Gioachino Rossini - Ricciardo e Zoraide - "Or piu dolci intorno al core" (Nelly Mirioiu, Bruce Ford, Della Jones, William Matteuzzi, Alaistair Miles & Paul Nilon)

Here is the final piece of the "Great Quintet" collection that helps end the whole thing on a happy note: a vaudeville finale from "Ricciardo".

To avoid confusion, here is the whole list of performers:

Agorante - Bruce Ford,
Zoraide - Nelly Miricioiu,
Ricciardo - William Matteuzzi,
Ircano - Alastair Miles,
Zomira - Della Jones,
Ernesto - Paul Nilon.

Rossini's endings to his operas usually fall into two separate groups: either a rondo for the heroine or for the contralto-hero; or a vaudeville finale for the whole cast with three of the soloists given three short couplets so they can express their joy. That's, of course, if the opera ends in general rejoicing of all good characters and the chorus :)!

The finaletto from "Ricciardo seems to have been one of Rossini's "safety finishes" as he has used it many times in times when he had to come up fast with an end to a not-so-important opera or to please a particular public: the improbable happy finale of "Otello" and the ending of the pastiche "Eduardo e Cristina" are straight repeats of the "Ricciardo" finaletto. It's not actually bad, but it's not exactly a masterpiece, though the piece is enjoyable in its own right :)!

Anyway, the whole cast of "Ricciardo" and all five members of the "Quintet" appear here. A fitting finale to a selection of pieces written specifically for Rossini's wonderfully talented cast :)!

Hope you'll enjoy this piece and the whole compilation :).

P.S. The next collection, "Viva la comedia" will start to appear in a couple of weeks.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rossini
• coloratura
• belcanto
• classical

[jay377777]

I agree with your assesment entirely. Rossini did use vaudville type finales many times. His comic operas in fact have many of them.

Just a personal opinion, of all the operas I like the end of Mose in Egitto best with the drowning of the Egyptians and the hymn of thanksgiving afterwards. The last few minuntes of that opera have no singing at all.

[LindoroRossini]

It is a fine finaletto to a little masterpiece (concerning "Mose"). Yes, comic operas are prone to ending with vaudevilles, "Il barbiere" and would be a good example. I'm actually thinking of ending my next compilation with it :)!

[jay377777]

Moses and The Siege of Corinth don't fit the pattern of Rossini opera ending finales. William Tell doesn't really, either.