Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801) was a popular 18th century opera composer and a rival to Mozart. Based in Naples, Cimarosa's fame in comic opera quickly spread; by 1780, he was known throughout Italy. In 1787, he was invited to St. Petersburg by Catherine the Great, but Cimarosa found Russia's winters too hard and returned to Italy. In Vienna he composed his greatest success, Il matrimonio segreto (1792), for Emperor Joseph II. When the French invaded Italy in 1796, Cimarosa hailed them as liberators; afterward, Cimarosa was jailed and condemned to death. Though the sentence was lifted, Cimarosa died shortly after regaining his freedom.