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Donald Macleod presents five takes on the life and music of Gioachino Rossini. Today, the music that Rossini didn鈥檛 have to write.

This week, Donald Macleod presents five takes on the life and music of Gioachino Rossini. Today, the music that Rossini didn鈥檛 have to write.

According to Rossini鈥檚 biographer Richard Osborne, the composer left a 鈥渓arge and absorbingly diverse collection of non-operatic compositions鈥 鈥 some written during his career, many more after his early retirement from the stage in 1831. They range from a short occasional fanfare for four horns and orchestra written as a musical thank-you for a well-to-do host who was crazy about hunting, to the masterpiece of Rossini鈥檚 late years, the Petite messe solennelle, which the composer prefaced with a tongue-in-cheek letter to God: 鈥淕ood God, there we have it, complete, this poor little Mass. Is it really sacred music that I鈥檝e made, or is it merely abominable music? I was born for opera buffa, as Thou well knowest. Little skill, a little heart, and that is all. So be Thou blessed, and admit me to Paradise. G. Rossini. Passy, 1863.鈥

String Sonata No 1 in G; 3rd mvt, Allegro
Ensemble de I Virtuosi Italiani

Messa di Gloria; Kyrie eleison鈥擟hriste eleison鈥擪yrie eleison
Francisco Araiza, tenor
Ra煤l Gimenez, tenor
Academy and Chorus of St Martin-in-the-Fields
Neville Marriner, conductor

La pastorella
Belt脿 crudele
Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo soprano
Charles Spencer, piano

Serenata per piccolo compresso
Members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra

Le Rendez-vous de chasse
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
Riccardo Chailly, conductor

Petite messe solennelle; Credo鈥擟rucifixus鈥擡t resurrexit
Kari L酶vaas, soprano
Brigitte Fassbaender, alto
Peter Schreier, tenor
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Die M眉nchner Vokalsolisten
Reinhard Raffalt, harmonium
Hans Ludwig Hirsch, piano
Wolfgang Sawallisch, piano and conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for 成人快手 Wales

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Gioachino Rossini

    Sonata a Quattro No 1 in G Major (Allegro)

    Ensemble: I Virtuosi Italiani.
    • TACTUS TC791802.
    • TACTUS.
    • 3.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Messa di Gloria (Kyrie Eleison)

    Singer: Francisco Araiza. Singer: Ra煤l Gim茅nez. Orchestra: Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Choir: Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus. Conductor: Neville Marriner.
    • PHILIPS 434 1322.
    • PHILIPS.
    • 1.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    La Pastorella

    Performer: Charles Spencer. Singer: Cecilia Bartoli.
    • DECCA 430 5182.
    • DECCA.
    • 1.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Belta crudele (Amori scendete)

    Performer: Charles Spencer. Singer: Cecilia Bartoli.
    • DECCA 430 5182.
    • DECCA.
    • 2.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Serenata in E flat major

    Performer: Violetta Eckhardt. Performer: Jozsef Lendvay. Performer: Gy枚rgy Porzsolt. Performer: Erika Seb艖k. Performer: Dudu Carmel. Performer: Bal谩zs Kov谩cs. Performer: Gy枚rgy Kert茅sz. Conductor: Iv谩n Fischer.
    • CHANNEL CLASSICS 27708.
    • CHANNEL CLASSICS.
    • 2.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Concerto grosso "Le rendez-vous de chasse"

    Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly.
    • DECCA 470 2982.
    • DECCA.
    • 3.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Petite messe solennelle: Credo

    Performer: Reinhard Raffalt. Performer: Hans-Ludwig Hirsch. Performer: Wolfgang Sawallisch. Singer: Kari L枚vaas. Singer: Brigitte Fassbaender. Conductor: Peter Schreier. Singer: Dietrich Fischer鈥怐ieskau. Ensemble: Munich Vocal Soloists.
    • EURODISC 610 263-232.
    • EURODISC.
    • 1.

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