His later operas have half the length of a typical baroque opera The strong influence of french opera encouraged gluck to move to paris in november 1773. Christoph willibald gluck was a german classical composer, best known for his operas, including orfeo ed euridice (1762), alceste (1767), paride ed elena (1770), iphigénie en aulide (1774), the french version of orfeo (1774), and iphigénie en tauride (1779). Christoph willibald gluck was a composer of italian and french opera in the early classical period Born in the upper palatinate and raised in bohemia, both part of the holy roman empire, he gained prominence at the habsburg court at vienna. On this occasion gluck's music was completely original, but the displeasure of the court poet, metastasio, who called the opera archvandalian music, probably explains why gluck did not remain long in vienna despite the work's enormous popular success (it was performed 27 times to great acclaim).
But he was also that rare thing, an artist who managed to absorb and transcend the spirit of his age. Gluck's musical legacy included about 35 complete operas, together with numerous ballets and instrumental works His operatic reforms influenced mozart, particularly his opera idomeneo (1781). In an age when baroque opera seria had become an extravagant vehicle for star singers, gluck argued that music should serve drama, not the other way around, and called for truth and expression in opera
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