Gioachino Rossini

Series

Episode

First
Broadcast

Comments

2008

20080811

Rossini's operatic career got underway in 1810 with La cambiale di matrimonio - the first, melodious gust of a musical whirlwind that was to blow unabated for 20 years, then die down as abruptly as it had sprung up. When he retired from operatic composition at the age of 37, he had more than three dozen operas to his credit, yet relatively few of them have kept a place in the repertoire. This week, Donald Macleod turns his attention to Rossini's forgotten operatic masterpieces, starting, today, with his one-act farsa, Il signor Bruschino. But first - and for the only time this week - a word from a rather more familiar character

2008

20080812

When Rossini moved to Naples, the then capital of the operatic world, he met the prima donna who was to become Mrs Rossini, Isabella Colbran. He also met Beethoven in Vienna, who advised him to stick to comedy. Happily for posterity, this was advice he ignored. The programme includes excerpts from his tragic masterpiece Ermione, which Rossini liked to call his 'little William Tell'.

Ermione Sinfonia

Prague Philharmonic Chorus

Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

Claudio Scimone (conductor)

Ermione (Act 1, scene 6)

Ermione (Act 2, scenes 2-3 excerpts)

Ermione (Act 2, scenes 5-6)

Oreste - Chris Merritt (tenor)

Ermione - Cecilia Gasdia (soprano)

Pirro - Ernesto Palacio (tenor)

Cleone/Cefisa - Elisabetta Tandura (soprano)

Andromaca - Margarita Zimmermann (mezzo-soprano)

Pilade - William Matteuzzi (tenor)

Attalo - Mario Bolognesi (tenor)

Fenicio - Simone Alaimo (baritone)

Rossini moved to Naples and met the prima donna who became Mrs Rossini, Isabella Colbran.

2008

20080813

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of Rossini's lesser-known operatic gems with a romantic melodrama based on Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake - La donna del lago. The opera drove its opening-night audience wild - unfortunately, not in the good sense

2008

20080814

Rossini is often characterized as lazy; in fact workaholic' would be a more accurate description. He has toiled long and wearily enough', wrote his father in a letter of 1827, referring to the composer's almost superhuman productivity over the previous decade and a half. Today, Donald Macleod talks us through Rossini's two-act musical melodrama Bianca e Falliero, the final production of one of the composer's busiest ever years, 1819.

Bianca e Falliero, Act I scene 1, Introduzione

Dalle lagune Adriache' (coro)

Pace alfin per l'Adria splende' (Contareno, Capellio)

Barry Banks (Contareno), Capellio (Ildebrando D'Arcangelo) / Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry (cond.)

Opera rara ORC20

CD1 T2-3

Bianca e Falliero, Act I scene 3 (extract)

Ciel! qual destin terribile' (Falliero, Bianca)

Deh! va', ti scongiuro' (Bianca, Falliero)

Jennifer Larmore (Falliero), Majella Cullagh (Bianca) / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry (cond.)

CD2 T4-5

Bianca e Falliero, Act II scene 2

Ah! qual notte di squallore' (coro)

Qual funebre apparato' (Falliero)

Alma, ben mio, si pura' (Falliero)

Vieni, signor: in altra stanza' (Pisani, Falliero)

Tu non sai qual colpo atroce' (Falliero, coro)

Lasso! cessar di vivere' (Falliero)

Ma piu che onore e vita' (Falliero, coro)

No, non e reo' (Pisani, Contareno, Capellio, Falliero)

Donna, chi sei? -- Bianca son io' (Bianca, Contareno, Capellio)

Cielo, il mio labbro inspira' (Bianca, Falliero, Contareno, Capellio)

Parla dunque: qual mistero' (Contareno, Bianca, Capellio, Falliero)

Grazie, o cielo!' (Bianca, Falliero, Contareno, Capellio, coro)

Jennifer Larmore (Falliero), Ryland Davies (Pisani), Barry Banks (Contareno), Capellio

(Ildebrando D'Arcangelo), Majella Cullagh (Bianca) / Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London

CD3 T11-22

Rossini was amazingly prolific despite a reputation as a lazy composer, especially in 1819

2008

05 LAST

20080815

ossini is said to have completed The Barber of Seville in a fortnight, but even he couldn't compose three operas at once - although that's exactly what he tried to do in 1821, as Donald Macleod relates in today's programme. But first, is it a comedy, is it a tragedy? - no, it's Matilde di Shabran

Episodes

Series	Episode	First Broadcast	Comments
2008	01	20080811	Rossini's operatic career got underway in 1810 with La cambiale di matrimonio - the first, melodious gust of a musical whirlwind that was to blow unabated for 20 years, then die down as abruptly as it had sprung up. When he retired from operatic composition at the age of 37, he had more than three dozen operas to his credit, yet relatively few of them have kept a place in the repertoire. This week, Donald Macleod turns his attention to Rossini's forgotten operatic masterpieces, starting, today, with his one-act farsa, Il signor Bruschino. But first - and for the only time this week - a word from a rather more familiar character
2008	02	20080812	When Rossini moved to Naples, the then capital of the operatic world, he met the prima donna who was to become Mrs Rossini, Isabella Colbran. He also met Beethoven in Vienna, who advised him to stick to comedy. Happily for posterity, this was advice he ignored. The programme includes excerpts from his tragic masterpiece Ermione, which Rossini liked to call his 'little William Tell'. Ermione Sinfonia Prague Philharmonic Chorus Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo Claudio Scimone (conductor) Ermione (Act 1, scene 6) Ermione (Act 2, scenes 2-3 excerpts) Ermione (Act 2, scenes 5-6) Oreste - Chris Merritt (tenor) Ermione - Cecilia Gasdia (soprano) Pirro - Ernesto Palacio (tenor) Cleone/Cefisa - Elisabetta Tandura (soprano) Andromaca - Margarita Zimmermann (mezzo-soprano) Pilade - William Matteuzzi (tenor) Attalo - Mario Bolognesi (tenor) Fenicio - Simone Alaimo (baritone) Rossini moved to Naples and met the prima donna who became Mrs Rossini, Isabella Colbran.
2008	03	20080813	Donald Macleod continues his exploration of Rossini's lesser-known operatic gems with a romantic melodrama based on Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake - La donna del lago. The opera drove its opening-night audience wild - unfortunately, not in the good sense
2008	04	20080814	Rossini is often characterized as lazy; in fact workaholic' would be a more accurate description. He has toiled long and wearily enough', wrote his father in a letter of 1827, referring to the composer's almost superhuman productivity over the previous decade and a half. Today, Donald Macleod talks us through Rossini's two-act musical melodrama Bianca e Falliero, the final production of one of the composer's busiest ever years, 1819. Bianca e Falliero, Act I scene 1, Introduzione Dalle lagune Adriache' (coro) Pace alfin per l'Adria splende' (Contareno, Capellio) Barry Banks (Contareno), Capellio (Ildebrando D'Arcangelo) / Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry (cond.) Opera rara ORC20 CD1 T2-3 Bianca e Falliero, Act I scene 3 (extract) Ciel! qual destin terribile' (Falliero, Bianca) Deh! va', ti scongiuro' (Bianca, Falliero) Jennifer Larmore (Falliero), Majella Cullagh (Bianca) / London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry (cond.) CD2 T4-5 Bianca e Falliero, Act II scene 2 Ah! qual notte di squallore' (coro) Qual funebre apparato' (Falliero) Alma, ben mio, si pura' (Falliero) Vieni, signor: in altra stanza' (Pisani, Falliero) Tu non sai qual colpo atroce' (Falliero, coro) Lasso! cessar di vivere' (Falliero) Ma piu che onore e vita' (Falliero, coro) No, non e reo' (Pisani, Contareno, Capellio, Falliero) Donna, chi sei? -- Bianca son io' (Bianca, Contareno, Capellio) Cielo, il mio labbro inspira' (Bianca, Falliero, Contareno, Capellio) Parla dunque: qual mistero' (Contareno, Bianca, Capellio, Falliero) Grazie, o cielo!' (Bianca, Falliero, Contareno, Capellio, coro) Jennifer Larmore (Falliero), Ryland Davies (Pisani), Barry Banks (Contareno), Capellio (Ildebrando D'Arcangelo), Majella Cullagh (Bianca) / Geoffrey Mitchell Choir / London CD3 T11-22 Rossini was amazingly prolific despite a reputation as a lazy composer, especially in 1819
2008	05 LAST	20080815	ossini is said to have completed The Barber of Seville in a fortnight, but even he couldn't compose three operas at once - although that's exactly what he tried to do in 1821, as Donald Macleod relates in today's programme. But first, is it a comedy, is it a tragedy? - no, it's Matilde di Shabran