Italská opera v mozartovské Praze – Niubo Marc (2022)

This book focuses on a key period in the history of Prague theatre: the peak years of Italian opera there, from 1781 to 1785, which significantly influenced the world-famous creation and reception of W. A. Mozart’s works. The subject is examined from two complementary perspectives: as a history of opera in Prague and as an insight into the Italian repertoire of the period. Four chapters explain the conditions under which opera was established and performed first at the Thun Theatre and subsequently at the Nostitz Theatre, follow the seasons under examination, identify the main features and important themes of the repertoire through seven selected operas, and assess it in an international context. Mozart-related connections provide an additional interpretive framework. Based on a thorough reassessment of existing scholarship, newly discovered sources and analyses of operas, most of which have not previously been examined in international musicological literature, the book also includes extensive appendices: a repertoire catalogue, transcriptions of documents and dictionary-style biographical entries on Italian performers. The contents are in Czech.