Goldoni forged a new naturalistic style of comedy, which saw the actors speaking words written for them, instead of improvising and using masks. Gozzi was a backward-looking playwright, who sought to hang on to the outdated traditions of the commedia dell'Arte, writing fanciful fairy tales with the old stock characters (lovers of the Puccini in particular may not fully recognise Turandot in its original form). They may not be among the most-often performed operas but they're far more prominent than any of those based on Goldoni plays, which is ironic considering the standing of both men as dramatists. Gozzi, forgotten as a playwright, is best remembered now for inspiring two enduring operas: Puccini's final work Turandot and Prokofiev's The Love of Three Oranges. Goldoni's great rival, during the time he was living and working in Venice, was Count Carlo Gozzi and their operatic legacies make for interesting comparison.
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