Gioachino Rossini - Cantata in onore del Sommo Pontefice Pio Nono (1847) - "Sacra cima, un di superba" - No. 2. Quartet (Mariella Devia, Paul Austin Kelly, Michele Pertusi & Francesco Piccoli)

This brilliant cantata was first performed on January 1, 1847, when Rossini was very much a passive composer, limiting himself to salon pieces, as part of a day of grand festivities honoring the recently elected Pius IX who was widely welcomed in Europe as a reforming pope. Not heard again until it was revived in 1992 to great acclaim, the cantata calls for large performing forces, including four solo singers (STTB), mixed chorus with solo voices, full orchestra with serpentone and a stage band.

Rossini, in poor health at the time, had only reluctantly accepted the commission to compose the piece. To facilitate the task, he based five of the movements on pieces from his Neapolitan operas, "Armida" (1817) and "Ricciardo e Zoraide" (1818) and from the Parisian opera "Le siege de Corinthe" (1826). These he modified and joined together with newly-composed recitatives, the whole set to a new libretto by Count Giovanni Marchetti. A spectacular work in its own right, the cantata also provides an illuminating example of Rossini's recompositional practices in adapting previous compositions to new contexts.

I've chosen only two pieces to represent the work: the sinfonia and opening chorus; and the penultimate quartet. The large-scale quartet that is set near the end of the work is bound to sound similar as it is one of the victims of constant reuse for Rossini and his works, "Sventurata! or che mi resta" from "Armida" which was used several times, for example, as one of the ensembles for both of the two pastiches, "Ivanhoe" and "Robert Bruce". The music remains almost unchanged.

The cast, taking the parts of completely allegorical figures, includes:

Mariella Devia - Hope,
Paul Austin Kelly - Public Esteem,
Michele Pertusi - Spirit of Christianity,
Francesco Piccoli - Corifeo.

Hope you'll enjoy :)!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rossini
• belcanto
• coloratura
• classical

[anaclet]

Che bellissima composizione! Veramente un capolavoro sconvolgente. Viva il Papa!

[MrLupo23]

One of the best channel is yours.

[asdfopera]

Wonderful. I immediately recognized this cantata from Armida. What is this from: a live performance or a studio recording? I want to get it so I can hear more. Thanks for uploading.

[ladynw777]

i think a translation in english would be helpful