Giacomo Durazzo

Count Giacomo Durazzo (1717-1794) was an Italian diplomat and man of the theatre. He was born into one of the most important aristocratic families in Genoa. His brother was the famous doge Marcellino Durazzo. In 1749, he became ambassador to the court in Vienna where he was appointed director of the imperial theatres in the city in 1754. He is most famous for working with the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck on reforming Italian opera.

References

• A. Valenti Durazzo, "I Durazzo da schiavi a dogi della Repubblica di Genova", www.storiadurazzo.com, Chra Principauté de Monaco, 2004.
• E. Podestà Giacomo Durazzo da genovese a cittadino d'Europa, Accademia Urbense Ovada, 1992.
• M.L. Sebastiani e F. Porticelli, Torino musicale "scrinium" di Vivaldi, Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino, Torino 2006.