La I-opera yaseRussia izimpande zawo zazizinze ngekhulu le-18 leminyaka. Kuze kube yileso sikhathi, abantu baseRussia babejwayele ukubona ama-opera olimi lwesiNtaliyane, ayethulwa amaqembu e-opera ase-Italy.
Ngenxa yabaqambi bamanye amazwe ababekhonza enkantolo yasebukhosini yaseRussia, baqala ukubhala ama-opera aseRussia. Kodwa-ke, kuze kwaba ngawo-1770 lapho abaqambi abazalelwe eRussia benza umzamo wokuqamba ama-opera ama-librettos aseRussia.
Ikhulu le-18
AbaseRussia banikeze ukunambitheka kokuqala kwe-opera ngonyaka we-1731. UMbusi waseRussia u-Anna wayecele iNkosi yasePoland noMkhethi weSaxony Agasti II iStrong enkampanini yakhe ye-opera yase-Italy, ukuba bagubhe umkhosi wakhe wokugcotshwa eMoscow.
UGiovanni Alberto Ristori wethule i-opera yokuqala, iCalandro, eRussia, ngaphansi kokuholwa nguyise kanye naye. Lokhu kwavula indlela yamaqembu e-opera ase-Italy eRussia. Iqembu Troupe Eminyakeni emine kamuva, okungukuthi ngo-1735, umqambi uFrancesco Araja wahola i-opera yase-Italy futhi wamenywa ukuba azodlala eSaint Petersburg enza lokho ngoFebhuwari 1736.
Umlando ulandisa ukuthi ukugcotshwa kuka-Empress u-Elizaveta Petrovna eMoscow bekungumcimbi omuhle futhi wokubungaza umcimbi, kwakhiwa inkundla entsha yaseshashalazini. Kulo mcimbi, kwenziwa i-opera eholwa nguJohann Adolf Hasse, uTito Vespasiano (La clemenza di Tito). Ngonyaka olandelayo, i-opera yaseRussia yathuthuka ngokuqhubekayo. Ihholo elincane, uComédie et opera, e'Zimnij Dvorets '(iWinter Palace eSaint Petersburg), laguqulwa laba yi-opera entsha, engathatha abantu abangaba yinkulungwane.
Ngo-1744, umgubho wokugcotshwa kuka-Elizaveta Petrovna kanye nesiphetho sokuthula neSweden kwagujwa nge-opera, eyethulwa ngu-Araja Seleuco. Iminyaka eyisithupha lapho, ngokokuqala ngqa, umculi waseRussia abambe iqhaza kulo mdlalo.
Ngo-1755, ngokokuqala ngqa, kwaboniswa i-opera eyayenziwa eRussia, uTsefal i Prokris. Eminyakeni emibili kamuva, inkampani ezimele ye-opera yamenyelwa eSt. Kwahlelwa i-opera isonto ngalinye, yenkundla, ngemidlalo yomphakathi emibili noma emithathu evulwa ngesonto. Abanye babantu abadumile base-Italiya abanyukela kwi-opera yaseRussia ezinsukwini zokuqala yiVenetian Galuppi, Manfredini, Traetta, Paisiello, Sarti, Cimarosa kanye neSpain Martín y Soler.