain (1759-1783) there was a decided decline in operatic performances compared with the immediately preceding period, which was characterized by the direction of court performances by Farinelli. Nevertheless, thanks to the initiative of Count d’Aranda, a few touring companies of Italian origin were able to stage some operas – mainly comic – from 1767 to 1771 in the theatres of the Reales Sitios (Royal Palaces), in particular those of Aranjuez, San Idelfonso and Escorial.
In 1776, after five years of inactivity, a new company was invited to give performances once again at San Idelfonso. The company director was the well-known baritone Francesco Benucci, with the collaboration of three associates: Geronimo Borsello and Carlo and Luigi Zanini. Thanks to the discovery of a notarial act relative to the agreement between the company and the Madrid Municipality for the performance in the Caños del Peral theatre of operas already given in the Reales Sitios during the winter season of the same year, it has been possible to gather detailed information on the company’s structure (singers, balletdancers, choirmaster, orchestral arrangement) and its organizational characteristics. In addition, analysis of this document provides important data concerning the details of the agreement. A contract which, as well as describing in detail the relation of the Reales Sitios company with the theatrical activity of the Spanish capital, throws fresh light on Court/Municipality relations in connection with the management of operatic performances in the Madrid of the Seventies of the eighteenth century. A theme which has been somewhat neglected to date, but which deserves a more comprehensive study.