But the blue evening is getting dark,
It's time for us to the opera soon;
There is the delightful Rossini,
Europe's minions - Orpheus.
Ignoring harsh criticism
He is eternally the same; forever new.
He pours sounds - they boil.
They flow, they burn.
Like young kisses
Everything is in bliss, in the flame of love,
Like a hissed ai
Golden jet and spray...
A. Pushkin
Among the Italian composers of the XIX century. Rossini occupies a special place. The beginning of his creative path falls at a time when the operatic art of Italy, which not so long ago dominated Europe, began to lose ground. Opera-buffa was drowning in mindless entertainment, and opera-seria degenerated into a stilted and meaningless performance. Rossini not only revived and reformed Italian opera, but also had a huge impact on the development of the entire European operatic art of the last century. "Divine maestro" - so called the great Italian composer G. Heine, who saw in Rossini "the sun of Italy, squandering its sonorous rays around the world."
Rossini was born into the family of a poor orchestral musician and a provincial opera singer. With a traveling troupe, the parents wandered around various cities of the country, and the future composer from childhood was already familiar with the life and customs that dominated the Italian opera houses. An ardent temperament, a mocking mind, a sharp tongue coexisted in the nature of little Gioacchino with subtle musicality, excellent hearing and an extraordinary memory.
In 1806, after several years of unsystematic studies in music and singing, Rossini entered the Bologna Music Lyceum. There, the future composer studied cello, violin and piano. Classes with the famous church composer S. Mattei in theory and composition, intensive self-education, enthusiastic study of the music of J. Haydn and W. A. Mozart - all this allowed Rossini to leave the lyceum as a cultured musician who mastered the art of composing well.
Already at the very beginning of his career, Rossini showed a particularly pronounced penchant for musical theater. He wrote his first opera Demetrio and Polibio at the age of 14. Since 1810, the composer has been composing several operas of various genres every year, gradually gaining fame in wide opera circles and conquering the stages of the largest Italian theaters: Fenice in Venice, San Carlo in Naples, La Scala in Milan.
1813 was a turning point in the composer's operatic work, 2 compositions staged this year - "Italian in Algiers" (onepa-buffa) and "Tankred" (heroic opera) - determined the main ways of his further work. The success of the works was caused not only by excellent music, but also by the content of the libretto, imbued with patriotic sentiments, so consonant with the national liberation movement for the reunification of Italy, which unfolded at that time. The public outcry caused by Rossini's operas, the creation of the "Hymn of Independence" at the request of the patriots of Bologna, as well as participation in the demonstrations of the freedom fighters in Italy - all this led to a long-term secret police supervision, which was established for the composer. He did not at all consider himself a politically minded person and wrote in one of his letters: “I never interfered in politics. I was a musician, and it never occurred to me to become anyone else, even if I experienced the liveliest participation in what was happening in the world, and especially in the fate of my homeland.
After "Italian in Algiers" and "Tancred" Rossini's work quickly goes uphill and after 3 years reaches one of the peaks. At the beginning of 1816, The Barber of Seville premiered in Rome. Written in just 20 days, this opera was not only the highest achievement of Rossini's comedic-satirical genius, but also the culminating point in almost a century of development of the opera-buifa genre.
With The Barber of Seville, the composer's fame went beyond Italy. Brilliant Rossini style refreshed the art of Europe with ebullient cheerfulness, sparkling wit, foaming passion. “My Barber is becoming more and more successful every day,” Rossini wrote, “and even to the most inveterate opponents new school he managed to suck up so much that they, against their will, begin to love this clever guy more and more. The fanatically enthusiastic and superficial attitude towards Rossini's music of the aristocratic public and the bourgeois nobility contributed to the emergence of many opponents for the composer. However, among the European artistic intelligentsia there were also serious connoisseurs of his work. E. Delacroix, O. Balzac, A. Musset, F. Hegel, L. Beethoven, F. Schubert, M. Glinka were under the spell of Rossin's music. And even K. M. Weber and G. Berlioz, who occupied a critical position in relation to Rossini, did not doubt his genius. “After the death of Napoleon, there was another person who is constantly being talked about everywhere: in Moscow and Naples, in London and Vienna, in Paris and Calcutta,” Stendhal wrote about Rossini.
Gradually the composer loses interest in onepe-buffa. Written soon in this genre "Cinderella" does not show the listeners new creative revelations of the composer. The opera The Thieving Magpie, composed in 1817, completely goes beyond the comedy genre, becoming an example of a musical and everyday realistic drama. Since that time, Rossini began to pay more attention to heroic-dramatic operas. Following "Othello" Legendary historical works appear: "Moses", "Lady of the Lake", "Mohammed II".
After the first Italian revolution (1820-21) and its brutal suppression by the Austrian troops, Rossini went on tour to Vienna with a Neapolitan opera troupe. The Viennese triumphs further strengthened the composer's European fame. Back on short term to Italy for the production of Semiramide (1823), Rossini goes to London and then to Paris. He lives there until 1836. In Paris, the composer heads the Italian Opera House, attracting his young compatriots to work in it; reworks the operas Moses and Mohammed II for the Grand Opera (the latter was staged in Paris under the title The Siege of Corinth); writes, commissioned by the Opera Comique, the elegant opera The Comte Ory; and finally, in August 1829, he staged his last masterpiece on the stage of the Grand Opera - the opera William Tell, which had a huge impact on the subsequent development of the Italian heroic opera genre in the work of V. Bellini, G. Donizetti and G. Verdi.
"William Tell" completed the musical stage work of Rossini. The operatic silence of the brilliant maestro that followed him, who had about 40 operas behind him, was called by contemporaries the mystery of the century, surrounding this circumstance with all sorts of conjectures. The composer himself later wrote: “How early, as a barely mature young man, I began to compose, just as early, earlier than anyone could have foreseen it, I stopped writing. It always happens in life: whoever starts early must, according to the laws of nature, finish early.
However, even after ceasing to write operas, Rossini continued to remain in the center of attention of the European musical community. All of Paris listened to the composer's aptly critical word, his personality attracted musicians, poets, and artists like a magnet. R. Wagner met with him, C. Saint-Saens was proud of his communication with Rossini, Liszt showed his works to the Italian maestro, V. Stasov spoke enthusiastically about meeting with him.
In the years following William Tell, Rossini created a majestic spiritual work"Stabat mater", A Little Solemn Mass and "Song of the Titans", an original collection of vocal works called "Musical Evenings" and a cycle of piano pieces bearing the playful title "Sins of Old Age". From 1836 to 1856 Rossini, surrounded by glory and honors, lived in Italy. There he directed the Bologna Musical Lyceum and was engaged in teaching activities. Returning then to Paris, he remained there until the end of his days.
12 years after the death of the composer, his ashes were transferred to his homeland and buried in the pantheon of the Church of Santa Croce in Florence, next to the remains of Michelangelo and Galileo.
Rossini bequeathed his entire fortune to the benefit of the culture and art of his native city of Pesaro. Nowadays, Rossini opera festivals are regularly held here, among the participants of which one can meet the names of the largest contemporary musicians.
I. Vetlitsyna
Born into a family of musicians: his father was a trumpeter, his mother was a singer. Learns to play various musical instruments, singing. Studying in Bologna music school composition under the direction of Padre Mattei; did not complete the course. From 1812 to 1815 he worked for the theaters of Venice and Milan: the "Italian in Algiers" had a special success. By order of the impresario Barbaia (Rossini marries his girlfriend, the soprano Isabella Colbran), he creates sixteen operas until 1823. He moved to Paris, where he became director of the Théâtre d'Italien, the first composer of the king and general inspector of singing in France. Says goodbye to the activities of the opera composer in 1829 after the production of "William Tell". After parting with Colbrand, he marries Olympia Pelissier, reorganizes the Bologna Music Lyceum, staying in Italy until 1848, when political storms again bring him to Paris: his villa in Passy becomes one of the centers of artistic life.
The one who was called the "last classic" and to whom the audience applauded as the king of the comic genre, in the very first operas demonstrated the grace and brilliance of melodic inspiration, the naturalness and lightness of the rhythm, which gave singing, in which 18th tradition centuries were weakened, more sincere and human nature. The composer, pretending to adapt himself to modern theatrical customs, could, however, rebel against them, hindering, for example, the virtuosic arbitrariness of the performers or moderating it.
The most significant innovation for Italy at that time was important role the orchestra, which, thanks to Rossini, became alive, mobile and brilliant (we note the magnificent form of the overtures, which really tune in to a certain perception). A cheerful penchant for a kind of orchestral hedonism stems from the fact that each instrument, used in accordance with its technical capabilities, is identified with singing and even speech. At the same time, Rossini can safely assert that the words should serve the music, and not vice versa, without detracting from the meaning of the text, but, on the contrary, using it in a new way, freshly and often shifting to typical rhythmic patterns - while the orchestra freely accompanies speech, creating a clear melodic and symphonic relief and performing expressive or pictorial functions.
The genius of Rossini immediately showed himself in the genre of opera seria with the production of Tancred in 1813, which brought the author the first big success with the public thanks to melodic findings with their sublime and tender lyricism, as well as unconstrained instrumental development, which owes its origin to the comic genre. The links between these two operatic genres are indeed very close in Rossini and even determine the amazing showiness of his serious genre. In the same 1813, he also presented a masterpiece, but in the comic genre, in the spirit of the old Neapolitan comic opera - "Italian in Algiers". This is an opera rich in echoes from Cimarosa, but as if enlivened by the stormy energy of the characters, especially manifested in the final crescendo, the first by Rossini, who will then use it as an aphrodisiac when creating paradoxical or unrestrainedly cheerful situations.
The caustic, earthly mind of the composer finds in fun an outlet for his craving for caricature and his healthy enthusiasm, which does not allow him to fall into either the conservatism of classicism or the extremes of romanticism.
He will achieve a very thorough comic result in The Barber of Seville, and a decade later he will come to the elegance of The Comte Ory. In addition, in the serious genre, Rossini will move with great strides towards an opera of ever greater perfection and depth: from the heterogeneous, but ardent and nostalgic "Lady of the Lake" to the tragedy "Semiramide", which ends the Italian period of the composer, full of dizzying vocalizations and mysterious phenomena in the Baroque taste, to the "Siege of Corinth" with its choirs, to the solemn descriptiveness and sacred monumentality of "Moses" and, finally, to "William Tell".
If it is still surprising that Rossini achieved these achievements in the field of opera in just twenty years, it is equally striking that the silence that followed such a fruitful period and lasted for forty years, which is considered one of the most incomprehensible cases in the history of culture, - either by an almost demonstrative detachment, worthy, however, of this mysterious mind, or by evidence of his legendary laziness, of course, more fictional than real, given the composer's ability to work in his best years. Few noticed that he was increasingly seized by a neurotic craving for solitude, crowding out a tendency to fun.
Rossini, however, did not stop composing, although he cut off all contact with the general public, turning mainly to small group guests, regulars of his home evenings. The inspiration of the latest spiritual and chamber works has gradually emerged in our days, arousing the interest of not only connoisseurs: real masterpieces have been discovered. The most brilliant part of Rossini's legacy is still operas, in which he was the legislator of the future Italian school, creating a huge number of models used by subsequent composers.
To illuminate even better character traits so great talent a new critical edition of his operas was undertaken on the initiative of the Center for the Study of Rossini in Pesaro.
G. Marchesi (translated by E. Greceanii)
Compositions by Rossini:
operas - Demetrio and Polibio (Demetrio e Polibio, 1806, post. 1812, tr. "Balle", Rome), Promissory note for marriage (La cambiale di matrimonio, 1810, tr. "San Moise", Venice), Strange case (L'equivoco stravagante, 1811, Teatro del Corso, Bologna), Happy Deception (L'inganno felice, 1812, San Moise, Venice), Cyrus in Babylon (Ciro in Babilonia, 1812, t -r "Municipale", Ferrara), Silk Staircase (La scala di seta, 1812, tr "San Moise", Venice), Touchstone (La pietra del parugone, 1812, tr "La Scala", Milan ), Chance Makes a Thief, or Confused Suitcases (L'occasione fa il ladro, ossia Il cambio della valigia, 1812, San Moise, Venice), Signor Bruschino, or Accidental Son (Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo, 1813, ibid), Tancredi (Tancredi, 1813, tr Fenice, Venice), Italian in Algeria (L'italiana in Algeri, 1813, tr San Benedetto, Venice), Aurelian in Palmyra (Aureliano in Palmira, 1813, shopping mall La Scala, Milan), Turk in Italy (Il turco in Italia, 1814, ibid.), Sigismondo (Sigismondo, 1814, tr Fenice, Venice), Elizabeth, Queen of England (Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, 1815, tr San Carlo, Naples), Torvaldo and Dorliska (Torvaldo e Dorliska, 1815, tr "Balle", Rome), Almaviva, or Vain Precaution (Almaviva, ossia L'inutile precauzione; known under the name The Barber of Seville - Il barbiere di Siviglia, 1816, tr Argentina, Rome), Newspaper, or Marriage by Competition (La gazzetta, ossia Il matrimonio per concorso, 1816, tr Fiorentini, Naples), Otello, or the Venetian Moor (Otello, ossia Il toro di Venezia, 1816, tr "Del Fondo", Naples), Cinderella, or the Triumph of Virtue (Cenerentola, ossia La bonta in trionfo, 1817, tr "Balle", Rome) , Magpie thief (La gazza ladra, 1817, tr "La Scala", Milan), Armida (Armida, 1817, tr "San Carlo", Naples), Adelaide of Burgundy (Adelaide di Borgogna, 1817, t -r "Argentina", Rome), Moses in Egypt (Mosè in Egitto, 1818, tr "San Carlo", Naples; French ed. - under the title Moses and Pharaoh, or Crossing the Red Sea - Moïse et Pharaon, ou Le passage de la mer rouge, 1827, "Royal Academy of Music and Dance", Paris), Adina, or Caliph of Baghdad (Adina, ossia Il califfo di Bagdad, 1818, post. 1826, tr "San- Carlo, Lisbon), Ricciardo and Zoraida (Ricciardo e Zoraide, 1818, tr San Carlo, Naples), Hermione (Ermione, 1819, ibid), Eduardo and Cristina (Eduardo e Cristina, 1819, tr San Benedetto, Venice), Maiden of the Lake (La donna del lago, 1819, tr San Carlo, Naples), Bianca and Faliero, or the Council of Three (Bianca e Faliero, ossia II consiglio dei tre, 1819, t-r "La Scala", Milan), "Mohammed II" (Maometto II, 1820, t-r "San- Carlo, Naples; French ed. - under the name Siege of Corinth - Le siège de Corinthe, 1826, “King. Academy of Music and Dance, Paris), Matilde di Shabran, or Beauty and the Iron Heart (Matilde di Shabran, ossia Bellezza e cuor di ferro, 1821, t-r "Apollo", Rome), Zelmira (Zelmira, 1822, t- r "San Carlo", Naples), Semiramide (Semiramide, 1823, tr "Fenice", Venice), Journey to Reims, or the Hotel of the Golden Lily (Il viaggio a Reims, ossia L'albergo del giglio d'oro, 1825, Theater Italien, Paris), Count Ory (Le comte Ory, 1828, Royal Academy of Music and Dance, Paris), William Tell (Guillaume Tell, 1829, ibid.); pasticcio(from excerpts from Rossini's operas) - Ivanhoe (Ivanhoe, 1826, tr "Odeon", Paris), Testament (Le testament, 1827, ibid.), Cinderella (1830, tr "Covent Garden", London), Robert Bruce (1846, King's Academy of Music and Dance, Paris), We're Going to Paris (Andremo a Parigi, 1848, Theatre Italien, Paris), Funny Accident (Un curioso accidente, 1859, ibid.); for soloists, choir and orchestra- Anthem of Independence (Inno dell`Indipendenza, 1815, tr "Contavalli", Bologna), cantatas- Aurora (1815, ed. 1955, Moscow), The Wedding of Thetis and Peleus (Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo, 1816, Del Fondo shopping mall, Naples), Sincere tribute (Il vero omaggio, 1822, Verona) , A happy omen (L'augurio felice, 1822, ibid), Bard (Il bardo, 1822), Holy Alliance (La Santa alleanza, 1822), Complaint of the Muses about the death of Lord Byron (Il pianto delie Muse in morte di Lord Byron, 1824, Almack Hall, London), Choir of the Municipal Guard of Bologna (Coro dedicato alla guardia civica di Bologna, instrumented by D. Liverani, 1848, Bologna), Hymn to Napoleon III and his valiant people (Hymne b Napoleon et a son vaillant peuple, 1867, Palace of Industry, Paris), National Anthem (The national hymn, English national anthem, 1867, Birmingham); for orchestra- symphonies (D-dur, 1808; Es-dur, 1809, used as an overture to the farce A promissory note for marriage), Serenade (1829), Military March (Marcia militare, 1853); for instruments and orchestra- Variations for obligate instruments F-dur (Variazioni a piu strumenti obligati, for clarinet, 2 violins, viol, cello, 1809), Variations C-dur (for clarinet, 1810); for brass band - fanfare for 4 trumpets (1827), 3 marches (1837, Fontainebleau), Crown of Italy (La corona d'Italia, fanfare for military orchestra, offering to Victor Emmanuel II, 1868); chamber instrumental ensembles- duets for horns (1805), 12 waltzes for 2 flutes (1827), 6 sonatas for 2 skr., vlc. and k-bass (1804), 5 strings. quartets (1806-08), 6 quartets for flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon (1808-09), Theme and Variations for flute, trumpet, horn and bassoon (1812); for piano- Waltz (1823), Congress of Verona (Il congresso di Verona, 4 hands, 1823), Neptune's Palace (La reggia di Nettuno, 4 hands, 1823), Soul of Purgatory (L'vme du Purgatoire, 1832); for soloists and choir- cantata Complaint of Harmony about the death of Orpheus (Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte di Orfeo, for tenor, 1808), Death of Dido (La morte di Didone, stage monologue, 1811, Spanish 1818, tr "San Benedetto" , Venice), cantata (for 3 soloists, 1819, tr "San Carlo", Naples), Partenope and Higea (for 3 soloists, 1819, ibid.), Gratitude (La riconoscenza, for 4 soloists, 1821, ibid. same); for voice and orchestra- cantata Shepherd's Offering (Omaggio pastorale, for 3 voices, for the solemn opening of the bust of Antonio Canova, 1823, Treviso), Song of the Titans (Le chant des Titans, for 4 basses in unison, 1859, Spanish 1861, Paris); for voice and piano- Cantatas Elie and Irene (for 2 voices, 1814) and Joan of Arc (1832), Musical Evenings (Soirees musicales, 8 ariettes and 4 duets, 1835); 3 wok quartet (1826-27); Soprano Exercises (Gorgheggi e solfeggi per soprano. Vocalizzi e solfeggi per rendere la voce agile ed apprendere a cantare secondo il gusto moderno, 1827); 14 wok albums. and instr. pieces and ensembles, united under the name. Sins of old age (Pйchйs de vieillesse: Album of Italian songs - Album per canto italiano, French album - Album francais, Restrained pieces - Morceaux reserves, Four appetizers and four desserts - Quatre hors d'oeuvres et quatre mendiants, for fp., Album for fp ., skr., vlch., harmonium and horn; many others, 1855-68, Paris, not published); spiritual music- Graduate (for 3 male voices, 1808), mass (for male voices, 1808, performed in Ravenna), Laudamus (c. 1808), Qui tollis (c. 1808), Solemn Mass (Messa solenne, joint. with P. Raimondi, 1819, Spanish 1820, Church of San Fernando, Naples), Cantemus Domino (for 8 voices with piano or organ, 1832, Spanish 1873), Ave Maria (for 4 voices, 1832, Spanish 1873 ), Quoniam (for bass and orchestra, 1832),
The Belcanto Foundation organizes concerts in Moscow featuring the music of Gioacchino Rossini. On this page you can see the poster of upcoming concerts in 2019 with the music of Gioacchino Rossini and buy a ticket for a date convenient for you.
Rossini Gioacchino (1792 - 1868) - Italian composer, nicknamed "the swan of Pesar". The son of a trumpeter and an opera singer. As a child, Rossini moved to Bologna, where he began his studies on the harpsichord; he also took up singing. For 15 years, Rossini entered the Bologna Music Lyceum, where he studied until 1810; his composition teacher was Abbe Mattei. At the same time, Rossini began conducting opera performances. The first creative experiments of Rossini belong to the same time - vocal numbers for a traveling troupe and a one-act comic opera "Promissory Note for Marriage" (1810). The young composer tried to compose several operas for Milan and Venice, but none of them were successful.
Then the composer went to Rome, where he planned to write and stage several operas. The second of these was the opera barber of seville first staged on February 20, 1816. The failure of the opera at the premiere turned out to be as loud as its triumph in the future. The following comic operas by Rossini, like Donizetti, did not introduce anything fundamentally new, for all their individual artistic merits.
Not having time to write an overture, he used the overture from "Elizabeth" in this opera. The music of "The Barber of Seville", temperamental, sparkling with wit and fun, is rooted in the favorite genres of Italian folk dance and song. The characteristics of the characters (mainly in arias) are distinguished by accuracy and figurative relief.
Later, having lost interest in comic opera, Rossini in later years devoted his work mainly to heroic-patriotic opera. This should be seen as a reflection of the growth of patriotic feelings and national self-consciousness during the period of the liberation struggle of the Italian people.
Gioachino Rossini had a rare melodic talent. An endless stream of captivating melodies, sometimes sincerely lyrical, sometimes sparkling, fills the music of his operas, which Pushkin compared with young kisses, a stream and splashes of hissing ai. The orchestra in Rossini's operas is not limited to an accompanying role - it is distinguished by dramatic expressiveness, participates in the characteristics of characters and stage situations.
If the composition of Rossini's operas is traditional (musical numbers alternating with recitatives), then in essence his work led to the renewal of the main directions of Italian operatic art and determined his further paths.
Gioacchino Rossini is rightfully considered one of the greatest composers in history. Probably every person familiar with music remembers his famous opera "The Barber of Seville". This article will detail the life of Gioacchino Rossini as well as his most famous pieces of music.
Rossini's childhood
Many different books and publications have been written about Rossini. The most common among them is the 1973 biographical work of Elena Bronfin. This book describes in detail all those events that, one way or another, were connected with the life and work of the composer Rossini. Elena Bronfin describes in detail the childhood years of little Gioacchino, tracing his path to the creative pinnacle.
Gioacchino Antonio Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in the small Italian town of Pesaro. Gioacchino's parents were musicians. His father played wind instruments, and his mother had a beautiful voice with an expressive soprano. Naturally, the parents tried to make little Gioacchino fall in love with music.
The carefree childhood of Gioacchino was overshadowed by the French Revolution. In addition, the future composer himself, according to many sources, was a very lazy and even naughty little boy. Parents saved the situation in time by giving Gioacchino to study with a local pastor. It was the priest who taught Rossini all the necessary composition lessons.
The first creative endeavors of the young Gioacchino
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Rossini family moved to Lugo. It was in this city that the young Gioacchino gave his first opera concert. Possessing a very high treble, the future great composer aroused considerable interest among the public.
Some sources indicate that Rossini began to release his first works as a composer by the age of 12. In those small sonatas written by the very young Gioacchino, one can trace very competent inclusions of operatic tendencies.
Of great importance for the future creative manifestations of Gioacchino was friendship with the famous Italian tenor Mombelli. Together they wrote musical numbers, composed the libretto and developed theatrical performances. In 1808, the composer Rossini wrote a whole mass. It was a male choir, accompanied by a vibrant organ and orchestra accompaniment.
About the early creative period
In 1810, the fate of Gioacchino changed dramatically: he was noticed by two famous Italian musicians at that time: Moranli and Morolli. This couple wrote a letter to Rossini expressing their desire to see the young Gioacchino in Venice. The aspiring composer immediately agreed. Gioacchino's task was to write a musical theme for the theatrical libretto. The production was called "Marriage on a bill." It was this work that became the brightest debut of Rossini as a composer.
The main quality that the composer Rossini possessed was the incredible speed and ease of writing music. This was noted by many of the musician's contemporaries: Gioacchino seemed to have known and understood for a long time exactly how this or that composition should line up. At the same time, the musician himself, according to many sources, led a very disorderly and idle lifestyle. In Venice, he walked a lot and had fun, but at the same time he always managed to write the right order on time.
"The Barber of Seville"
In 1813, the composer Rossini wrote a truly grandiose work that turned his whole life upside down - this is "Italian in Algeria". Excellent music, deep content of the libretto, bright patriotic moods that the work set - all this is the most in the best way affected the future career of the composer.
However, the musician started something more grandiose. A monumental two-act opera that would become the pearl of Italian music - that's what Gioacchino Rossini was striving for. The Barber of Seville has become such an opera. The work was based on the famous 19th century comedy by Beaumarchais.
The main feature of Gioacchino's work on the work was, again, incredible lightness. Written in less than a month, "The Barber of Seville" became the first work of Rossini, famous outside of Italy. So, an amazing incident happened to Gioacchino in the Austrian Empire: it was there that the composer met Beethoven himself, who spoke positively about the "barber".
Rossini's new ideas
The main specialization of Gioacchino was comedy. Composer Rossini composed musical themes specifically for light, comedic librettos. However, in 1817 the musician went beyond the comic genre, which is so often associated with the name of Gioacchino Rossini. The opera "The Thieving Magpie" was one of the composer's first works, which was rather of a somewhat dramatic nature. Written in 1816, the opera Othello was a Shakespearean tragedy.
Gioacchino was more and more overgrown with ideas and new ideas. milestone On the creative path of Gioacchino there was a monumental opera series called "Moses in Egypt". Rossini worked on this work for a month and a half. The premiere of "Moses" took place in Naples, where it was accompanied by a huge success.
The composer Rossini moved further and further away from the "light" genres, composing heavier and monumental works. Such famous historical series as "Mahomet II", "Zelmira", "Semiramis" enjoyed great success both in Italy itself and abroad.
Vienna, London and Paris
The Austrian, English and Parisian periods played a big role in Rossini's life. The reason for sending the composer to Vienna was resounding success opera "Zelmira". In Austria, the composer first encountered mass unfavorable criticism: many German composers believed that any opera by Rossini did not deserve the success that accompanied Gioacchino in almost all of Europe. However, Beethoven was not among the haters. Already completely deaf, Ludwig closely followed the work of Rossini, reading his music, in the literal sense, according to music paper. Beethoven showed big interest to Gioacchino; he was extremely flattering about almost all of his works.
In 1823 the composer received an invitation to the Royal London Theatre. Rossini's opera "Italian in Algiers" and some of his other works were performed here. It was in England that Gioacchino acquired both devoted admirers and fierce enemies. Rossini received even more hatred in Paris: envious musicians tried in every possible way to discredit the composer. For Rossini, the time has come for a sharp controversy with critics.
Almost all musical figures of the 19th, 20th or 21st centuries are talking about one thing: Rossini "raised from his knees" unusually low level musical creativity in England and France. Inspired by the works of Gioacchino, the musicians finally began to show themselves, providing the world with more and more beauty.
Getting closer to creativity
In the late twenties of the 19th century, Rossini agreed to work as the head of the Italian Opera House in Paris. However, he did not stay in this position for long: after a couple of years, Rossini's work became widely known throughout Europe, and therefore the composer decided to accept the title of "General Inspector of Singing and Composer His Majesty in France." Gioacchino received an honorary position under the king.
In Paris, Rossini wrote another musical masterpiece called "Journey to Reims, or Hotel of the Golden Line". This opera was played at the coronation of Charles X. However, the work was not successful with the general public.
After the "Journey" Rossini took up the development of the monumental opera "Mohammed II". This heroic-tragic work was distinguished by many innovative elements, which many critics could not fail to notice. Further, "Moses in Egypt" and "The Siege of Corinth" were written. All these works had a strong influence on young people. French composers: Aubert, Boildieu, Herold and others.
"William Tell"
Rossini, working in two directions at once French opera- comic and tragic, conceived the production great work, completely original and innovative. Something new, not like any previous work - that's what Gioacchino Rossini was striving for. The works of past years, though considered innovative, but only in places. That is why the composer set about composing an opera about the brave archer Wilhelm, the hero of an old Swiss legend.
The main feature of the work was the borrowing of elements of the local Swiss flavor: folk tunes, combined with Italian classical songs, made up an unusually original opera. It is not surprising that everyone was looking forward to "Wilhelm". The product was in development for about six months. This four-bar opera premiered in 1828.
The reaction from both the public and critics was very cold. The work seemed to many tedious, complex and simply boring. In addition, the composition lasted about 4 hours. Almost no one attended the opera. The theater management, trying to save the situation somehow, greatly reduced the work and began to present it in a distorted form. Of course, Rossini did not like this. He left the theatre, promising himself never to continue his career as a composer.
However, not everyone was outraged by the opera. Many novice composers saw in "Wilhelm" something surprising and beautiful. Over time, the work nevertheless acquired the status of a masterpiece, one of the cult operas of Gioacchino Rossini.
Biography of the former composer
Gioacchino "silenced" at the age of 37. Behind him were about 40 operas, great fame and resounding success. The rapid development of Romanticism in Europe also influenced Rossini's departure from art.
After spending several years in oblivion, Gioacchino nevertheless set about writing small overtures. However, almost nothing remained of the former intensity. After moving to Italy, the composer became interested in teaching. Rossini directed the Bologna Lyceum, of which he himself had been a pupil in his childhood. It was thanks to Gioacchino that musical education received its rapid and high-quality development.
In 1855, Rossini again decides to return to Paris. It is here that he spends the last 13 years of his life.
Rossini Culinary
What could captivate Gioacchino Rossini? Overtures, suites and operas are already left behind. The once great composer decided to firmly move away from writing music. However, he broke his promise only a few times. So, in 1863, "A Little Solemn Mass" was written - a rather famous essay to this day.
Gioacchino was a refined culinary specialist. Witty Rossini came up with an incredible amount of a wide variety of dishes. The composer was also a great lover of winemaking. His cellar was simply bursting with a wide variety of wines, of all types and varieties. However, cooking ruined Rossini. Former composer began to suffer from obesity and stomach problems.
Composer's death
No one else in Paris was famous for such a celebrity as Gioacchino Rossini. "The Barber of Seville", "William Tell" - the author of all these works, although retired, enjoyed great success in France.
Rossini arranged grandiose receptions. The most famous personalities and politicians sought the opportunity to visit them. Sometimes Rossini conducted, while still attracting the attention of the European musical community. The personality of Gioacchino was truly great: Wagner, Franz Liszt, Saint-Saens and many others communicated with him. greatest composers peace.
The composer died on November 13, 1868. The composer bequeathed all his property to the Italian town of Pesaro, the place where the musician was born.
Heritage
Gioacchino left behind about 40 major operas and even more overtures with short essays. Rossini wrote his first real opera, A Marriage Promissory Note, at the age of 18. It is impossible not to mention one more grandiose work created in 1817 - the opera Cinderella. Gioacchino Rossini wrote a fun and light comedy based on the famous fairy tale. The opera was a great success with both critics and the general public.
In addition to operas, Gioacchino wrote a variety of psalms, masses, cants and hymns. Rossini's legacy is truly great. His inventive and innovative style has been studied by many composers for many years. Remains actual music Rossini today.
ROSSINI, GIOACCHINO(Rossini, Gioacchino) (1792–1868), Italian opera composer, author of the immortal Barber of Seville. Born February 29, 1792 in Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter (herald) and a singer. He fell in love with music very early, especially singing, but began to study seriously only at the age of 14, having entered the Musical Lyceum in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first noteworthy work was a one-act farce opera. Promissory note for marriage (La cambiale di matrimonio, 1810) - was staged in Venice. It was followed by a number of operas of the same type, among which two - Touchstone (La pietra del paragone, 1812) and silk staircase (La scala di seta, 1812) are still popular today.
Finally, in 1813, Rossini composed two operas that immortalized his name: Tancred (Tancredi) by Tasso and then a two-act opera buffa Italian in Algeria (L "italiana in Algeri), triumphantly accepted in Venice, and then throughout northern Italy.
The young composer tried to compose several operas for Milan and Venice, but none of them (even the opera that retained its charm Turk in Italy, il Turco in Italy, 1814) - a kind of "couple" to the opera Italian in Algeria) was not successful. In 1815, Rossini was again lucky, this time in Naples, where he signed a contract with the impresario of the San Carlo Theater. It's about about the opera Elizabeth, Queen of England (Elisabetta, regina d "Inghilterra), a virtuoso composition written especially for Isabella Colbran, a Spanish prima donna (soprano) who enjoyed the favor of the Neapolitan court and mistress of the impresario (a few years later, Isabella became Rossini's wife). Then the composer went to Rome, where he planned to write and stage several operas. The second of these was the opera barber of seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), first staged on February 20, 1816. The failure of the opera at the premiere turned out to be as loud as its triumph in the future.
Returning, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there in December 1816, which, perhaps, was most highly appreciated by his contemporaries - Othello according to Shakespeare: there are really beautiful fragments in it, but the work is spoiled by the libretto, which distorted the tragedy of Shakespeare. Rossini composed the next opera again for Rome: his Cinderella (La cenerentola, 1817) was subsequently favorably received by the public; the premiere did not give any grounds for assumptions about future success. However, Rossini survived the failure much more calmly. In the same 1817 he traveled to Milan to stage an opera magpie thief (La gazza ladra) is a delicately orchestrated melodrama, now almost forgotten, except for the magnificent overture. On his return to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there at the end of the year. Armida (Armida), which was warmly received and is still valued much higher than magpie thief: on resurrection Armides in our time, you can still feel the tenderness, if not the sensuality that this music radiates.
Over the next four years, Rossini managed to compose a dozen more operas, mostly not particularly interesting. However, before the termination of the contract with Naples, he gave the city two outstanding works. In 1818 he wrote an opera Moses in Egypt (Mose in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe; in fact, this is a kind of oratorio, majestic choirs and the famous "Prayer" are remarkable here. In 1819 Rossini introduced Lake Maiden (La donna del lago), which was a somewhat more modest success, but contained charming romantic music. When the composer finally left Naples (1820), he took Isabella Colbrand with him and married her, but in the future they family life didn't go very well.
In 1822, Rossini, accompanied by his wife, left Italy for the first time: he entered into an agreement with his old friend, the impresario of the San Carlo Theater, who now became director of the Vienna Opera. The composer brought to Vienna his latest work- opera Zelmira (Zelmira), which won the author an unprecedented success. True, some musicians, led by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, but others, among them F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for society, it unconditionally took the side of Rossini. The most remarkable event of Rossini's trip to Vienna was his meeting with Beethoven, which he later recalled in a conversation with R. Wagner.
In the autumn of the same year, Prince Metternich himself summoned the composer to Verona: Rossini was supposed to honor the conclusion of the Holy Alliance with cantatas. In February 1823, he composed a new opera for Venice - Semiramis (Semiramida), from which only the overture remains in the concert repertoire. Howbeit, Semiramide can be recognized as the culmination of the Italian period in the work of Rossini, if only because it was last opera composed by him for Italy. Furthermore, Semiramide passed with such brilliance in other countries that after it the reputation of Rossini as the greatest opera composer of the era was no longer in doubt. No wonder Stendhal compared the triumph of Rossini in the field of music with Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.
At the end of 1823, Rossini ended up in London (where he stayed for six months), and before that he spent a month in Paris. The composer was hospitably greeted by King George VI, with whom he sang duets; Rossini was snapped up in secular society as a singer and accompanist. The most important event of that time was the receipt of an invitation to Paris as artistic director Opera House "Italian Theatre". The significance of this contract, firstly, is that it determined the place of residence of the composer until the end of his days, and secondly, that he confirmed the absolute superiority of Rossini as an opera composer. It must be remembered that Paris was then the center of the musical universe; an invitation to Paris was for the musician the highest honor imaginable.
Rossini took up his new duties on December 1, 1824. Apparently, he managed to improve the management of the Italian Opera, especially in terms of conducting performances. The performances of two previously written operas, which Rossini radically revised for Paris, were performed with great success, and most importantly, he composed a charming comic opera. Count Ory (Le comte Ory). (It was, as you might expect, a huge success when it was relaunched in 1959.) Next piece Rossini, which appeared in August 1829, was the opera William Tell (Guillaume Tell), a composition that is usually considered the composer's greatest achievement. Recognized by performers and critics as an absolute masterpiece, this opera, however, never aroused such enthusiasm among the public as barber of seville, Semiramide or even Moses: ordinary listeners thought Tellya an opera too long and cold. However, it cannot be denied that the second act contains the most beautiful music, and fortunately, this opera has not completely disappeared from the modern world repertoire and the listener of our days has the opportunity to make his own judgment about it. We only note that all Rossini's operas created in France were written to French librettos.
After William Tell Rossini did not write another opera, and in the next four decades he created only two significant compositions in other genres. Needless to say, such a cessation of composer activity at the very zenith of mastery and fame is a unique phenomenon in the history of world musical culture. Many different explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed, but, of course, no one knows the full truth. Some said that Rossini's departure was caused by his rejection of the new Parisian opera idol - J. Meyerbeer; others pointed to the resentment caused to Rossini by the actions of the French government, which, after the revolution in 1830, tried to terminate the contract with the composer. The deterioration of the musician's well-being and even his supposedly incredible laziness were also mentioned. Perhaps all of the above factors played a role, except for the last one. It should be noted that when leaving Paris after William Tell, Rossini was determined to take on a new opera ( Faust). He is also known to have continued and won a six-year lawsuit against the French government over his pension. As for the state of health, having experienced the shock of the death of his beloved mother in 1827, Rossini really felt unwell, at first not very strong, but later progressing at an alarming rate. Everything else is more or less plausible speculation.
During the next Tellem For decades, Rossini, although he retained an apartment in Paris, lived mainly in Bologna, where he hoped to find the peace he needed after the nervous tension of the previous years. True, in 1831 he went to Madrid, where the now widely known Stabat mater(in the first edition), and in 1836 - to Frankfurt, where he met with F. Mendelssohn and thanks to him discovered the work of J.S. Bach. But still, it was Bologna (not counting regular trips to Paris in connection with litigation) that remained the composer's permanent residence. It can be assumed that he was called to Paris not only by court cases. In 1832 Rossini met Olympia Pelissier. Rossini's relationship with his wife had long since left much to be desired; in the end, the couple decided to leave, and Rossini married Olimpia, who became a good wife for the sick Rossini. Finally, in 1855, after a scandal in Bologna and disappointment from Florence, Olympia persuaded her husband to hire a carriage (he did not recognize trains) and go to Paris. Very slowly his physical and mental condition began to improve; a share, if not of gaiety, then of wit, returned to him; music, which had been a taboo subject for years, began to come to his mind again. April 15, 1857 - the name day of Olympia - became a kind of turning point: on this day, Rossini dedicated a cycle of romances to his wife, which he composed in secret from everyone. It was followed by a series of small plays - Rossini called them Sins of my old age; the quality of this music needs no comment for the fans magic shop (La boutique fantasque) - the ballet for which the plays served as the basis. Finally, in 1863, the last - and truly significant - work of Rossini appeared: Little Solemn Mass (Petite messe solennelle). This mass is not very solemn and not at all small, but beautiful in music and imbued with deep sincerity, which attracted the attention of the musicians to the composition.
Rossini died on November 13, 1868 and was buried in Paris at the Père Lachaise cemetery. After 19 years, at the request of the Italian government, the composer's coffin was transported to Florence and buried in the church of Santa Croce next to the ashes of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and other great Italians.
Gioacchino Rossini
Rossini was born in Pesaro, in Marche, in 1792, in musical family. The father of the future composer was a horn player, and his mother was a singer.
Soon musical talent was discovered in the child, after which he was sent to develop his voice. They sent him to Bologna, to Angelo Tesei. There he also began to learn how to play.
In addition, the famous tenor Mateo Babbini gave him several lessons. Somewhat later, he became a student of Abbe Matei. He taught him only the knowledge of simple counterpoint. According to the abbot, the knowledge of counterpoint was quite enough to write operas himself.
And so it happened. Rossini's first debut was the one-act opera La cambiale di matrimonio, The Marriage Promissory Note, which, like his next opera staged at the Venetian theater, attracted the attention of the general public. She liked them, and liked them so much that Rossini was literally overwhelmed with work.
By 1812, the composer had already written five operas. After they were staged in Venice, the Italians came to the conclusion that Rossini is the greatest living opera composer in Italy.
Most of all, the audience liked his "The Barber of Seville". It is believed that this opera is the most brilliant creation not only Rossini, but also the best work in the opera buff genre. Rossini created it in twenty days based on a play by Beaumarchais.
An opera had already been written on this plot, and therefore the new opera was perceived as impudence. Therefore, the first time she was perceived rather coldly. Gioacchino, upset for the second time, refused to conduct in his opera, and it was precisely for the second time that she received the most magnificent response. There was even a torchlight procession.
New operas and life in France
During the writing of his opera Otello, Rossini completely dispensed with recitativo secco. And safely continued to write operas further. Soon he signed a contract with Domenico Barbaia, to whom he undertook to deliver two new operas every year. He had in his hands at that moment not only the Neapolitan operas, but also La Scala in Milan.
Around this time, Rossini married singer Isabella Colbran. In 1823 he went to London. He was invited there by the director of His Majesty's Theatre. There, in about five months, together with lessons and concerts, he earns approximately £ 10,000.
Gioachino Antonio RossiniSoon he settled in Paris, and for a long time. There he became director of the Théâtre Italienne in Paris.
At the same time, Rossini did not possess organizational skills at all. As a result, the theater found itself in a very disastrous situation.
In general, after the French Revolution, Rossini lost not only this, but also the rest of his posts and retired.
During his life in Paris, he became a true Frenchman and in 1829 wrote William Tell, his last stage work.
Completion of a creative career and the last years of life
Soon, in 1836, he had to return to Italy. At first he lived in Milan, then he moved and lived in his villa near Bologna.
In 1847, his first wife died, and then, two years later, he married Olympia Pelissier.
For some time he revived again because of the huge success of his last work, but in 1848 the disturbances that occurred had a very bad effect on his well-being, and he completely retired.
He had to flee to Florence, and then he recovered and returned to Paris. He made his house one of the most fashionable salons at that time.
Rossini died in 1868 from pneumonia.
