After proving his worth as an opera composer in Italy with the resounding success of Cecchina (1760), in 1776 Niccolò Piccinni (Bari 1728 - Paris 1800) was called to Paris to challenge Gluck’s mounting fame. In the French capital, where he remained until 1791, Piccinni composed some of his most famous operas, such as Didon (1783) and this Roland (1778), which was staged for the first time in modern times at last year’s Festival of Martina Franca, with the late David Golub on the podium and a cast of singers specialised in 18th-century repertoire. This opera, of great historical and musical relevance, merges the stylistic features of the French tragédie-lyrique with the rich Neapolitan melodic tradition, with great originality. The CD booklet offers liner notes in four languages as well as the original French libretto and its English translation.