Saverio Mercadente
About the composer
Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante was born in Altamura, Italy, in 1795. He studied in Naples with Zingarelli and, after first having composed some instrumental music, started composing opera’s in 1820. He composed 60 opera’s, from which Il Giuramento is considered to be his masterpiece. After having been in Spain and Portugal for some years, he became director of the Naples Conservatory in 1840. During his whole life, from apprenticeship to his last days, when he was blind, he composed instrumental music, for small and large orchestra, with and without solo instruments, and chamber music. The quality of his music is rather variable, but supposedly some of these works were composed for his students for purely educational purposes. Mercadante died in Naples in 1870.
About the Stabat Mater
| Date: | ca. 1860 |
| Performers: | Symphony orchestra |
| Length: | 13.40 minutes |
| Particulars: | In this Fantasia su motivi dello Stabat Mater di Rossini the melodies of Rossini are clearly recognizable. Especially the theme of the aria "Cuius animam" is used as a basis. The music is pleasant to listen to, not very complicated. To my ears it sounds as a mix between Rossini and Johann Strauss. |
| Textual variations: | No text is used. |
| Colour bar: |
As no text is used there is no reason for a colorbar. |
Information about the recording
| CD: | Warner Fonit-8573 81472-2: Saverio Mercadante, Sinfonia Fantastica |
| More info: | Short instrumental pieces for orchestra by Mercadante, somewhat in the style of Rossini overtures. Recorded in the Chiesa di Santa Barbara di Rovito, in 1996. I bought this CD on the Internet, Klassikonline, 2001. |
| Orchestra: | Orchestra Philharmonia Mediterranea |
| Conductor: | Luigi de Filippi |
| Other works: | Sinfonia caratteristica |
| Code: | 2001 MER-01 |
