Happy 52nd Birthday, Rossini
Fifty-two is no age for a composer and so it is little wonder that Rossini - or at least his music - is alive and well. Born on February 29th, 1792, Gioachino Antonio Rossini soon discovered a penchant and talent in culinary appreciation as well as note-churning. The latter he put to use for the creation of almost 40 operas, the former to support his stately appearance.
So much has been written about Rossini, that I would not likely contribute anything new on this special Rossini-day - so instead I list below all that has been written about Rossini on Ionarts over the last few years.
Except, before I do that, I still want to rehash some reasonably well known stories about Rossini, just because they are too good to pass up on - and because they endear the composer to me, despite my recently having been subjected to the whole of "Il Turco in Italia".
There is, of course, the story that when Rossini laid on bed composing and he dropped a sheet of freshly written music, rather than making the effort to climb off the bed and pick it up, he'd simply write the music out, again. Consider this - and that tiny little Rossini's daycare consisted of a pork butchery, where he got to watch the production of sausages - and listen to his music carefully. You can hear both!
The most enduring story about Rossini may well be his admission to having cried only three times in his life: Once after his first opera (La cambiale di matrimonio) had a disastrous premiere. Then again when he heard Paganini play. And finally when he witnessed a truffle-stuffed turkey fall overboard in a picnic boating accident. (Sharp tongues might point out that Rossini would have known all about turkeys, but that's just not a nice thing to say on such a rare birthday.)
Rossini on Ionarts:
(Note how often we have 'outsourced' Rossini duty - coincidence, probably, but an amusing one.)
Opera on DVD: Il Viaggio a Reims
DVD Review, Il Viaggio a ReimsCTD, November 27th, 2007
Ionarts in Siena: Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Rossini's Otello, Washington Concert Opera
Otello, WCOSonya Harway, May 1st, 2007
Flórez's Breakthrough
Siege of Baltimore
L'Assedio di Corinta, Baltimore Lyric OperaCTD, October 16th, 2006
Frolics and Frippery: A Roll in the Hay with Rossini
Le Comte Ory, WolftrapRichard K. Fitzgerarld, July 22nd, 2006
Summer Opera 2006: "Barber of Seville" in St. Louis
Il Viaggio a St. Petersburg
Il Viaggio a Reims, Kirov Opera, Mariinksy Theater, St.PetersburgOksana Khadarina, May 30th, 2006
Let's Do Silly Things in Algeria
Tancredi: Sounds Good
Summer Opera: La Cenerentola at Wolf Trap
La Cenerentola, Wolf TrapCTD, August 21st, 2005
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