A FEW FACTS AND FACTOIDS ON ROSSINI

Short Biography.
Gioacchino Rossini was born in Pesaro, Marche Region, in 1792.  He spent his adolescence in Bologna, where he enrolled in the local conservatory at the age of 14.  He composed his first professional opera, La cambiale di matrimonio, when he was 18 years old. He acquired international fame by the age of 20, with Tancredi and L’Italiana in Algeri. He retired at age 37.

His Music.
Known for his rhythmic brilliance, Rossini wrote musical pieces whose frenzy marks a departure from the style of 18th century opera. His melodies have a fresh inventiveness about them, and a profound attention to orchestration and harmony.

The Composers he Admired.
He was quoted as saying:  “I take Beethoven twice a week, Haydn four times, but Mozart every day… Mozart is always adorable.”

His Jovial Personality.
He liked to say about himself: “I have only wept three times in my life: the first time when my earliest opera failed, the second time when, with a boating party, a truffled turkey fell into the water, and the third time when I first heard Paganini play.”

What Beethoven Thought of him.
“Rossini would have been a great composer if his teacher had spanked him enough on the backside” was how Ludwig van Beethoven assessed Rossini’s production.
In 1822, Rossini succeeded in meeting Beethoven, who was then aged 51, deaf and in failing health. The two communicated in writing and Beethoven noted: “Ah, Rossini. So you’re the composer of The Barber of Seville. I congratulate you. It will be played as long as Italian opera exists. Never try to write anything else but opera buffa; any other style would do violence to your nature.”

And, finally… The great Epicure
There are several anecdotes regarding Rossini’s appreciation for fine food. According to his biographers, Rossini worked as an altar boy when he was a child just so he could drink the sacramental wine left over from mass.
When he went to Paris, he became close friends with chef Antonin Careme, who dedicated various recipes to him. Rossini, in turn, created arias for piano dedicated to entrees and desserts.
When Wagner visited him in his country estate in Passy in 1860, Rossini allegedly excused himself repeatedly during their conversations and came back after four or five minutes. When Wagner asked for an explanation, Rossini replied that he was busy checking on a roebuck sirloin he was roasting.

Arrivederci all’opera!  Gabriella