Great Italians in St. Petersburg

**renaissance12** · 10-21-2019, 12:53 PM

Great Italians in St. Petersburg

Domenico Trezzini, St. Petersburg, Russia

Domenico Trezzini (Architect, c.1670-1734)

The first of a string of great Italian architects to work in St. Petersburg, Trezzini helped Peter the Great establish his new city, working on the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he designed his masterpiece, the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral. »»»

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Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, St. Petersburg, Russia

Francesco Rastrelli (Architect, 1700-1771)

The designer of the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, Francesco Rastrelli was unquestionably one of the greatest architects ever to work in St. Petersburg, and a master of the sumptuously decorative rococo style. »»»

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Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli, St. Petersburg, Russia

Carlo Rastrelli (Scultpor, 1675-1744)

One of the first Italian artists to find fame in St. Petersburg, Carlo Rastrelli, the father of architect Francesco Rastrelli, was a monumental sculptor from Florence who worked at the court of Peter the Great, producing several statues of the Tsar. »»»

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Antonio Rinaldi, St. Petersburg, Russia

Antonio Rinaldi (Architect, 1709-1794)

A proponent of early, severe neoclassicism, Antonio Rinaldi was court architect to Catherine the Great, for whom he designed the charming Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum, and then to her favourite Count Grigory Orlov, who commissioned him to build the splendid Marble Palace. »»»

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Vincezo Brenna, St. Petersburg, Russia

Vincenzo Brenna (Architect, 1745-1820)

An intriguing figure who owed his career to his ability to satisfy the particular tastes of Emperor Paul I, Vincenzo Brenna did not build widely, but was responsible for St. Michael's Castle, one of St. Petersburg's most unusual buildings. »»»

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Carlo di Giovanni Rossi, St. Petersburg, Russia

Carlo Rossi (Architect, 1775-1849)

The great master of Empire-style architecture in St. Petersburg, the Italian-born Carlo Rossi was responsible for many of the city's greatest public buildings, and planned the layout of much of the city centre in his extraordinarily prolific career. »»»

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Nicola Michetti, St. Petersburg, Russia

Nicola Michetti (Architect, 1675-1758)

A proponent of the late baroque style, Michetti worked in St. Petersburg around five years from 1718, and served as chief architect of the city. His surviving works include several fountains at Peterhof and Peter the Great's Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn. »»»

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Giovanni Maria Fontana, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giovanni Maria Fontana (Architect, 1670-1712?)

A Swiss-born baroque architect whose major works in Russia were commissions from Peter the Great's confidant Alexander Menshikov, Fontana worked on the Menshikov Palace in St. Petersburg and the Grand Palace at Oranienbaum. »»»

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Gaetano Chiaveri, St. Petersburg, Russia

Gaetano Chiaveri (Architect, 1689-1770)

One of the great baroque architects to work in Dresden, Chiaveri spent ten years in St. Petersburg as a young man, and his major contribution to the city was his work on the Kunstkammer, where he redesigned the central tower. »»»

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Luigi Rusca, St. Petersburg, Russia

Luigi Rusca (Architect, 1762-1822)

A Swiss-Italian who rose from the position of mason to Quarenghi and Felten to become a court architect, Rusca worked throughout Russia, and built numerous neoclassical buildings in the St. Petersburg. »»»

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Pietro Antonio Rotari, St. Petersburg, Russia

Pietro Antonio Rotari (Painter, 1707-1762)

A portraitist who worked in several major European cities, Rotari found particular fame and fravour in St. Petersburg, where he painted the court of Empress Elizabeth and scores of portraits of Russians in national costume. »»»

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Stefano Torelli, St. Petersburg, Russia

Stefano Torelli (Painter, 1712-1780)

A rococo painter who became popular in Germany and Poland, Stefano Torelli came to St. Petersburg to teach at the Academy of Fine Arts. He painted court portraits and wall paintings at the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum. »»»

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Salvatore Tonci, St. Petersburg, Russia

Salvatore Tonci (Painter, 1756-1844)

A painter, poet and musician, Salvatore Tonci spent six years in St. Petersburg painting Romantic portraits of royals and nobles. He then eloped with a young princess, and went on to found a architectural school in Moscow. »»»

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Alessandro Molinari, St. Petersburg, Russia

Alessandro Molinari (Painter, 1772-1831)

Born in Germany, Alessandro Molinari found fame in Russia as a painter of portrait miniatures. He travelled extensively to paint the country's nobility, and later established a confectionery shop on Nevsky Prospekt. »»»

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Antonio Vighi, St. Petersburg, Russia

Antonio Vighi (Painter, 1764-1844)

Famed as a painter of frescoes, Antonio Vighi came to St. Petersburg in 1799 to help decorate St. Michael's Castle. He remained in Russia for the rest of his life, working with Carlo Rossi on palaces, churches and public buildings. »»»

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Giovanni Paisiello, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giovanni Paisiello (Composer, 1741-1816)

A Neapolitan composer of opera who influenced Rossini and Mozart, Giovanni Paisiello worked in St. Petersburg at the court of Catherine the Great for eight years as kappelmeister, and wrote some of his most famous operas there. »»»

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Baldassarre Galuppi, St. Petersburg, Russia

Baldassarre Galuppi (Composer, 1706-1785)

The Venetian Baldassarre Galuppi was one of the greatest opera composers of the 18th century. He served as kappelmeister to the court of Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg from 1765 to 1768, writing operas and sacred music. »»»

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Tommaso Michele Francesco Saverio Traetta, St. Petersburg, Russia

Tomasso Traetta (Composer, 1727-1779)

Kappelmeister at the court of Catherine the Great from 1768 to 1775, Tomasso Traetta was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school whose works were influenced by French composers, especially Jean-Philippe Rameau. »»»

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Domenico Cimarosa, St. Petersburg, Russia

Domenico Cimarosa (Composer, 1749-1801)

A peripatetic opera composer from Naples, Domenico Cimarosa served as court kappelmeister in St. Petersburg towards the end of Catherine the Great's reign, and is best known for the Requiem in G minor he wrote there. »»»

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Giuseppe Sarti, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giuseppe Sarti (Composer, 1729-1802)

The last Italian composer to serve at the court of Catherine the Great, Giuseppe Sarti was also probably the most celebrated. As well as composing operas, he taught several Russian composers and worked on the scientific study of music. »»»

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Domenico Angiolini, St. Petersburg, Russia

Domenico Angiolini (Ballet master, 1731-1803)

A key figure in the development of Russian ballet, Domenico Angiolini worked for 15 years at the court of Catherine the Great, choreographing ballets that incorporated innovatively serious dramatic themes and elements of Russian folk dances. »»»

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Giuseppe Valeriani, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giuseppe Valeriani (Painter, 1701?-1762)

Invited to the court of Empress Elizabeth, Giuseppe Valeriani spent twenty years in St. Petersburg, painting sets for numerous opera productions, decorating royal palaces, and teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts. »»»

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Antonio Peresinotti, St. Petersburg, Russia

Antonio Peresinotti (Painter, 1708-1778)

An Italian scene painter working at the court of Empress Elizabeth, Antonio Peresinotti was responsible for decorating the Winter Palace theatre, and became the first teacher of perspective at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. »»»

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Francesco Fontebasso, St. Petersburg, Russia

Francesco Fontebasso (Painter, 1707-1769)

One of the greatest Venetian painters of his age, Francesco Fontebasso spent eight years at the court of Catherine the Great, paining several frescoes in the Winter Palace. His works can be seen in the Hermitage and the Russian Museum. »»»

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Pietro di Gottardo Gonzaga, St. Petersburg, Russia

Pietro Gonzaga (Painter, 1751-1831)

A scene painter who revolutionized his medium, Pietor Gonzaga spent nearly 40 years in St. Petersburg working at court and public theatres. He also designed the recently restored Gonzaga Gallery at Pavlovsk. »»»

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Giovanni Battista Scotti, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giovanni Scotti (Painter, 1776-1830)

The most famous of a family of Italian decorative painters working in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 19th century, Giovanni Scotti worked with architects including Carlo Rossi, Luigi Rusca and Vincenzo Brenna. »»»

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Fidelio Bruni, St. Petersburg, Russia

Fidelio Bruni (Painter, 1799-1875)

Born in Milan, Fidelio Bruni spent most of his life in Russia. An Academicist, he was highly successful in Russia and Italy, becoming Rector at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg and decorating the interiors of St. Isaac's Cathedral. »»»

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Catarino Camillo Cavos, St. Petersburg, Russia

Catarino Cavos (Composer, 1775-1840)

A child prodigy in his native Venice, Catarino Cavos fell in love with St. Petersburg and spent over half his life in the city, working for the Imperial Directorate of Theatres and laying the foundations for the development of Russian national opera. »»»

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Francesco Domenico Araja, St. Petersburg, Russia

Francesco Araja (Composer, 1709-1762?)

Kappelmeister at the Court of Empress Anna Ionnovna, Francesco Araja was the first of a string of Italian opera composers to work in S. Petersburg, and also the author of the first opera in the Russian language. »»»

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Giovanni Battista Locatelli, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giovanni Battista Locatelli (Impresario, 1713-1785)

Giovanni Locatelli was a key figure in the development of musical theatre in Russia, bringing professional Italian ballet and opera companies to perform for the court and the public in St. Petersburg and Moscow. »»»

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Giuseppe Canziani, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giuseppe Canziani (Dancer and ballet teacher, 1750-1792)

A successful dancer who worked in St. Petersburg for six years at the Imperial Ballet School, Giuseppe Canziani did much to develop the discipline of ballet dancing in Russia and also choreographed several ballets. »»»

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Cesare Pugni, St. Petersburg, Russia

Cesare Pugni (Composer, 1802-1870)

The most prolific and one of the greatest composers of ballet music ever, Cesare Pugni worked with Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa in St. Petersburg, although his prodigious musical ability was matched by his appetite for drink and gambling. »»»

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Enrico Cecchetti, St. Petersburg, Russia

Enrico Cecchetti (Dancer and ballet teacher, 1850-1928)

After a hugely successful career as a lead dancer, Enrico Cecchetti became a teacher in St. Petersburg, counting Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky among his pupils. The teaching method he established is still popular throughout the world. »»»

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Gaetano Ciniselli, St. Petersburg, Russia

Gaetano Ciniselli (Circus performer and manager, 1815-1881)

A trick rider who proved to be a skilled businessman, Gaetano Ciniselli built St. Petersburg's beautiful circus on the Fontanka River, and inspired a passion for circus art among Petersburg high society in the late 19th century. »»»

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Giulio Renato de Litta Visconti Arese, St. Petersburg, Russia

Giulio de Litta (Statesman and military commander, 1753-1839)

Born in Milan, Giulio de Litta served the Knights of Malta in Russia as a naval commander and an ambassador, before adopting Russian citizenship and rising to the top rank of government servants in St. Petersburg. »»»

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