Giacomo Rust

Giacomo Rust or Rusti (1741 in Rome, Italy – 1786 in Barcelona, Spain) was an Italian opera composer, probably of German ancestry.

Not a great deal is known about Rust. Between 1763 and 1777, Rust was active in Venice, where his first opera, a dramma giocoso, La contadina in corte, to a libretto by Niccolò Tassi, was performed in 1763. During this period, Rust acquired great fame as opera composer, not only in Italy, but also abroad, which gained him an invitation to be employed in the service of the Archbishop of Salzburg. On 12 June 1777, he was named a choir master at the Salzburg court, a post that he abandoned towards the end of the year. Some time later, Rust returned to Venice to continue his operatic activity. In 1783, he settled down in Barcelona, where he assumed the office of the Maestro de capilla.

Works The following is the list of the operas composed by Rust.

TitleGenreSub­divisionsLibrettoPremière datePlace, theatreLa contadina in corte dramma giocoso per musica 3 acts Niccolò Tassi 1763 Venice, Teatro San MoisèLa finta semplice dramma giocoso 3 acts Pasquale Mililotti spring 1772 Bologna, FormagliariL'idolo cinese dramma giocoso 3 acts Giovanni Battista Lorenzi Venice, Teatro San SamueleIl conte Baccellone dramma giocoso 3 acts Marco Coltellini, from La contessina by Carlo Goldoni autumn 1774 Venice, Teatro San MoisèI cavalieri lunatici farsa 3 acts autumn 1774 Venice, San CassianoL'amor bizzaro dramma giocoso 3 acts Giovanni Bertati carnival 1775 Venice, Teatro San MoisèLi due amanti in inganno(Acts 1 & 3, act 2 by ) dramma giocoso 3 acts carnival 1775 Venice, San Cassiano Alessandro nelle Indie dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio Ascension 1775 Venice, Teatro San SamueleIl baron in terra asciuta dramma giocoso 8 scenes 26 December 1775 Venice, Teatro San SamueleIl Socrate immaginario dramma giocoso 15 scenes Giovanni Battista Lorenzi carnival 1776 Venice, Teatro San Samuele Calliroe dramma per musica 3 acts Mattia Verazi June 1776 Padua, NuovoIl Giove di Creta dramma giocoso 3 acts autumn 1776 Venice, San CassianoLi due protetti dramma giocoso 2 acts Pier Antonio Bagliacca 26 December 1776 Venice, Teatro San MoisèIl Parnaso confuso festa teatrale 1 act Metastasio 17 May 1778 Salzburg, Hof Vologeso, re de' Parti dramma per musica 2 acts A Zeno 28 December 1778 Venice, Teatro San BenedettoIl talismano (Act 2, Act 3) (Act 1 by Antonio Salieri) dramma giocoso 3 acts Carlo Goldoni 21 August 1779 MilanL'isola capricciosa dramma giocoso 2 acts Caterino Mazzolà carnival 1780 Venice, Teatro San SamueleGli antiquari in Palmira commedia per musica 3 acts Giuseppe Carpani autumn 1780 Milan, Teatro alla Scala Demofoonte dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio autumn 1780 Florence, PergolaIl castellano deluso carnival 1781 Parma, Ducale Artaserse dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio autumn 1781 Perugia, Civico Adriano in Siria dramma per musica 3 acts Metastasio 26 December 1781 Turin, Teatro RegioL'incognita fortunata farsa 1 act G. Ciliberti summer 1782 Naples, FondoL'incontri inaspettati February 1783 Rome, CapranicaLa caccia d'Enrico IV dramma giocoso 2 acts A. Dian autumn 1783 Venice, Teatro San MoisèIl marito indolente dramma giocoso 2 acts Caterino Mazzolà 1784 Vienna, Hoftheater Berenice dramma per musica 3 acts Jacopo Durandi carnival 1786 Parma