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What events caused problems during rehearsals for Claudio Monteverdiās LāArianna?
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Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi, oil painting by Bernardo Strozzi, c. 1630; in the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria.
During the rehearsals for Claudio Monteverdiās opera LāArianna in 1608, the production faced a tragic setback when the prima donna died of smallpox. The young woman had been living in Monteverdiās home, possibly as a pupil of his late wife, who had also passed away only months earlier. Despite this loss, the role was recast, and the opera was successfully produced in May 1608.1