The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala
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''The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala'' is a live album of operatic and sacred music by
Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
, performed by Rockwell Blake, Craig Estep, Maria Fortuna,
Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...
, George Hogan, Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Kuhlmann,
Mimi Lerner Mimi Lerner (May 20, 1945 — March 29, 2007) was a Polish-American mezzo-soprano, and later head of the voice department at Carnegie Mellon University. Life and career Lerner was born Emilia Lipczer in 1945 in Sambir, Ukraine to Jewish parent ...
,
Chris Merritt Chris Merritt (born September 27, 1952, in Oklahoma City) is an American tenor. Education Merritt began piano studies at 8 years of age with Viola Knight. During this time, he also studied art at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. At 9 years of age he ...
, Jan Opalach, Samuel Ramey, Henry Runey,
Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
, Deborah Voigt, the Concert Chorale of New York and the
Orchestra of St. Luke's The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974. Orchestra of St. Luke’s presents over 70 concerts, programs, and events in a variety of diverse musical genres every season, including an ...
under the direction of Sir
Roger Norrington Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington (born 16 March 1934) is an English conductor. He is known for historically informed performances of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. In November 2021 Norrington announced his retirement. Life Norr ...
. It was released in 1993 as a 119-minute video album and in 1994 as a 78-minute CD.


Background

In 1992,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
for the Performing Arts hosted two gala concerts commemorating the two hundredth anniversary of Rossini's birth. The concerts were filmed for EMI Records, who edited the best of their footage into a video album that they released in 1993 on both VHS tape and twelve-inch Laserdisc.''Gramophone'', June 1993, pp. 104-106 The following year, EMI issued most of the contents of their video album (arranged in a different running order) on CD: the omissions were the Overture to '' La gazza ladra'', the quartet "Cielo il mio labbro inspira" from ''
Bianca e Falliero ''Bianca e Falliero, ossia Il consiglio dei tre'' (English: ''Bianca and Falliero, or The Counsel of Three'') is a two-act operatic ''melodramma'' by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani. The libretto was based on Antoine- ...
'', the trio "Pappataci! Che mai sento" from '' L'italiana in Algeri'' and the duet "Perché mi guardi" from ''
Zelmira ''Zelmira'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, ''Zelmire'' by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas. Stendhal called its music Teutonic, compa ...
''.


Recording

The album was compiled from recordings of concerts that took place on 29 February and 2 March 1992 in the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center, New York City.Rossini, Gioachino: ''The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala'', cond. Roger Norrington, EMI Records CD, 0777 7 54643 2 0, 1994 The audio was recorded digitally.


Packaging

The covers of video and audio-only versions of the album feature photographs taken during the concerts at which the recording was made.


Critical reception

Barrymore Laurence Scherer reviewed one of the concerts from which the album was derived in ''
Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
'' in May 1992. The singer whose contribution he enjoyed most was Marilyn Horne, who performed not only "Mura felici" from ''La donna del lago'' but also a "Di tanti palpiti" that was to have been sung by an indisposed
June Anderson June Anderson (born December 30, 1952) is a Grammy Award-winning American coloratura soprano. She is known for ''bel canto'' performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Subsequently, she has extended her repertoire to include a wid ...
. She was not as miraculous as in her prime. but "if steel adreplaced the former velvet of Horne's tone, her passagework emainedundiminished in splendour." The runners-up for the palm of the evening were Thomas Hampson with his "delectable" if somewhat over-familiar "Largo al factotum" from ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', Deborah Voigt in the "Inflammatus" from the ''Stabat mater'' and Kathleen Kuhlmann in the "Agnus Dei" from the ''Petite messe solennelle''. His view of some of the gala's other artists was harsher. Chris Merritt sang "Asile hérédetaire" from ''Guillaume Tell'' with "insensitivity to phrase and colour, merely treating the music as a build-up for a series of high notes that sounded like blood squeezed from a stone." As for Rockwell Blake, "his grotesque rendition of 'Terra amica, ove respire' from ''Zelmira'' provided a series of bleats and squawks that were a travesty of ''bel canto''." The concert's opening number, the overture to ''La gazza ladra'', was disappointing too, omitting its customary cymbals in order to achieve a "bloodless correctitude in the eyes of modern scholarship". It seemed to Scherer that Rossini's music had become an industry, in thrall to academia, in which all that mattered was that more and more of his scores should be performed. Whether his music was sung beautifully or wretchedly had ceased to be important.''Gramophone'', May 1992, p. 16
J. B. Steane John Barry Steane (12 April 1928 – 17 March 2011) was an English music critic, musicologist, literary scholar and teacher, with a particular interest in singing and the human voice. His 36-year career as a schoolmaster overlapped with his caree ...
reviewed the video version of the album in ''Gramophone'' in June 1993. The "happy event" began, he wrote, with the overture to ''La gazza ladra'' (''The thieving magpie''), "the only ''gazza'' recognized by the judicial bench", conducted by a man who appeared to be Jacques Offenbach but was in fact Roger Norrington. Marilyn Horne, still blessed with a royal, marvellously unwearied voice despite her advancing years, sang one of Malcom's arias from ''La donna del lago'' with rock-solid control and the precision of a pianist. Deborah Voigt was not quite so impressive in her "Inflammatus", singing with "some grandeur if little variety", but things looked up when Frederica von Stade presented an aria from ''La Cenerentola'' "with generous spirit and a winning smile". Rockwell Blake sang "runs ''prestissimo'' and high Cs galore, just as we knew he would", and his confrère, the "amazing" Chris Merritt, followed suit. Another high C came from the "hyperactive" barber of Seville, "more irrepressible than ever in the person of Thomas Hampson". Three less showy pieces were a reminder that there was more to Rossini's music than just an invitation to great singers to parade their scintillating technique. "As Kathleen Kuhlmann angthe 'Agnus Dei' and the chorus quietly eiterated'Dona nobis pacem', there asa moment of something like depth." A men's chorus joined Samuel Ramey in a "fine example of Rossinian mastery" from ''Le siège de Corinthe''. And some "serious-minded dramatic tension" was introduced with a quartet from ''Bianca e Falliero''. Finally a fourteen-voiced ensemble from ''Il viaggio a Reims'' gave all the concert's soloists the chance to bring the house down in an extravaganza of a finale. Richard Osborne reviewed the CD version of the album in ''Gramophone'' in December 1994. Like Scherer and Steane, he singled out Marilyn Horne for special praise, lauding her contribution as the only "classically fine" one on the disc. He also mentioned Thomas Hampson's "over the top" aria from ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' and the "Agnus Dei" from the ''Petite messe solennelle'', the latter of particular interest because it was performed with Rossini's "reluctantly and tardily supplied orchestration". About the album as a whole, he was equivocal. On the one hand, he called it "spectacular", with "plenty that was fiery and eloquent", "set ablaze" by Roger Norrington's conducting. On the other hand, it had only a few items that he imagined himself wanting to hear again. He concluded by advising his readers that it was a concert best enjoyed when seen as well as heard. He had been amused, on returning from an evening out with his wife, to find his babysitter and her husband both engrossed in watching its video version on his television.''Gramophone'', December 1994, pp. 159-160


CD track listing

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
(1792-1868) '' Le siège de Corinthe'' (Paris, 1826), libretto by Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet * 1 (10:11) Coro e cavatina, Act 1: "La flamme rapide... La gloire et la fortune" **Samuel Ramey, Mahomet II **Concert Chorale of New York '' La donna del lago'' (Naples, 1819), libretto by
Andrea Leone Tottola Andrea Leone Tottola (died 15 September 1831) was a prolific Italian librettist, best known for his work with Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini. It is not known when or where he was born. He became the official poet to the royal theatres ...
after
Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
* 2 (10:16) Cavatina, Act 1: "Mura felici" **Marilyn Horne, Malcom, a rebel chieftain '' La Cenerentola'' (Rome, 1817), libretto by
Jacopo Ferretti Jacopo Ferretti (16 July 1784 – 7 March 1852) was an Italian writer, poet and opera librettist. His name is sometimes written as Giacomo Ferretti. He is most famous for having supplied the libretti for two operas composed by Rossini and for fiv ...
* 3 (11:26) Coro, scena e rondò, Act 2: "Della Fortuna... Nacqui all'affanno... Non più mesta" **Frederica von Stade, Angelina (Cinderella) **Jan Opalach, Don Magnifico, Baron of Montefiascone, Angelina's stepfather **Craig Estep, Don Ramiro, Prince of Salerno **Maria Fortuna, Clorinda, elder daughter of Magnifico **Mimi Lerner, Tisbe, younger daughter of Magnifico **Henry Runey, Dandini, valet to the Prince **Concert Chorale of New York ''
Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...
'' (Madrid, 1832; Bologna, 1841), text by
Jacopone da Todi Jacopone da Todi, O.F.M. (ca. 1230 – 25 December 1306) was an Italian Franciscan friar from Umbria. He wrote several ''laude'' (songs in praise of the Lord) in the local vernacular. He was an early pioneer in Italian theatre, being one of ...
* 4 (4:49) "Inflammatus" **Deborah Voigt **Concert Chorale of New York '' Guillaume Tell'' (Paris, 1829), libretto by
Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy Victor-Joseph Étienne, called de Jouy (19 October 17644 September 1846), was a French dramatist who abandoned an early military career for a successful literary one. Life De Jouy was born at Versailles in 1764. At the age of eighteen he receiv ...
and L. F. Bis * 5 (10:55) Aria, Act 4: "Ne m'abandonne point... Asile hérédetaire" **Chris Merritt, Arnold Melchtal **Concert Chorale of New York '' Petite messe solennelle'' (Paris, 1863; orchestration: Paris, 1867) * 6 (8:07) "Agnus Dei" **Kathleen Kuhlmann **Concert Chorale of New York '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'' (Rome, 1816), libretto by
Cesare Sterbini Cesare Sterbini (1784 – 19 January 1831) was an Italian writer and librettist. Possessing a deep knowledge of classical and contemporary culture, philosophy, linguistics, he was fluent in Greek, Latin, Italian, French and German. He is best k ...
after Pierre Beaumarchais * 7 (4:52) Cavatina, Act 1: "La lan la lera... Largo al factotum" **Thomas Hampson, a barber ''
Zelmira ''Zelmira'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, ''Zelmire'' by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas. Stendhal called its music Teutonic, compa ...
'' (Naples, 1822), libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola * 8 (8:38) Coro e cavatina, Act 1: "Terra amica" **Rockwell Blake, Ilo, Prince of Troy **Concert Chorale of New York '' Il viaggio a Reims'' (Paris, 1825), libretto by Luigi Balocchi * 9 (9:14) Gran pezzo concertato a 14 voci, Act 2: "A tal colpo aspettato" **Deborah Voigt, Madame Cortese, the Tyrolean hostess of a spa hotel **Maria Fortuna, the Contessa di Folleville, a fashionable young woman **Frederica von Stade, Corinna, a famous Roman poet **Marilyn Horne, the Marchesa Melibea, the Polish widow of an Italian general killed on his wedding night ** Mimi Lerner, Della, a young Greek girl, Corinna's travelling companion **Kathleen Kuhlmann, Modestine, the Contessa di Folleville's chamber-maid **Chris Merritt, the Conte di Libenskof, a Russian general in love with the Marchesa Melibea **Rockwell Blake, the Cavaliere Belfiore, a handsome young French officer and amateur painter **Craig Estep, Zeffirino, a courier **Jan Opalach, the Barone di Trombonok, a German major and music lover **Thomas Hampson, Don Alvaro, a Spanish admiral in love with the Marchesa Melibea **Samuel Ramey, Lord Sidney, an English colonel secretly in love with Corinna **Henry Runey, Don Profondo, a scholar and antiquarian, a friend of Corinna **George Hogan, Don Prudenzio, a physician at the spa


Laserdisc chapter listing

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
'' La gazza ladra'' (Milan, 1817) * 1 (9:46) Sinfonia '' La donna del lago'' * 2 (10:34) Cavatina, Act 1: "Mura felici" ''
Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...
'' * 3 (5:15) "Inflammatus" '' La Cenerentola'' * 4 (7:54) Coro, scena e rondò, Act 2: "Della Fortuna... Nacqui all'affanno... Non più mesta" ''
Zelmira ''Zelmira'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, ''Zelmire'' by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas. Stendhal called its music Teutonic, compa ...
'' * 5 (11:54) Coro e cavatina, Act 1: "Terra amica" ''
Bianca e Falliero ''Bianca e Falliero, ossia Il consiglio dei tre'' (English: ''Bianca and Falliero, or The Counsel of Three'') is a two-act operatic ''melodramma'' by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani. The libretto was based on Antoine- ...
'' (Milan, 1819), libretto by Felice Romani * 6 (13:25) Quartetto: "Cielo, il mio labbro ispira" **Maria Fortuna, Bianca, daughter of Contareno **Marilyn Horne, Falliero, a Venetian General **Chris Merritt, Contareno, a Venetian Senator **Henry Runey, Capellio, a Venetian Senator **Concert Chorale of New York '' Guillaume Tell'' * 7 (13:58) Aria, Act 4: "Ne m'abandonne point... Asile hérédetaire" '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'' * 8 (5:02) Cavatina, Act 1: "La lan la lera... Largo al factotum" '' Petite messe solennelle'' * 9 (8:08) "Agnus Dei" '' L'italiana in Algeri'' (Venice, 1813), libretto by
Angelo Anelli Angelo Anelli (10 November 1761 – 9 April 1820) was an Italian poet and librettist who also wrote under the pseudonyms Marco Landi and Niccolò Liprandi. He was born in Desenzano del Garda and studied literature and poetry at a seminary in Veron ...
*10 (6:38) Terzetto: "Pappataci! Che mai sento" **Rockwell Blake, Lindoro, in love with Isabella **Thomas Hampson, Taddeo, an elderly Italian **Jan Opalach, Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers ''
Zelmira ''Zelmira'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, ''Zelmire'' by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas. Stendhal called its music Teutonic, compa ...
'' *11 (6:01) Duettino: "Perché mi guardi, e piangi" **Deborah Voigt, Zelmira, daughter of Polidoro, King of Lesbos **Kathleen Kuhlmann, Emma, her confidant '' Le siège de Corinthe'' *12 (10:31) Coro e cavatina, Act 1: "La flamme rapide... La gloire et la fortune" '' Il viaggio a Reims'' *13 (9:40) Gran pezzo concertato a 14 voci, Act 2: "A tal colpo inaspettato"Rossini, Gioachino: ''The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala'', cond. Roger Norrington, EMI Records Laserdisc, 0777 7 40300-1 4, 1993


Personnel


Performers

* Rockwell Blake, tenor * Craig Estep, tenor * Maria Fortuna, soprano *
Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...
, baritone * George Hogan, bass * Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano * Kathleen Kuhlmann. mezzo-soprano *
Mimi Lerner Mimi Lerner (May 20, 1945 — March 29, 2007) was a Polish-American mezzo-soprano, and later head of the voice department at Carnegie Mellon University. Life and career Lerner was born Emilia Lipczer in 1945 in Sambir, Ukraine to Jewish parent ...
(1945-2007), mezzo-soprano *
Chris Merritt Chris Merritt (born September 27, 1952, in Oklahoma City) is an American tenor. Education Merritt began piano studies at 8 years of age with Viola Knight. During this time, he also studied art at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. At 9 years of age he ...
, tenor * Jan Opalach, bass-baritone * Samuel Ramey, bass * Henry Runey, bass *
Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
, mezzo-soprano * Deborah Voigt. soprano * Melanie Feld, cor anglais (in ''Zelmira'' duettino) * Deborah Hoffman, harp (in ''Zelmira'' duettino) * Concert Chorale of New York * Orchestra of St Luke's * Sir
Roger Norrington Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington (born 16 March 1934) is an English conductor. He is known for historically informed performances of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. In November 2021 Norrington announced his retirement. Life Norr ...
, conductor


Other

* Matthew A. Epstein, artistic consultant * Philip Gossett, musical adviser * John Goberman, video producer * Kirk Browning, video director


Release history

In 1993, EMI Records released a 119-minute, thirteen-item version of the album on VHS (UK catalogue number MVD491007-3) and Laserdisc (UK catalogue number LDB491007-1, US catalogue number 0777 7 40300-1 4). Both issues provided 4:3 NTSC colour video and stereo sound. As of September 2019, the album had not been issued on DVD or Blu-ray. In 1994, EMI Records issued a 78-minute, nine-item version of the album on CD (catalogue number 0777 7 54653 2 0 or CDC 7 54643 2). The CD was accompanied by a 32-page insert booklet featuring an essay by the Rossini scholar Philip Gossett in English, French and German, texts in French, Italian and Latin and translations of those texts into English, French and German.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala, The 1994 classical albums Classical video albums EMI Records albums Live classical albums Opera recordings