Silla (Graun)
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Silla is an Italian-language opera in three acts by Carl Heinrich Graun. The opera was composed on a French-language libretto written by the Prussian king Frederick II (1712-1786) reworked into Italian by poet and librettist Giovanni Pietro Tagliazucchi (1716-1768). Centered on the figure of the Roman general, statesman and dictator Sulla, it was one of the three libretti by Frederick II drafted between 1749 and 1754 and focused on political and military leaders, with the other two being Coriolanus, Roman general, and Montezuma, emperor of Mexico.[1] The opera is scored for 7 vocal soloists, mixed chorus, and orchestra consisting of 2 horns, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, strings, and basso continuo.[2] The premiere took place at the Hofoper unter den Linden, Berlin, on 27 March 1753.
The modern revival of Graun's Silla was presented at the 2022 season of the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music under the baton of conductor and festival director Alessandro De Marchi. The artistic and stage director of the production was Georg Quander and the set designs and costumes were created by Julia Dietrich. The premiere took place at the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck, Austria on August 5th and was followed by two more performances on August 7th and 9th. The production was noted as a long-awaited and notable historical rediscovery.[3][4] It was recorded and released as a three-disk album on the CPO label[5] and is now also available for digital downloading and streaming through all major music services and platforms.
