A resounding public triumph in Venice in 1641, La Finta Pazza was the first opera to cross the Alps and make its way to the court of the young Louis XIV. In 2022, the work was brought back to life at the Royal Opera of Versailles. 
By 
At Versailles, conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, stage director Jean-Yves Ruf, and the ensemble Cappella Mediterranea revived Francesco Sacrati’s La Finta Pazza, the Italian opera first performed in Paris under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin. Their production casts new light on what Sacrati brought to the nascent art of opera—above all, a form of theatre in which music mirrored gesture and emotion with unprecedented freedom. Here we discover one of the earliest “mad scenes” in operatic history, written for the character of Deidamia, and a mastery of contrast perfectly suited to the Venetian taste for grand spectacle.
A Work that Crossed the Alps
Passionate about early music and want to read this subscriber-only article?
If you are not a subscriber, join the international Total Baroque community. Subscribe here from 5.00€.
I subscribe
If you are already a subscriber, sign in.
I sign in 
You must be logged in to be able to post comments.
Sign in