Pietro Metastasio was one of the most revered and influential librettists in the history of opera. Although he was mostly known for his 27 opera seria libretti, he also wrote the texts for oratorios, cantatas, and many other lyrical works which have been set to music by more than 400 composers.

Metastasio was born in Rome, 1698 and had one older brother, Leopoldo. Their father was a grocer from Assisi and their mother was Bolognese. Metastasio’s talents were first discovered in 1708 when crowds would gather to hear him recite improvised poetry. One of these performances attracted the attention of Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, who was the director of the Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi and a respected scholar of Roman law. He was very impressed with the boy’s intelligence and abilities and adopted him as a son. Gravina provided young Metastasio with a broad classical education preparing him for a career in law. Eventually, the strenuous schedule of schooling and evenings spent performing and competing with other improvisational poets negatively affected Metastasio’s health, leading him to give up improvising. Gravina passed away in 1714, leaving Metastasio with an excellent education and a sizeable wealth of 15,000 scudi. At this time, he was working for Castagnola, a demanding lawyer in Naples who continued to develop his skill as a poet. In 1722, he wrote Gli orti esperidi for the Austrian Empress Elisabeth Christine’s birthday. This was sung by the legendary castrato Farinelli and Marianna Bulgarelli, the famous Italian soprano. When Bulgarelli discovered that Metastasio was the author, she convinced him to leave his career in law so he could focus entirely on his poetry. She was so impressed with Metastasio that she invited him and his entire family to live with her and her husband in their home in Rome.

Under Bulgarelli’s support and encouragement, Metastasio was inspired and quickly wrote Didone abbandonata, Catone in Utica, Ezio, Alessandro nell' Indie, and other dramas. Later in 1729, he accepted the position of court poet in Vienna and left his family and Bulgarelli to live in an apartment in the Michaelerhaus. Over the next 10 years, Metastasio flourished in his new career in Vienna and wrote some of his best works, including Adriano in Siria, Clemenza di Tito, Achille in Sciro, and many others. Although Metastasio achieved several professional successes while in Vienna, his non-aristocratic social status took a toll on his mental health. Additionally, Marianna Bulgarelli suddenly passed away in 1734 while she was leaving Rome to visit Metastasio in Vienna. From this point in time on, Metastasio’s output of new material gradually slowed, though his previous works were still gaining popularity. He remained in Vienna until his death in 1782. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi