All about Zakynthos

Pavlos Carrer was born in Zakynthos on 12 May 1829. In 1839 he entered the Ionian Gymnasium of Corfu as a boarding student, while in 1843 he continued his encyclical studies with Ignatiοs Martzokis, and with the later bishop of Kythera, priest Konstantinos Stratoulis. In 1850 he left to study music in Milan, where he studied and pursued his career for seven years. On 25 August 1852, the three-act opera Dante e Bice [Dante and Beatrice] was staged at Milan's 'Carcano' theatre. In 1854, Isabella d'Aspeno was staged at the San Giacomo theatre in Corfu, and on 19 January 1856 his lyrical tragedy La Rediviva was staged again at the same theatre. He returned to Zakynthos and on 10 February 1858 he presented Isabella d'Aspeno, starring his future wife, soprano Isabella Iatra. The composer's fame grew and on 23 and 26 April 1858 he was received by the royal couple Otto and Amalia, performed excerpts from Marko Botsaris in their presence and dedicated the work to Otto. He was known for other works with a Greek theme. He died in 1896. During the devastating earthquake fire of 1953, most of Carrer's manuscripts were saved thanks to the efforts of the Zakynthian historian Nikolaos Varvianis. In the Museum of Solomos and Eminent Zakynthians, most of his archive is preserved, as well as the composer's Memoirs, which abruptly stop the narrative after April 1887. The Greek public loved Carrer as his works were performed in the Ionian Islands, in Greece, and in all Greek communities abroad.