Francesco Araia [Araja]

Araia composed operas in Italy until around 1735 when he was invited to St. Petersburg to become the maestro di cappella of the Empress Anne. In 1759 he returned to Italy, but was recalled for the coronation of Tsar Peter III in 1762. He left soon after in the wake of Peter's overthrow by Catherine the Great.

Operas

• Lo matremmonejo pe' mennetta (Autumn 1729 Teatro de' Fiorentini, Naples)
• Berenice (1730 Teatro Pratolino, Florence)
• Ciro riconosciuto (Carnival 1731 Teatro Dame, Rome)
• Il Cleomene (Spring 1731 Teatro Dame, Rome)
• La forza dell'amore e dell'odio (Jan. 1734 Teatro Ducale, Milan)
• Lucio Vero (Carnival 1735, Teatro San Angelo, Venice)
• Il finto Nino, overo La Semiramide riconosciuta (9.2.1737 [OS 28 Jan.], St. Petersburg)
• Artaserse (9.2.1738 [OS 28 Jan.], St. Petersburg)
• Seleuco (7.5.1744 [OS 26 Apr.], Moscow)
• Scipione (4 or 5 Sep. 1745 [OS 23 or 24 Aug.], St. Petersburg)
• Mitridate (7.5.1747 [OS 26 Apr.], St. Petersburg)
• L'asilo della pace (7.5.1748 [OS 26 Apr.], St. Petersburg)
• Bellerofonte (9.12.1750 [OS 28 Nov.], St. Petersburg)
• Eudossa incoronata, o sia Teodosio II (9.5.1751 [OS 28 Apr.], St. Petersburg)
• Tsefal i Prokris (10.3.1755 [OS 27 Feb.], St. Petersburg)
• Amor prigioniero (27.6.1755 [OS 16 June], Oranienbaum)
• Alessandro nell'Indie (29.12.1755 [OS 18 Dec.], St. Petersburg)

contributed by Robert Martindale