This week on The Lyric Stage, selections from Ferdinando Paer's 1805 opera, Sofonisba, about an early third century Princess of Carthage trapped in a life or death situation between her country and the Roman empire. Jennifer Larmore heads the cast.
Paer was a noted composer in his day, and a special favorite of Napoleon, just as he had been a special favorite of Marie Antoinette before the French Revolution. He composed in many genres, and his works contain elements of both classical and romantic styles, making him a transitional figure in Opera's history.
