Biography
Georg, the third son of Jan—a composer and violinist serving in the court of Frederick The Great—later assumed the post of Kappellmeister to Fredrich III. In that role he first turned his attention to cantatas, yet opera emerged as the form in which his gifts shone brightest, even though the clerics actively discouraged it. He nevertheless received permission to travel to Italy in order to write the Italian opera “Xindo riconnosciuto,” a journey granted because the Duchess preferred Italian opera. Once his ecclesiastical obligations ceased, he devoted himself to Singspiels, the German stage works also known as operas; among the most celebrated were “Ariadne auf Naxos,” “Walder,” “Romeo und Julie,” “Pygmalion,” and “Medea.” The majority of Benda’s theatrical pieces took the shape of melodramas, and he stood among the earliest German composers to sustain extended scenes with continuous music.
Albums
