Carlo Goldoni was born in Venice and was both a playwright and librettist. Almost as important and prolifìc a figure as Metastasio, he is credited with the formulation of a new dramaturgy for mid-eighteenth-century comic opera which expanded its decorative element while speeding up the action and simplifying the plot by vastly reducing the amount of recitative. He collaborated a great deal with Galuppi, and countless others, but he lived in an era where the fame of the librettist still outweighed that of any composer.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 1990