Weird and Wonderful: Discovering Classical Music with a Difference

by Maureen Buja, Interlude

Sometimes composer break out of their box – make a new sound – make you hear music a new way – and sometimes it’s the performers who help as well. Take a listen to these performances and these interesting works from a variety of composers from the Renaissance period to today.

We’re so used to hearing BIG Beethoven. Large chords, rhythms that never seem to end, dramatic statements. But what happens if you change the means of performance? Is this the way you imagined the Moonlight Sonata? 

© Wikipedia

Luciano Berio was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for a work for its 125th anniversary, for its 1968-69 season. He gave them Sinfonia, for orchestra and 8 amplified voices, to create not a history of music, but a distorted history of culture. The third movement is a mélange of musical quotation and text quotations. The movement starts with extensive quotations from Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, a composer championed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. The orchestra also plays ‘snatches of Claude Debussy’s La mer, Maurice Ravel’s La valse, Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, as well as quotations from Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Johannes Brahms, Henri Pousseur, Paul Hindemith, and many others (including Berio himself)…’.The voices recite texts by Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, stage directions, with the original word sometimes changed or juxtaposed with other texts. 

We all know the third movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2. It’s the somber Marche funebre. A funeral march at a Lento speed. What may not be so familiar is the next movement. The speed is Presto, the touch is legato, the dynamics muted, and the notes unceasing until the final note, which strikes, as a writer said, as a ‘blow from the executioner’s axe’. 

One work that on first hearing you’d have a hard time to even place it with the correct composer, let alone get the date of composition correct, is Maurice Ravel’s 1918 work for piano, Frontispice (Frontispiece). It’s for 2 pianos, but 2 pianos and 5 hands. The two pianos are in different meters: piano 1 starting in 15/8 and Piano 2 enters one measure later in 5/4. The pianos provide overlapping melodic lines that are completely independent. The piece was written as a prelude to a reading of Ricciotto Canudo’s poem S.P. 503 Le poème de Vardar, where the author reflects on his war experiences. 

We know Liszt: bravura piano music, melodically driven, constantly innovating, and then when we look at his Bagatelle sans tonalite, S. 216a (earlier titles included Bluette fantasque and Mephisto Walzer Nr. 4 (ohne Tonart), we have a work of ambiguous harmony. There are echoes of the earlier Mephisto Waltzes, but this seems to remain outside – almost a commentary on his own work.

Can you guess what unusual sound generator is used at the beginning of Arvo Pärt’s Symphony No. 2? 

Yes, those were rubber ducks, and later, there’s crackling cellophane paper. Written in 1966, this work was part of Pärt’s early serialist style.

George Crumb: Vox Balaenae score © FANDOM Music Community

American composer George Crumb was inspired by one of the largest animals on Earth for this work from 1971. Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) requires the players to be anonymized by wearing black half-masks through their performance. Written for amplified flute, cello, and piano, the work requires that the flautist both plays and sings at the same time, and the cellist uses glissandos in an ultra-high register to imitate the cries of seagulls. 

Dowland’s lute music set the style for the English court – melancholic but always melodic. We somehow always imagine these as somewhat dry pieces, performed by a lutenist to himself as his best audience. However, in one work, he guaranteed that the performer would be able to get as close as possible to his audience. His work, My Lord Chamberlain, His Galliard, was published in his First Book of Songs in 1597. This work is written for 1 lute, but two performers (or in piano-speak: 1 lute, 4 hands.

Conlon Nancarrow: Player Piano © Whitney Museum of American Art

What happens when you have a vision for the music you want to play but it’s literally impossible for a single person with two hands and 10 fingers to play? For American composer Conlon Nancarrow, he transferred his music from a regular piano to a player piano. Mixed time signatures? No problem. Notes that are impossibly fast? No problem. More than 10 keys being played at once? No problem.

The composer and humourist Peter Schickele, in his manifestation as P.D.Q. Bach (the oddest of J.S. Bach’s 20-odd children), gave us a work that is almost too familiar to talk about, but in presenting it with the vapid commentary of a baseball game, gave us a different way to hear Beethoven. It’s a legitimate analysis, with all the familiar sports metaphors, but with a commentary that doesn’t miss a note.

 Music – we have lots of way of appreciating it – sometimes seriously, sometimes with humour – but always with an understanding that there’s lots of it out there to discover!

John Williams hints at retirement from film music, says new score might be his last

Composer John Williams. Picture: Getty

By Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM

 

In a new interview, the legendary film music composer suggests he might be writing his final score.

Movie music maestro John Williams has given his strongest hint yet at retirement, and that film music’s greatest and most illustrious career might be nearing its final chapter.

In an interview published on Thursday by Associated Press, the 90-year-old reflected on his work in film. Williams said “At the moment I’m working on Indiana Jones 5, which Harrison Ford – who’s quite a bit younger than I am – I think has announced will be his last film.”

He then hinted it may be the same case for him: “I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”

A Star Wars film demands six months of work, he said. “At this point in life [that] is a long commitment to me.”

Read more: 10 of John Williams’ all-time greatest film themes, ranked

Alongside the score to Indiana Jones 5, Williams is currently devoting himself to composing more music for the concert hall, including a piano concerto for long-time collaborator and friend, American virtuoso pianist Emanuel Ax. In the interview, the composer also mused on music and life. “Music can raise one’s thinking to the level of poetry,” he said.

“We can reflect on how necessary music has been for humanity. I always like to speculate that music is older than language, that we were probably beating drums and blowing on reeds before we could speak. So it’s an essential part of our humanity.”

“It’s given me my life.”

John Williams and Steven Spielberg in 2016. Picture: Getty

Williams also reflected on his long-standing creative friendship with director Steven Spielberg.“It’s been 50 years now. Maybe we’re starting on the next 50,” the composer said Williams with a laugh. “Whatever our connections will be, whether it’s music or working with him or just being with him, I think we will always be together.”

John Williams is the most prolific and widely honoured living composer of film music and holds the record for being the most Oscar-nominated living person. So far he has received 59 Oscar nods during his lifetime, and won five of them.

And although he is thinking about final film scores, it also sounds as if a compositional door will always be open from the prolific composer. “I don’t want to be seen as categorically eliminating any activity,” Williams said.

And with characteristic good humour added, “I can’t play tennis, but I like to be able to believe that maybe one day I will.”

A Variety of Opera Singers in Ceramic

by Maureen Buja , Interlude 

The ceramic modeler Johann Joachim Kändler designed many music objects for the porcelain maker Meissen. In addition to the figures of the singer with the fox at the keyboard, he also did other figurines of singers.

This group of two singers at the Metropolitan Museum, created by Kändler has been identified as Madame de Pompadour and the Prince de Rohan singing in the opera Acis and Galatea, in a production that took place at Versailles in 1749. However, in the record books of Kändler, we find that this group dates from 1744. Now we can start to look for other points of inspiration.

Two opera singers (Metropolitan Museum)

We know of Kändler’s familiarity with the opera scene at the Dresden court and if we look at the designs for Hasse’s opera Antigono, which was staged in Dresden in 1744, we see a male costume much like what is shown here.

Francesco Ponte: Antigono: design for the character Learco, 1744

The costume he’s wearing was normally that of a Roman character. The costume and the plumed helmet are his identity as a classical and heroic figure. The wide scalloped skirt, the tonnelet, was worn by both male singers and ballet dancers and was a common stage costume.

When we look through other collections of Kändler’s work, we find other representations of the two singers from the production house of Meissen, such as this one that came up for auction in 2015.

Two Opera Singers, Bonhams

The auction house, Bonhams, says this was styled on Kändler’s original but doesn’t say that it’s his model. If we look at the two in comparison, we see some differences. Now her right hand has been turned down instead of up, his face is at a different angle, his feathers are smaller, her dress has a cut-out on the bottom of her dress, her fur collar is gone, etc. The whole style seems rougher and also lacks the dimensional flower details on the stand.

In some versions, the two figures have been separated to create a very different image.

Two Opera Singers, Christies

He still has the same headgear and tonnelet, but he no longer grips his sword, his right hand is posed in a much more romantic gesture towards his heart while his left hand is now behind his back. Her dress is much larger and more dramatic, with her tiny waist being emphasized.

What’s of interest are all the variants we’ve found on just one Meissen design by Kändler. It speaks to the popularity of opera and of the Dresden court that we’ve seen Kändler document before.

The composer of choice at the Dresden court was Johann Adolph Hasse. He wrote the opera Didone Abbandonata in 1742 for the birthday of August III, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Hasse had been kapellmeister to the Dresden court since 1731. His wife, mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni, prima donna of the court opera, took the role of Didone.

The final aria is her death scene, rewritten for the performance at the Dresden Carnival in 1743. At the premiere, in the August III’s hunting lodge at Hubertusberg, the stage was too small to accommodate the closing scene of Didone dying before the flames of burning Carthage, so Didone’s death was simply announced by Genderal Osmida.

Johann Adolph Hasse: Didone abbandonata – Act III Scene 7: Aria: Cadra fra poco in cenere il suo nascente impero (Iarba) – Scene 8: Numi, onde l’ira in sen tutta mi piomba (Didone, Selene, Araspe) – Final Scene: Ah che dissi, infelice! (Didone) (Valer Barna-Sabadus, Iarba; Theresa Holzhauser, Didone; Magdalena Hinterdobler, Selene; Maria Celeng, Araspe; Hofkapelle Munchen; Michael Hofstetter, cond.)

Another opera singer in Dresden that Kändler modeled was the castrato Domenico Annibali, who was another one of the star singers in Hasse’s operas.

Anton Raphael Mengs: Domenico Annibali

As part of a series of court figures, Kändler made this model of Annibali.

Kändler: Opera Figure – Domenico Annibali, ca. 1750

If we try and imagine the market for these figurines, we have to remember all those glass cabinets with glass shelves, designed to show off your exquisite taste in porcelain. Meissen’s discovery of the Chinese secret of porcelain making opened up an entire market to local wares.

Youngest ever Van Cliburn winner moved Marin Alsop to tears with this rapturous Rachmaninov

 By Siena Linton, ClassicFM

 

The legendary conductor was seen wiping away tears as Yunchan Lim thundered through the finale of Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto.

Six competitors went head-to-head at the weekend in the final round of the sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas.

Over four days from 14 to 18 June, each of the finalists brought two concertos to the stage to perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of legendary conductor Marin Alsop.

18-year-old South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim was one of three finalists to select Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto, which he performed during the third concert of the final round on Friday 17 June.

Throughout the competition, Lim performed a wide range of works by Bach to Beethoven, Chopin to Scriabin, including a highly praised rendition of Liszt’s Transcendental Études. But it was his final performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 which would seal his victory.

Lim stormed his way through the finale of Rachmaninov’s mighty work, as Marin Alsop attentively directed the orchestra in keeping with the young pianist’s impressive pace. Alsop could be seen nodding in approval as Lim expertly transitioned from dramatic cadenzas to the sweeping Romantic themes that Rachmaninov is known and loved for.

As Lim finished the piece in a sensational flourish, the world-class conductor could be seen wiping tears from her eyes.

The two performers hugged in a touching moment, and as Lim went to thank the first row of violinists, Alsop could be seen both nodding her head in approval, and shaking it in disbelief, as she and the orchestra marvelled at the young talent. Watch Lim’s full performance below.

Marin Alsop herself was jury chair of the competition, on a panel that also included celebrated names of the piano world, including Stephen Hough, who was recently recognised in The Queen’s Birthday Honours, and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

Speaking to Classic FM, Alsop said, “What a joy to be part of this inspiring and compelling performance. Yunchan is that rare artist who brings profound musicality and prodigious technique organically together. The fact that he is only 18 years old is truly awe-inspiring and gives me great hope for the future”.

Lim’s selection as a finalist already made a mark in the prestigious competition’s history books, as the youngest competitor to progress to that stage of the competition, and on Saturday 18 June it was announced that he had been awarded the gold medal.

As winner of the competition, Lim will receive $100,000 (£81,660) and three years of additional support in his career. Second place went to Russian pianist Anna Geniushene, 31, with Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni, 28, taking the bronze medal.

Love Stories of Classical Composers (IV - Josef Strauss)

 Josef Strauss and Karoline Pruckmayer

“Always With You, Only Because of You, and Forever for You!”

  By Georg Predota, Interlude

Josef Strauss © Naxos Digital Services

The musical Strauss family dynasty took full advantage of the pleasure-seeking and carefree spirit of Imperial Vienna. As members of the public piled into the great dancehalls of the city, the Strauss family gleefully provided the musical background that gaily sent the Viennese population into throbbing gyrations. As leaders of the string section in the Strauss Orchestra, they fiddled their way into the hearts and beds of numerous young maidens. Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II—widely known as the Waltz King—became the darlings of the Viennese dance craze and the objects of female desire. Messy divorces, squabbles over illegitimate children and an occasional suicide attempt were all part of the Strauss musical empire. Josef Strauss (1827-1870), son of Johann I and brother of Johann II, however, wanted nothing to do with all that debauchery. He was a quiet and shy individual, who initially became an industrious engineer for the city of Vienna. He did take over shared responsibility for the Strauss Orchestra when Johann II became seriously ill. However, all he ever wanted in his private life was to marry his childhood sweetheart, the seamstress Karoline Pruckmayer (1831-1900). And that’s exactly what happened on 8 June 1857 in the St. Johann Parish Church in Leopoldstadt.

Josef Strauss: Perlen der Liebe, Op. 39 (Pearls of Love) (Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra; Jack Rothstein, cond.)

Josef Strauss’ Brennende Liebe, Op. 129

As a wedding present to his wife, Josef Strauss composed his concert waltz “Pearls of Love.” That remarkable piece of music is not merely a sparkling ballroom trinket, but Josef expanded on the traditional form of Viennese dance music. As he subsequently wrote to his wife, “As I do not want to practice the trade of beer-fiddler forever, I am turning to other kinds of composition.” Of great importance is an unmistakable symphonic development, which relies on stylistic influences from Richard Wager and Franz Liszt. Josef Strauss called it a “concert waltz,” nudging the genre away from the ballroom and into the concert hall. The first review already noted the special character of the composition, suggesting, “the newly-composed waltz is offered in a wholly original structure in new form.” In fact, “the work is remarkable for its conception and power, surpassing anything that his famous brother Johann II had yet created.” Josef’s talents as a composer were immediately recognized, but even more importantly, his marriage to Karoline was happy, successful and fulfilled. Their daughter Karolina Anna was born on 27 March 1858.

Pavlovsk Music Pavilion and Train station

In the summer of 1862, Josef’s mother Anna—keeping track of all business aspects of the Strauss Empire—ordered her son Josef to travel to Russia. Originally, Johann II was supposed to direct the concerts of the Strauss Orchestra in Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg. However, the Waltz King was under the weather, and as soon as Josef arrived, he returned to Vienna and got married. Josef wasn’t particularly happy to be drafted to Russia, but he willingly substituted for his brother. Once he had returned to Vienna, Josef immediately presented a new set of waltzes that included the polka mazurka “Burning Love.” Originally it was assumed Josef had named this work after a popular flower. In the event, this polka has nothing to do with flowers, but musically encodes Josef’s burning love for his wife, as it was composed in Russia during this unexpected period of separation.

Graveyard of Josef Strauss

The first heated debates about the position of women in society and the idea of women’s liberation was a hotly debated issue in Vienna during the middle of the 19th century.

The debut of violinist Marie Grüner as conductor of Vienna’s well-known Ludwig Morelli Orchestra in 1860 was treated in numerous newspaper articles as an example of women’s emancipation, and the debates were revived as women attained high positions in business and the arts. The first female university students and the first women doctors certainly made headlines. Josef Strauss was extremely happily married to Karoline, and he wished for nothing else than to free his wife from the bonds of family and to be able to provide her with independent employment. In fact, he championed women’s causes in a whole sting of compositions, including “A Woman’s Heart,” “A Woman’s Dignity,” and the polka mazurka “The Emancipated Woman.” When the work premiered in 1870 at the ball of the Garden Society, Karoline was in the audience, and she knew that this work was especially addressed to her. In 1869, Johann II and Josef spent the summer season once more in Russia. Josef was feeling unwell, and he wrote to his wife, “I do not look good, my cheeks are hollower, I have lost my hair, I am becoming dull on the whole, I have no motivation to work.” Despite his physical ailments, Josef composed “From Afar” for Karoline. Shortly before the first performance, Josef wrote to his wife:

Always with you
only because of you and
forever for you!

Moved to Tears

by Frances Wilson , Interlude

Music has the power to tug at the heartstrings, and evoking emotion is the main purpose of music – whether it’s joy or sadness, excitement or meditation. A certain melody or line of a song, a falling phrase, the delayed gratification of a resolved harmony – all these factors make music interesting, exciting, calming, pleasurable and moving.

Tears and chills – or “tingles” – on hearing music are a physiological response which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, as well as the reward-related brain regions of the brain. Studies have shown that around 25% of the population experience this reaction to music. But it’s much more than a pure physiological response. Classical music in particular steers a mysterious path through our senses, triggering unexpected and powerful emotional responses, which sometimes result in tears – and not just tears of sadness.

Tears flow spontaneously in response to a release of tension, perhaps at the end of a particularly engrossing performance. Certain pieces of music can remind us of past events, experiences and people, triggering memories and associated emotions. At other times, we may feel tearfully awestruck in the face of the greatness or sheer beauty of the music.

This last response has a name – Stendhal Syndrome – and while the syndrome is more commonly associated with art, it can be applied equally to the powerful emotional reaction which music provokes.

A psychosomatic disorder, Stendhal Syndrome, or hyperkulturemia, causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, disorientation, fainting, tears and confusion when someone is looking at artwork (or hearing a piece of music) with which he or she connects emotionally on a profound level. The phenomenon, also called ‘Florence Syndrome’, is named after the French author Marie-Henri Beyle , who wrote under the pen-name of ‘Stendhal’. While visiting the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, he became overcome with emotion and noted his reactions:

“I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty … I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations … Everything spoke so vividly to my soul.”

While there is some debate as to whether the syndrome actually exists, there is no doubt that music (and art and literature) can have a very profound effect on our emotional responses.

Certain pieces are well-known tear-jerkers, including:

Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 9 in D
Schubert: Winterreise

Personal tragedy portrayed in hauntingly beautiful music. 

Elgar: Cello Concerto

Wistful soaring melodies and a sense of hope and anguish, particularly in the final movement, this is Elgar’s tragic masterpiece. 

Allegri: Miserere

Ethereal chords combined with plainchant, the exquisite simplicity and beauty of this music is guaranteed to set the tears flowing. 

Rachmaninoff: Slow movement, Piano Concerto No. 2

Put simply, this is sublimely beautiful music.

Musical YouTuber reveals which cartoon characters *actually* play the piano correctly

Rhapsody Rabbit meets the cast of Family Guy... Picture: Alamy / Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

By Sophia Alexandra Hall, ClassicFM

@sophiassocials

 

Are your favourite cartoon characters musical maestros or faking frauds? YouTuber Amosdoll Music explores the animation of the pixelised pianist.

Cartoon characters we know and love have often been proved to be unexpected musical maestros when a piano is placed in front of them.

From Bugs Bunny, to Lois Griffin, to various Simpson family members, a piano-playing character is almost a staple in the world’s most famed animations.

But one musical YouTuber has taken a deeper dive into the so-called ‘talents’ of these much loved animations, to see just how accurate their piano-playing is.

Last month, YouTuber Amosdoll Music started the series, ‘Piano Animated Vs What they Actually Sound Like’, on his channel which boasts over two million subscribers. The content creator has since made over 100 videos analysing scenes from shows like Peppa Pig, Looney Tunes, Spongebob Squarepants, The Simpsons, Snoopy, along with various Disney films.

Let’s take a look to see which of our favourite characters might have fallen into the trap of less than accurate animation...

1. Family Guy

   In season 2 episode 20 of Family Guy, created by voice actor and jazz singer, Seth MacFarlane, the protagonist of the show – Peter Griffin – is found out to have virtuosic piano abilities, which can only be accessed when he is extremely drunk.

   Peter plays numerous tunes throughout the episode, and his repertoire seems to be firmly ingrained into film and TV show theme songs.

   Throughout the 22-minute episode, Peter performs theme songs from Dallas, Nine to Five, The Incredible Hulk, and The X-Files.

   But it was his final performance of the Mary Tyler Moore Show theme which intrigued Amosdoll Music enough to make a takedown of Peter’s choice of notes.

   Listen above to hear how Peter really played the piece. The reality sounds (perhaps accurately) like a rather drunken performance.

2. The Simpsons

   Bart Simpson may not be the first person you associate from this iconic 33-season-long show with musical talent.

   His saxophone-playing younger sister Lisa is the usual culprit, and her talents are often shown off in episodes dedicated almost entirely to her musical abilities.

   However, in season 24 episode 20, Bart starts making rapid progress at the piano, shocking his family and friends and making Lisa pretty jealous of her brother’s newfound abilities.

   It’s later found out that Bart was actually just miming along to a CD which he had placed under the piano, hence the title of the episode, ‘The Fabulous Faker Boy’.

   Eagled-eyed musicians would have been able to tell that Bart was in fact faking from the start due to his pretty noticeable hand (and foot) placements during a rendition of Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca, which is exactly what Amosdoll Music spies in the clip above.

   Tom and Jerry

3. This 1947 classic stars Tom and Jerry in ‘The Cat Concerto’, a short film which won the Oscar for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.

   In the short, animated cat, Tom, performs the opening of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

   Unbeknown to the musical cat however, the animated mouse, Jerry, is rudely awakened from his sleep inside the piano by Tom’s playing. This encounter leads to a host of visual gags as the pair swipe at each other on stage.

   While the opening of Tom’s piano performance of the Liszt is near perfect, it’s when the second hand joins in that things start to go awry...

   Regardless of the musical mistakes, it was a fantastic feat that the animators managed to get some of the notes right, especially considering that these animations would have been hand-drawn.

4. Fantasia

   Disney’s Fantasia, a musical film released in 2000, takes the viewer on a magical journey incorporating eight pieces of famous classical music.

   One of these pieces is George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, a 1924 piano composition that incorporates both classical and jazz influences.

   Impressively, this clip which Amosdoll Music has analysed is perfect. The animated pianist plays the difficult music accurately, even with the complex rhythms of the opening riff.

   Seeing the notes line up with what you’re listening to really makes all the difference, and the animators must have taken extra time to make sure this was accurate, knowing it would attract a musical audience. Bravo!

5. Soul (DIsney Pixar)

   Another clip found by Amosdoll Music where the animated musician gets it right is this scene from the 2020 Disney Pixar movie, Soul.

   This musical adventure film follows the life of a part time school music teacher and jazz pianist, Joe Gardner.

   Soul won the Oscar for Best Original Score at 93rd Academy Awards, and it’s easy to see that great care was taken over the representation of jazz musicians in the film. In fact, various jazz greats such as pianist and composer, Herbie Hancock, were consulted as part of the movie’s production process.

   What makes this scene so special is Gardner’s description of each part of what he is playing; “then he adds the inner voices, and it’s like he’s singing!”

Love Stories of Classical Composers (III - Giaochino Rossini)

Super Couple Giaochino Rossini and Isabella Colbran

by Georg Predota , Interlude

Giaochino Rossini , circa 1815

They probably first met in Bologna around 1815, and the union between Giaochino Rossini and Isabella Colbran was to become one of the most successful artistic alliances in the history of music. Rossini was a rising star when he was engaged by the impresario Domenico Barbaia to reside in Naples and to compose for its renowned opera houses. Barbaia was a drunkard and nearly illiterate loudmouth with a natural gift for seemingly endless self-promotion. He managed a stable of legendary opera singers and dancers, among them his mistress Isabella Colbran. The beautiful Spanish-born diva was the reigning prima donna and easily considered the finest coloratura soprano of her age. Colbran possessed a voice of great beauty, an extraordinary range of three octaves, and a technique of great virtuosity and astounding agility. The timbre of her voice was described as “sweet and mellow, with a rich middle register able to conjure touching lyricism,” and Rossini’s music specifically written for her suggests a perfect mastery of trills, half-trills, ascending and descending chromatic scales, and octave leaps.

Isabella Colbran

In 1815, Rossini composed the title role of “Elizabeth, Queen of England” specifically for the Spanish prima donna. Professional collaboration quickly translated into personal intimacy, and Rossini and Colbran became lovers. Over the coming years, Colbran became his muse and decisively shaped Rossini’s compositional art. Colbran was the daughter of the renowned violinist music teacher Juan Colbran, who was active at the Spanish court. He quickly identified the enormous musical potential of his daughter and resigned his position to support Isabella’s career. They departed for Paris and Italy, and by age twenty she had conquered the stages of Europe. And that included the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, already home to a number of famous singers, including the castrato Farinelli. However, Isabella was not only famous for her voice, she was also a gifted composer who had written several collections of songs dedicated to the Queen of Spain and the Empress of Russia.

Isabella Colbran: 6 Petits airs Italiens

Castenaso

To complement Colbran’s talent, Barbaia signed Rossini under a seven-year contract. Already known as a composer of comedies, Rossini’s choice of subjects for his opera seria was greatly influenced by Colbran’s extraordinary talent for noble and dramatic roles. In all, Rossini composed seven operas for her, creating a number of powerful and vocally demanding roles. Colbran was at the height of her powers, and her performances proved immensely popular. After having lived together for almost seven years, it was time to legitimize the relationship. As such, the wedding took place on 16 March 1822 at the church of the “Beata Vergine del Pilar” in Castenaso, near Bologna. Since the happy event was scheduled during Lenten season, a special dispensation by Cardinal Oppizzoni was required for the ceremony to take place. And as expected, the celebrity couple became the toast of the European operatic scene.

Domenico Barbaia © Wikipedia

Paradoxically, the vocal demands of the roles created for her by Rossini probably contributed to the rapid deterioration of Colbran’s voice. For an engagement in Vienna and later Venice, Rossini composed Semiramide. Once again, the title role was specifically written for Colbran, with Rossini designing the vocal part to disguise her failing vocal prowess. The opera proved highly successful, but her performances were considered disappointing. After a disastrous tour of England in 1824 Colbran retired from the stage at age 42. Although their professional life had been highly successful and profitable, the couple’s married life was not a happy one. Colbran had developed a debilitating gambling habit, and the extraordinary rise of Rossini’s career as a composer allowed him to expand into new theatres and new cities, particularly Paris and London. As such, Rossini engaged in a number of personal liaisons, above all with the courtesan and model Olympe Pélissier. Rossini and Colbran separated around 1830, and her health continued to decline. Rossini kept supporting her financially, and when Isabella died on 7 October 1845 she was buried in the Rossini family plot. It would certainly be misleading to look at Isabella Colbran exclusively through her relationship with Rossini. More than any other singer of her time, she influenced the Italian melodrama, inspiring a great number of composers. Rossini, for one, always credited her as the “greatest interpreter of his music.”