LEVEL: ADVANCED

Domenico Cimarosa was one of the most prolific opera composers of the 18th century and played a key role in shaping the tradition of opera buffa. After launching his career in his native Naples, he spent many years traveling across Europe, eventually receiving an invitation from Empress Catherine II to serve as court composer in Saint Petersburg. Following a successful tenure in Russia, Cimarosa returned to Italy, pausing in Vienna where Emperor Leopold II appointed him Kapellmeister and introduced him to the librettist Giovanni Bertati. From this fruitful collaboration emerged 'Il Matrimonio Segreto', Cimarosa’s most celebrated opera and a landmark of the Neapolitan operatic tradition.

Sonata C.79 exemplifies Cimarosa’s mature compositional voice — energetic, poised, and masterfully crafted. This transcription retains the original’s lyrical clarity and formal elegance while introducing technically demanding passages that challenge and reward the performer, appealing equally to professional performers and advanced students seeking works of both musical depth and technical interest from this important period of European music history.