|
The Rose Of Castille
''The Rose of Castille'' (or ''Castile'') is an opera in three acts, with music by Michael William Balfe to an English-language libretto by Augustus Glossop Harris and Edmund Falconer, after the libretto by Adolphe d'Ennery and Clairville (alias of Louis-François Nicolaïe (1811–1879)) for Adolphe Adam's ''Le muletier de Tolède'' (1854). It was premiered on 29 October 1857, at the Lyceum Theatre, London. Background After the closure in 1852 of Her Majesty's Theatre, Balfe, who had conducted the Italian Opera there since the departure of Michael Costa (conductor), Michael Costa in 1846, embarked on extensive tours of European theatres, visiting Berlin, Vienna, Saint Petersburg and Trieste. In 1857, he returned to London and composed six new English operas for the Pyne-Harrison Opera Company, founded by the soprano Louisa Pyne and the tenor William Harrison (singer), William Harrison, which after touring Britain for four years had sailed for New York in 1854. ''The Rose of C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael William Balfe
Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially ''The Bohemian Girl''. After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to compose. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he composed at least 29 operas, almost 250 songs, several cantatas and other works. He was also a noted conductor, directing Italian Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre for seven years, among other conducting posts. Biography Early life and career Balfe was born in Dublin, where his musical gifts became apparent at an early age. He received instruction from his father, a dancing master and violinist, and the composer William Rooke. His family moved to Wexford when he was a child. Between 1814 and 1815, Balfe played the violin for his father's dancing-classes, and at the age of seven composed a polacca. In 1817, he appeared as a violinist in public, and in this year composed a ballad, first ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
