Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.
8 Famous Overtures
1. Il barbiere di Siviglia (1816)
2. La scala di seta (1812) (6:57)
3. Il turco in Italia (1814) (13:08)
4. Il Signor Bruschino (1813) (21:42)
5. L’italiana in Algeri (1813) (26:19)
6. La Cenerentola (1817) (34:24)
7. La cambiale di matrimonio (1810) (42:30)
8. La pietra del paragone (1812) (47:56)
The Royal Philharmonic conducted by Evelino Pido
1. The Sinfonia (overture) of the Barber of Seville was originally composed in 1813 for Aureliano in Palmira, then employed for the 1815 premiere of Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra in Naples before being used for the present opera, which has been its chief association ever since.
The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais’s French comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775). The première of Rossini’s opera (under the title Almaviva, o sia L’inutile precauzione) took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome, with designs by Angelo Toselli.
2. La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder or Die seidene Leiter) is an operatic farsa comica in one act to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. It was first performed in Venice, Italy, at the Teatro San Moisè on 9 May 1812. The overture has been frequently recorded and continues to be featured in the modern concert repertoire.
3. Il turco in Italia (The Turk in Italy) is an opera in two acts. The Italian-language libretto was written by Felice Romani. It was a re-working of a libretto by Caterino Mazzolà set as an opera (with the same title) by the German composer Franz Seydelmann [de] in 1788.
4. Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo (Signor Bruschino, or The Accidental Son) is a one act operatic farce (farsa giocosa per musica) to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, based upon the 1809 play Le fils par hasard, ou ruse et folie by René de Chazet and Maurice Ourry. The opera was first performed in Venice at the Teatro San Moisè on 27 January 1813.
5. L’Italiana in Algeri; The Italian Girl in Algiers) is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca. It premiered at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice on 22 May 1813. The music is characteristic of Rossini’s style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies.
6. La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo (Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant) is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault. The opera was first performed in Rome’s Teatro Valle on 25 January 1817.
7. La cambiale di matrimonio; The Bill of Marriage or The Marriage Contract) is a one-act operatic farsa comica to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The libretto was based on the play by Camillo Federici (1791) and a previous libretto by Giuseppe Checcherini for Carlo Coccia’s 1807 opera, Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio. The opera debuted on 3 November 1810 at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice. It had a run of thirteen performances at Teatro San Moisè.
8. La pietra del paragone (The Touchstone) is an opera, or melodramma giocoso, to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Romanelli. La pietra del paragone was first performed at La Scala, Milan, on 26 September 1812. It was the composer’s first commission from a major opera house and was an instant success, being performed 53 times during its first season.