Rossini had composed so much music and had heard so much singing by 1829 that he simply gave up composing for the stage altogether. But as we all know, he penned a couple of large religious pieces of great value and, of concern to us here, dozens of far smaller works, designed to be performed at home–his home in Paris, to be precise–between 1858 and 1868. Visitors and performers included Verdi, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Liszt, the violinist Sarasate, the soprano Adelina Patti, and many others–this was a hot invitation. And the music, light as it may be, is always worth hearing. Rossini may have lacked the depth of Mozart or Beethoven (although an argument against this statement can be easily made), but he was never trite and is always entertaining.
This well-packed two-CD set contains 31 pieces, and I wouldn’t want to do without any one of them. The two quartets are light and refuse to become virtuosic, the famous “duet for two cats” is here, performed with prima-donna, rather than feline, cattiness (and very well, indeed), and the various solos and duets for various ranges contain great surprsises. The “Adieux à la vie”, with its complicated, fascinating piano accompaniment and soprano part consisting of only one note (a C, by the way) is more than a gimmick; it’s a tour de force and the definition of artifice, in the kindest and most admiring use of that word. The eight-minute piano solo “Marche et Reminiscences pour mon dernier voyage” contains quotes from William Tell, Le Comte Ory, La Donna del Lago, and others, all nicely, tonally transmogrified just as we become comfortable with the quote, and a couple of duets, notably one for tenor and baritone, strikes some deep, emotional chords.
The performances are not perfect. The tenor is occasionally too, well, tenorish (i.e., leaning on the voice in ways that tenors of Rossini’s era did not), the baritone can be a bit woolly, and the soprano and mezzo are not glorious voices. But having said that, I take it all back: They’re all really good, and totally committed, as is the pianist. I played this 135 minutes twice through in one two-day period and was never bored. You won’t be either. Excellent notes, and translations are included too.
