Italianità abroad: the Puritani Quartet in London and Paris, 1835–1843

Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship:

This project seeks a radically new understanding of early nineteenth-century Italian opera through the activities of a quartet of singers who premiered key works – including Bellini’s I puritani (1835) – in Paris and London.
Three themes are explored: 1) italianità abroad (interaction with local practices, traditions, politics); 2) group celebrity (relationships, collective influence); 3) embodied voices (physical presence, reception). The experience of these singers and their public profile north of the Alps help contextualise key developments in Italian operas mid-century and offer a broader perspective on opera and elite culture, in particular its dissemination beyond the Italian peninsula.