Ivan Kerzelli

Ivan Kerzelli or Cherzelli (also known as I. I. Kerzelli, or Iosif Kertsel, Russian: Иван Керцелли, И. И. Керцелли, or Иосиф Керцель) was an opera composer and conductor in Imperial Russia of 18th century.

He was a representative of big family of Kerzelli musicians of Italian, Czech or Austrian origin [the information is vague and inconsistent] settled in 18th-century Russia. He is regarded as a composer of a few famous operas.

Selected works

• Lyubovnik - koldun (Любовник - колдун - The Lover-Magician, one-act opera, text by Nikolai Nikolev, 1772 Moscow),
• Rozana i Lyubim (Розана и Любим - Rozana und Lyubim, four-act opera, text by Nikolai Nikolev, 1778, Moscow)
• Derevenskiy vorozheya (Деревенский ворожея - The Village Wizard, text by Vasily Maikov after Rousseau, c. 1777 Moscow). Overture and songs were printed in Moscow 1778. They were the first opera fragments printed in Russia.
• Guljanye ili sadovnik kuskovskoy (Гулянье или садовник кусковской - Promenade or the Gardener from Kuskovo, text by Vasili Kolychev, 1780 or 1781 Kuskovo, Theatre of Count Nikolay Sheremetyev).