Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792 – 1868) was an
Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred
music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and
piano pieces. His best-known operas include the Italian
comedies Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of
Seville) and La Cenerentola and the French-language
epics Moïse et Pharaon and Guillaume Tell. A tendency
for inspired, song-like melodies is evident throughout
his scores, which led to the nickname "The Italian
Mozart". Until his retir...(+)
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792 – 1868) was an
Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred
music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and
piano pieces. His best-known operas include the Italian
comedies Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of
Seville) and La Cenerentola and the French-language
epics Moïse et Pharaon and Guillaume Tell. A tendency
for inspired, song-like melodies is evident throughout
his scores, which led to the nickname "The Italian
Mozart". Until his retirement in 1829, Rossini had been
the most popular opera composer in history.
"Variazzioni di Clarinetto" (Variations for Bb Clarinet
and Piano) is a set arrangements of Rossini's early
sets of variations for clarinet and orchestra, dating
from 1809-1810. Both of them are connected by two
things: Rossini's extremely elaborate musical language,
involving rather breathtakingly virtuoso lines for the
soloist; and some of their musical ideas which would
then find their way into Rossini's more mature
operas.
The first concerto, in C major, is a tremendously
delightful affair: starting with a decidedly dramatic
introduction, the piece soon settles into Rossini's
exorbitant treatment of a pastoral theme that is
quickly turned into an ever-difficult solo for the
clarinet.
The second piece or, more accurately its' second
section, a theme and variations that are derived from
it, while written in 1810, was used later for Malcolm's
stunning cavatina in 1819. Both treatments of the
musical material are presented in this arrangement, as
it provides an interesting opportunity not only to
compare them but also to think over a hypothesis that
some of the clarinet writing could be used as base for
ornamenting the later cabaletta.