Message about Gioachino Rossini. Works of Gioachino Rossini. A talented singer of bel canto

MAIN DATES IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF GIOACCHino ROSSINI 1792, February 39 - Birth of Gioachino Rossini in Besaro. 1800 - Moves with parents to Bologna, learns to play the spinet and violin. 1801 - Work in a theater orchestra. 1802 - Moving with parents to Lugo, classes with J.

WORKS OF GIOACHINO ROSSINI 1. “Demetrio and Polibio”, 1806. 2. “Promissory Note for Marriage”, 1810. 3. “Strange Case”, 1811. 4. “Happy Deception”, 1812. 5. “Cyrus in Babylon”, 1812 6. “The Silk Staircase”, 1812. 7. “Touchstone”, 1812. 8. “Chance Makes a Thief, or Tangled Suitcases”, 1812. 9. “Signor”

What kind of praise did the poets of Gioachino Rossini lavish! Heinrich Heine called him “the divine maestro”, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - “Europe’s darling”... but, perhaps, it would be most correct to call him the savior of Italian opera. Italy is invariably associated with the art of opera, and it is not easy to imagine that Italian opera could lose ground, degenerate into something meaningless - into empty entertainment in opera buffa and a series of far-fetched plots in opera seria. However, in the beginning of the nineteenth For centuries the situation has been exactly this. The genius of Rossini was needed to correct the situation, to breathe new life into Italian opera.

The life of Gioachino Rossini was connected with opera even in his childhood: born in Pesaro, the boy wandered around Italy with his father and mother, an orchestral horn player and opera singer. There was no talk of systematic training, but my hearing and musical memory developed beautifully.

Gioacchino had in a beautiful voice. Due to his overly ardent temperament, his parents doubted that he could become opera singer, but they believed that he could become a composer. There were grounds for such assumptions - by the age of thirteen the boy had already created several sonatas for string instruments. He was introduced to composer Stanislao Mattei. Fourteen-year-old Rossini began studying composition with him at the Bologna Musical Lyceum. Even then, Gioacchino determined the direction of his future creative path, creating the opera “Demetrio and Polibio” - however, it was staged only in 1812, therefore, it cannot be considered Rossini’s operatic debut.

Rossini's real operatic debut took place later, in 1810, in the farce opera The Marriage Bill, presented in Venetian theater"San Moise". The composer spent a few days creating the music. The speed and ease of work will continue to be distinctive feature Rossini. The following comic operas - “A Strange Case” and “A Happy Deception” - were also staged in Venice, and the plot of the latter was used by Giovanni Paisiello before Rossini (a similar situation would arise in the composer’s creative biography). This was followed by the first opera seria after Demetrio and Polibio - Cyrus in Babylon. And finally, an order from La Scala. The success of the opera Touchstone, created for this theater, made the twenty-year-old composer famous. His opera buffa "" and the opera on a heroic plot "Tancred" brought him international fame.

It can't be said that creative biography Rossini was a continuous “road of glory” - for example, “The Turk in Italy”, created in 1814 for Milan, did not bring him success. Much more successful circumstances developed in Naples, where Rossini created the opera “Elizabeth, Queen of England.” Main role intended for Isabella Colbran. A few years later, the prima donna became Rossini’s wife... But “Elizabeth” is not only remarkable for this: if before the singers arbitrarily improvised graces, demonstrating their brilliant technique, now Rossini put an end to this arbitrariness of the performers, carefully writing out all the vocal embellishments and demanding their exact reproduction.

A remarkable event in Rossini’s life occurred in 1816 - his opera Almaviva, later known under the title “Almaviva,” was staged for the first time in Rome. The author did not dare to title it the same as the comedy by Pierre Augustin Beaumarchais, since before him this plot was embodied in the opera by Giovanni Paisiello. Opera buffa was a fiasco in Rome and was a resounding success in other theaters, not only Italian ones. According to Stendhal, after Napoleon, Rossini became the only person talked about throughout Europe.

Rossini creates another one comic opera- “”, but written in 1817 “” is closer to drama. Subsequently, the composer was more interested in dramatic, tragic and legendary subjects: “Othello”, “Mohammed II”, “Maiden of the Lake”.

In 1822 Rossini spent four months in Vienna. His opera “Zelmira” was staged here. Not everyone was delighted with it - for example, Carl Maria von Weber sharply criticized it - but on the whole Rossini was a success with the Viennese public. From Vienna he returns briefly to Italy, where his opera “”, which became the last example of opera seria, is staged, and then visits London and Paris. A warm welcome awaited him in both capitals, and in France, at the suggestion of the Minister of the Royal Household, he headed Italian theater. His first work created in this capacity was the opera “,” dedicated to the coronation of Charles X.

In an effort to create an opera for the French public, Rossini carefully studies its tastes, as well as its peculiarities French and theater. The result of the work is the successful execution of new editions of two works - “Mohammed II” (under the title “The Siege of Corinth”) and “”, as well as a work in the genre of French comic opera - “Count Ory”. In 1829, his new heroic opera “” was staged at the Grand Opera.

And so, after such a grandiose masterpiece, Rossini stops creating operas. In subsequent years he wrote "", a cycle piano pieces“Sins of old age,” but for musical theater didn't create anything else.

Rossini spent twenty years - from 1836 to 1856 - in his native country, where he headed the Bologna Lyceum, then returned to France, where he remained until his death in 1868.

Since 1980, it has been held annually in Pesaro Opera festival Rossini.

Musical Seasons

ROSSINI, GIOACCHINO(Rossini, Gioacchino) (1792–1868), Italian opera composer, author of the immortal Barber of Seville. Born on February 29, 1792 in Pesaro in the family of a city trumpeter (herald) and a singer. Very early he fell in love with music, especially singing, but began to study seriously only at the age of 14, entering the Musical Lyceum in Bologna. There he studied cello and counterpoint until 1810, when Rossini's first noteworthy composition 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, including two - Touchstone (La pietra del paragone, 1812) and Silk staircase (La scala di seta, 1812) – are still popular.

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 Turkey in Italy, 1814) – a kind of “pair” to the opera Italian in Algeria) was not successful. In 1815, Rossini was lucky again, this time in Naples, where he signed a contract with the impresario of the San Carlo Theater. It's about about opera Elizabeth, Queen of England (Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra), a virtuoso composition written specifically 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 them was 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.

Having returned, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there in December 1816, which was perhaps most highly appreciated by his contemporaries - Othello according to Shakespeare: there are truly beautiful passages in it, but the work is spoiled by the libretto, which distorts Shakespeare's tragedy. 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 took the failure much more calmly. Also in 1817, he traveled to Milan to stage an opera. Thieving Magpie (La gazza ladra) - an elegantly orchestrated melodrama, now almost forgotten, except for the magnificent overture. Upon his return to Naples, Rossini staged an opera there at the end of the year Armida (Armida), which was warmly received and is still rated much higher than Thieving Magpie: upon resurrection Armids In our time, we 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 (Mosé in Egitto), which soon conquered Europe; in fact, this is a kind of oratorio, notable here are the majestic choirs and the famous “Prayer”. In 1819 Rossini presented Maiden of the Lake (La donna del lago), which had a somewhat more modest success, but contained charming romantic music. When the composer eventually left Naples (1820), he took Isabella Colbran with him and married her, but later they family life did not proceed very happily.

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 Vienna Opera. The composer brought his last job– opera Zelmira (Zelmira), which won the author unprecedented success. True, some musicians, led by K.M. von Weber, sharply criticized Rossini, but others, and among them F. Schubert, gave favorable assessments. As for society, it unconditionally took Rossini’s side. 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, the composer was summoned to Verona by Prince Metternich himself: Rossini was supposed to honor the conclusion with cantatas Holy Alliance. In February 1823 he composed for Venice new opera – Semiramis (Semiramida), from which it now remains in concert repertoire just an overture. As it were, Semiramis can be considered the climax Italian period in Rossini's work, if only because it was the last opera, composed by him for Italy. Moreover, Semiramis passed with such brilliance in other countries that after it the reputation of Rossini as the largest opera composer era was no longer subject to any doubt. No wonder Stendhal compared Rossini’s triumph in the field of music with Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Austerlitz.

At the end of 1823, Rossini found himself in London (where he stayed for six months), and before that he spent a month in Paris. The composer was hospitably received by King George VI, with whom he sang duets; Rossini was in great demand in secular society as a singer and accompanist. The most important event of that time was receiving an invitation to Paris as artistic director opera house"Theater Italian". The significance of this contract, firstly, is that it determined the composer’s place of residence until the end of his days, and secondly, that it 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 the highest honor imaginable for a musician.

Rossini began 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 reworked for Paris, were a great success, and most importantly, he composed a charming comic opera Count Ory (Le comte Ory). (It was, as one might have expected, a huge success when it was revived in 1959.) Rossini's next work, appearing in August 1829, was the opera William Tell (Guillaume Tell), a work generally considered the composer's greatest achievement. Recognized by performers and critics as an absolute masterpiece, this opera has never aroused such enthusiasm among the public as Barber of Seville, Semiramis or even Moses: ordinary listeners thought Tellya the opera is 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. Let us only note that all Rossini’s operas created in France were written to French librettos.

After William Tell Rossini wrote no more operas, 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 skill and fame is a unique phenomenon in the history of the 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 insult caused to Rossini by the actions of the French government, which tried to terminate the contract with the composer after the revolution in 1830. Mention was also made of the deterioration of the musician’s well-being and even his allegedly incredible laziness. Perhaps all the factors mentioned above played a role, except the last one. Please note that when leaving Paris after William Tell, Rossini had the firm intention of starting a new opera ( Faust). It is also known that he went on and won a six-year trial against the French government over his pension. As for his state of health, having experienced the shock of the death of his beloved mother in 1827, Rossini actually felt unwell, at first not very strong, but later progressing with alarming speed. Everything else is more or less plausible speculation.

During the next Tellem For decades, Rossini, although he kept his apartment in Paris, lived mainly in Bologna, where he hoped to find the peace necessary 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 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 the litigation) that remained the composer’s permanent residence. It can be assumed that it was not only court cases that called him to Paris. In 1832 Rossini met Olympia Pelissier. Rossini's relationship with his wife had long left much to be desired; In the end, the couple decided to separate, and Rossini married Olympia, who became a good wife for the sick Rossini. Finally, in 1855, after a scandal in Bologna and disappointment from Florence, Olympia convinced 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 of, if not gaiety, then wit returned to him; music, which had been a taboo subject for many years, began to come to his mind again. April 15, 1857 - Olympia's name day - 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. He was followed by a number of small plays - Rossini called them The sins of my old age; the quality of this music requires no comment for fans Magic shop (La boutique fantasque) - a 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 coffin with the composer’s body was transported to Florence and buried in the Church of Santa Croce next to the ashes of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and other great Italians.

(1792-1868) Italian composer

G. Rossini is an outstanding Italian composer of the last century, whose work marked the heyday of the national opera art. He managed to breathe new life into the traditional Italian types of opera - comic (buffa) and “serious” (seria). Rossini's talent was revealed especially clearly in opera buffa. The realism of life sketches, accuracy in depicting characters, swiftness of action, melodic richness and sparkling wit ensured his works enormous popularity.

Rossini's period of intense creativity lasted about 20 years. During this time he created over 30 operas, many in short time went around the capital theaters of Europe and brought the author worldwide fame.

Gioachino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792 in Pesaro. The future composer had in a wonderful voice and from the age of 8 he sang in church choirs. At age 14, he undertook a solo tour with a small theater company as a conductor. Rossini completed his education at the Bologna Musical Lyceum, after which he chose the path of an opera composer.

Moving from city to city and fulfilling orders from local theaters, he wrote several operas a year. The works created in 1813 - the opera buffa "Italian in Algiers" and the heroic opera-serial "Tancred" - brought him wide fame. The melodies of Rossini's arias were sung on the streets of Italian cities. “In Italy there lives a man,” Stendhal wrote, “about whom they talk more than about Napoleon; this is a composer who is not yet twenty years old.”

In 1815, Rossini was invited to become resident composer at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. This was one of the the best theaters of that time, with wonderful singers and musicians. The first opera he wrote in Naples, “Elizabeth, Queen of England,” was received with enthusiasm. A stage of calm, prosperous life began in Rossini’s life. It was in Naples that all of his major operas. His musical and theatrical style reached high maturity in the monumental heroic operas Moses (1818) and Mohammed II (1820). In 1816, Rossini wrote the comic opera “The Barber of Seville” based on famous comedy Beaumarchais. Its premiere was also a triumphant success, and soon the whole of Italy was singing melodies from this opera.

In 1822, the political reaction that occurred in Italy forced Rossini to leave his homeland. He went on tour with a group of artists. They performed in London, Berlin, Vienna. There Rossini met Beethoven, Schubert and Berlioz.

From 1824 he settled in Paris. For several years he served as director of the Italian opera house. Taking into account the requirements of the French stage, he reworked a number of previous operas and created new ones. High achievement Rossini produced the heroic-romantic opera “William Tell” (1829), which glorified the leader of the national liberation struggle in Switzerland in the 14th century. Appearing on the eve of the 1830 revolution, this opera responded to the freedom-loving sentiments of the leading part of French society. "William Tell" is Rossini's last opera.

In the prime of his creative powers, not yet forty years old, Rossini suddenly stopped writing opera music. He was studying concert activities, composed instrumental pieces, traveled a lot. In 1836 he returned to Italy, living first in Bologna and then in Florence. In 1848, Rossini composed the Italian national anthem.

But soon after this he returned to France again and settled on his estate in Passy, ​​near Paris. His house became one of the centers of artistic life. On musical evenings He hosted many famous singers, composers, and writers. In particular, there are known memories of one of these concerts, written by I. S. Turgenev. It is curious that one of Rossini’s hobbies during these years was cooking. He loved to treat his guests to his own prepared dishes. “Why do you need my music if you have my pate?” - the composer jokingly said to one of the guests.

Gioachino Rossini died on November 13, 1868. A few years later, his ashes were transported to Florence and solemnly buried in the pantheon of the Church of Santa Croce next to the remains of other prominent figures of Italian culture.