Francesco Cavalli

Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) was the successor to Claudio Monteverdi as the most successful composer of opera in the early Baroque. Based in Venice for most of his career, Cavalli’s operas followed Monteverdi’s late works in their sophisticated musical style and psychologically insightful dramatic structure, but he developed a sharper differentiation between recitative and aria. After his death, Cavalli’s operas (like Monteverdi’s) disappeared from the repertoire, only to be discovered and restored in the late 20th century. He wrote over 40 operas for Teatro San Cassiano, the first public opera house in Venice, the most important being Egisto, Giasone, La Calisto, and L'Ercole amante.