March 9, 1992 THE NEW FEDERALIST Page 11

Happy 200th BirthdayAnd Thank You,

Gioachino Rossini
Music
by David Shavin
Gioachino Rossini
The 200th anniversar !" the #irth !" $i!achin! R!ssini is here% The
c!&'!ser !" the !'era The Barber of Seville (as #!rn in Pesar!, Ita), near
the A*riatic c!ast, !n Fe#% 29, 1+92%
When $i!achin! (as , ears !)*, his "ather $i-se''e (as i&'ris!ne* "!r
.re'-#)icanis&%. At a !-ng age, $i!achin! #eca&e a &e&#er !" the
"a&!-s Acca*e&ia Fi)ar&!nica !" /!)!gna, t! (hich his "ather a)s!
#e)!nge*% He st-*ie* singing, ce))!, an* 'ian!, an* )earne* c!-nter'!int
"r!& Pa*re Mattei 0the s-ccess!r t! Pa*re Martini, (ith (h!&, a generati!n
ear)ier, M!1art ha* st-*ie*2%
R!ssini3s !'era, The Barber of Seville, (as #!rn (hen he ch!se t! set the
/ea-&archais ')a !" the sa&e na&e% 0The ')a3s se4-e), The Marriage of
Figaro, ha*, !" c!-rse, #een set # M!1art%2 Des'ite great !''!siti!n t! its
staging, R!ssini3s Barber (as a great s-ccess% N! *!-#t the a''earance !"
this !'era, (ith its re'-#)ican the&es, (as &-ch a''reciate* # a-*iences
(h! (ere "ace* (ith the reacti!n instit-ti!na)i1e* # the 1,15 6!ngress !"
7ienna%
Late in his )i"e, R!ssini re)ate* !ne !" the great ir!nies !" E-r!'e3s c-)t-ra)
)i"e a"ter the 6!ngress !" 7ienna% 7isiting 7ienna in 1,22, he (as greete*
# /eeth!ven8 .Ah, R!ssini, s! !-3re the c!&'!ser !" The Barber of
Seville. I c!ngrat-)ate !-9 it is an e:ce))ent opera buffa (hich I have rea*
(ith great ')eas-re% It (i)) #e ')ae* as )!ng as Ita)ian !'era e:ists% Never
tr t! (rite anthing e)se9 % % % an atte&'t t! s-ccee* in an!ther st)e (!-)*
#e t! *! vi!)ence t! !-r nat-re%.
R!ssini )e"t /eeth!ven3s i&'!verishe* 4-arters, an* that evening (as "ete*
# Prince Metternich at a )avish s!iree% The en"!rcers !" the re'ressive
c!n*iti!ns !" the 6!ngress !" 7ienna (!-)* sh!(er ;,500 *-cats #e"!re
R!ssini% A)th!-gh !ne !" /eeth!ven3s tri!s (as 'er"!r&e* an* (i)*)
a'')a-*e*, the &an /eeth!ven (as sc!rne*% R!ssini3s #i!gra'her n!te*8
.The c!ntrast #et(een the s4-a)!r in (hich the c!&'!ser )ive* an* the
e)egance !" the s-rr!-n*ings in (hich his (!r< (as given, again str-c<
R!ssini (ith a sense !" tragic inc!ngr-it% Later, he trie* !nce &!re t! *!
s!&ething "!r /eeth!ven, hi&se)" hea*ing a s-#scri'ti!n )ist% T! n!
'-r'!se, h!(ever% The ans(er (as a)(as the sa&e8 3/eeth!ven is
i&'!ssi#)e%3 .
The i&'!ssi#)e /eeth!ven (!-)* sh!rt) 'resent the (!r)* (ith the Missa
Solemnis, the Ninth S&'h!n, an* the )ate string 4-artets% /eeth!ven3s )ast
instr-cti!n t! R!ssini (as8 .Re&e&#er, give -s ')ent !" Barbers%.
A)th!-gh R!ssini *i* n!t c!-nter the a*versit !" the c-)t-ra) !''ressi!n as
#!)*) an* s-ccess"-)) as *i* /eeth!ven, he gave -s his Barber, an* his
n!#)e atte&'ts at settings !" Sha<es'eare an* Schi))er% There3s n! #etter (a
t! ce)e#rate his #irth*a than t! s'en* a =!!-s c!-')e !" h!-rs (ith The
Barber of Seville% Ha'' 200th>