Vito Giuseppe Millico, called "Il Moscovita" (19 January 1737 â€" 2
October 1802), was an Italian soprano castrato, composer, and music
teacher of the 18th century who is best remembered for his
performances in the operas of Christoph Willibald Gluck.Millico was
born at Terlizzi, near Bari. In 1754, he came to Naples. In 1757 in
Rome, he had his first performance as a singer. From 1758 to 1765, he
worked in Russia, and then returned to Italy. In 1769, Gluck adapted
the role of Orpheus in his Orfeo ed Euridice for Millico to perform at
Parma â€" the original role, composed for the alto castrato Gaetano
Guadagni, was transposed up for Millico's soprano voice and the whole
opera turned into an act of the celebratory work Le feste d'Apollo. In
1770, Millico sang, in the Vienna revival of Alceste, the originally
tenor role of Admetus, which Gluck had specially rewritten for him,
and created the role of Paris in the same composer's Paride ed Elena,
the last in the trilogy of his Italian reform operas. "Gluck and
Millico became firm friends, and Gluck entrusted the musical education
of his beloved niece [Marianna] to Millico's careâ€"no small tribute
to the singer's musicianship".After interpreting the role of Rinaldo
in Antonio Sacchini's Armida, which was given at Milan's Teatro Regio
Ducale during the 1772 Carnival season, Millico decided to partner the
composer in his moving to London, in order to serve as the "primo
musico" (principal castrato) at the King's Theatre. Here he performed
the leading male roles in the first London operas by Sacchini (Il Cid
and Tamerlano, both in 1773). He was also involved in a failed attempt
to counteract "the progressive watering-down, pasticcio-fashion," of
Gluck’s Orfeo which had been initiated in London in 1770 with the
active participation of Guadagni. Taking advantage of the availability
at the King’s Theatre of both Parma main performers, Millico and
Antonia Maria Girelli Aguilar, an original Gluck version of Orfeo and
Euridice in one act was billed in summer 1773, but it turned out to be
a complete fiasco and was dropped after only two performances. On his
way back homeward in 1774, Millico called on Gluck in Paris and, as
the French version of Orfeo ed Euridice was in laborious rehearsal,
the composer would give two private test performances "at the house of
the Abbé Morellet in which the tenor role of the French score was
sung by Millico (with Gluck's niece Marianne taking both Eurydice and
Cupid, and with Gluck at the harpsichord)".
October 1802), was an Italian soprano castrato, composer, and music
teacher of the 18th century who is best remembered for his
performances in the operas of Christoph Willibald Gluck.Millico was
born at Terlizzi, near Bari. In 1754, he came to Naples. In 1757 in
Rome, he had his first performance as a singer. From 1758 to 1765, he
worked in Russia, and then returned to Italy. In 1769, Gluck adapted
the role of Orpheus in his Orfeo ed Euridice for Millico to perform at
Parma â€" the original role, composed for the alto castrato Gaetano
Guadagni, was transposed up for Millico's soprano voice and the whole
opera turned into an act of the celebratory work Le feste d'Apollo. In
1770, Millico sang, in the Vienna revival of Alceste, the originally
tenor role of Admetus, which Gluck had specially rewritten for him,
and created the role of Paris in the same composer's Paride ed Elena,
the last in the trilogy of his Italian reform operas. "Gluck and
Millico became firm friends, and Gluck entrusted the musical education
of his beloved niece [Marianna] to Millico's careâ€"no small tribute
to the singer's musicianship".After interpreting the role of Rinaldo
in Antonio Sacchini's Armida, which was given at Milan's Teatro Regio
Ducale during the 1772 Carnival season, Millico decided to partner the
composer in his moving to London, in order to serve as the "primo
musico" (principal castrato) at the King's Theatre. Here he performed
the leading male roles in the first London operas by Sacchini (Il Cid
and Tamerlano, both in 1773). He was also involved in a failed attempt
to counteract "the progressive watering-down, pasticcio-fashion," of
Gluck’s Orfeo which had been initiated in London in 1770 with the
active participation of Guadagni. Taking advantage of the availability
at the King’s Theatre of both Parma main performers, Millico and
Antonia Maria Girelli Aguilar, an original Gluck version of Orfeo and
Euridice in one act was billed in summer 1773, but it turned out to be
a complete fiasco and was dropped after only two performances. On his
way back homeward in 1774, Millico called on Gluck in Paris and, as
the French version of Orfeo ed Euridice was in laborious rehearsal,
the composer would give two private test performances "at the house of
the Abbé Morellet in which the tenor role of the French score was
sung by Millico (with Gluck's niece Marianne taking both Eurydice and
Cupid, and with Gluck at the harpsichord)".
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