Cherubini, Luigi

Cherubini, Luigi – Démophoon – tragédie lyrique en trois actes (full opera score, French libretto by J.F. Marmontel)

(b. Florence, September 14, 1760 – d. Paris, March 15, 1842)

Preface
Luigi Cherubini wrote more than thirty operas—of these, exactly one, Médée from 1797, is still performed on stages around the world today (often in a misunderstood form). Occasionally, one of his Requiem compositions is also performed—otherwise, much of his work has faded from public consciousness.

Yet he was one of the most successful composers of his time. Born in Florence in 1760, he received his early musical education from his father, the “Maestro al cembalo” at the Teatro alla Pergolo; at the age of 9, he became a student of counterpoint under Bartolomeo Felici (1695–1776) and later studied at the universities of Bologna and Milan, among others with Giuseppe Sarti. During this period, he distinguished himself primarily as a composer of sacred and secular vocal music, and from 1780 onward he composed about a dozen operas, mostly opere serie (including Adriano in Siria (1782), L’Alessandro nell’Indie (1784), and Ifigenia in Aulide (1788)). In 1785–86, he attempted to establish himself in London with various works; in July 1786, he moved to Paris, where he shared an apartment with the violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti for six years. He joined the Olympique Masonic Lodge and became part of the musical circle surrounding Marie Antoinette. In 1789, he was appointed music director of the newly founded Théâtre de Monsieur in the Tuileries, …

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