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Chopin Variations on a Theme

by Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini (born 29 February 1792; died 13 November 1868) 

Gioachino Antonio Rossini was the most significant Italian composer of the first half of the nineteenth century. 

Although he wrote many songs including chamber music and piano pieces, Rossini is most famous for his 39 operas, in particular his comic operas.

Gioachino Rossini’s most famous works include The Barber of Seville (1816), Cinderella (La Cenerentola) (1817) and William Tell (1829). Influenced by the French, he broke traditional forms of opera using unusual rhythms and bringing the orchestra to the fore, His style was tempered by changing tastes and a move away from a more formal ‘classicist’ style to Romanticism. 

Gioachino Rossini was born in Pesaro, on the Adriatic coast of Italy in 1792. He was an only child to parents Giuseppe Rossino – a trumpeter and horn player, and Anna Guidarini, a seamstress by trade but later becoming a singer. 

Giuseppe a feckless father, was imprisoned at least twice, leaving much of Gioachino’s upbringing to his mother Anna, it was when he was six that Anna embarked on a professional singing career in comic opera with some considerable success.  As a result of this, Rossini spent his entire childhood in and around the theatre with singing and playing coming naturally to him. 

When the family moved to Lugo in 1802, Rossini began studying music with a local priest and was inspired by his collection of Mozart and Haydn. A quick learner, by the age of 12 Rossini had composed six sonatas and two years later he joined Bologna’s Philharmonic School and composed his first opera – Demetrio e Polibio (1806). Initially Rossini studied singing, violin, horn and harpsichord and often sung in public to earn money. However, once his voice broke Rossini gave up singing to focus on conducting and composition, supported by his parents Rossini moved to Venice which was the main operatic centre in northeastern Italy. 

Rossini staged his first opera in 1810 to great success and financial reward and this was quickly followed by three more operas in addition to directing Haydn’s The Seasons in Bologna. In 1812, his two-act comedy La pietra del paragone ran for 53 performances at La Scala in Milan bringing him more financial benefits. 

A year later, his opera seria Tancredi (1813) which was based on Voltaire’s play Tancrede performed well in Venice and following Rossini’s re-write – to give the opera a tragic ending, it went on to give him international fame in London and New York, followed in the same year by another box office success L’italiana in Algeri. 

In 1815, Rossini moved to Naples, once the operatic capital of Europe, to become director of music for the royal theatres. He quickly won audiences favour and re-used a lot of his earlier work which was unfamiliar in the city. 

Due to his success in Naples, Rossini was able to write more regularly, and it was during this time that he wrote some of his most famous works including; Il barbiere di siviglia – The Barber of Seville (1816) which was subsequently revived in Bologna and Otello (1816). 

1817 saw him write The Thieving Magpie and Cinderella for La Scala and Rome respectively with The Thieving Magpie becoming famous for its overture and use of snare drums. 

His Parisian seasons between 1823 and 1829 consolidated his achievements at home with spectacularly grand works such as Le Comte Ory (1828) and William Tell (1829). 

Although Rossini’s last, William Tell is often performed and most well-known for its overture which has been used in several TV shows and films including The Lone Ranger and A Clockwork Orange. 

After 39 operas in 19 years, Rossini felt with Tell he had reached not only the culmination of his career but also a natural resting point and therefore retired from operatic composition. He did not stop composing altogether – one of the delights of his retirement years is his Petite messe solenelle, an ironic title for a sacred work that is neither small nor solemn. 

Rossini’s health complications were also a factor in his choice to retire at the age of 37 as he suffered from both urethritis and arthritis as well as bouts of depression and possibly bipolar disorder. 

Rossini’s legacy is predominantly dominated by The Barber of Seville and William Tell, however during his lifetime he was able challenge and change the dramatic structures for serious opera as well as provide the link from opera buffa (comic opera) leading to the development of opera comique (French opera with both speech and arias). 

The thematic material for the flute theme and variations by Rossini is drawn from his opera Cinderella.

Summary of Cinderella , the opera.

There is no fairy, pumpkin or glass slipper! This drama, whose full title is Cinderella or Goodness Triumphant, focuses on the adventures of Angelina, a frail and brilliant heroin for whom Rossini has reserved his most tender melodies, deliciously interwoven with those of Prince Ramiro. Suddenly the voices sparkle, flow forth and mingle in arias and ensembles punctuated with clever puns and witticisms.

Summary

In search of the ideal woman, Prince Ramiro sends his advisor, Alidoro, to Don Magnifico’s house. Of his three daughters, Clorinda, Tisbe and Angelina (La Cenerentola), which one is the most beautiful and kind? The answer is easy… Don Magnifico is as mean to the sweet Angelina as her two nasty sisters. Ramiro and his valet, Dandini, switch identities and visit the family. The ingratiating Don Magnifico presses the false prince, Dandini, to choose between Clorinda and Tisbe. But when the lovely Angelina appears at the ball, totally transformed, Prince Ramiro only has eyes for her and asks for her hand. Leaving the ball in a rush, Angelina gives Prince Ramiro a clue…and he has no difficulty finding her. The lovers are reunited and goodness triumphs.

If you are playing this, there are some choices to make.

  • Am I going to look and feel this from a flute theme and variations point of view.? This approach often leads to a very fast performance.
  • Will I think of the operatic style and thematic material.? This approach can open up a vocal line, flexibility of phrasing and expression as well as a close look at tempos.
  • What would a mix of the two look like?

Thematic material for the theme and Variations by Rossini. Cecilia BartoliNon Piu Mesta – no longer sad   From La Centerentola -Rossini.

Lyrics: 

No longer sad  

I was born into worry and weeping, 

To suffer with a silent heart; 

But by a sweet spell 

In the prime of age, 

Like in a lightning flash, 

My destiny was changed. 

Flute Players

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