Saverio Mercadante, unlike many other leading Italian opera composers of his era, wrote a significant number of orchestral and chamber works in addition to his sixty-odd operas.
Performer Biography
Francesco La Vecchia, the conductor, gave his first concert at age nine and founded several orchestras and festivals before becoming Artistic Director and Resident Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma in 2002.
Performer Biography
Giammarco Casani, the clarinetist on this recording, was appointed Principal Clarinet with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma in 2002 and has toured globally, performing with conductors such as Ennio Morricone and Claudio Abbado.
Recording & Production
The Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, established in 2002 and entirely privately funded, is undertaking a series of recordings for Naxos featuring important compositions by Italian composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Critical Reception
Franz Liszt, who was generally critical of Italian musical production, praised Mercadante, noting his careful composition process and calling some of his instrumental works "truly remarkable."
Composer Biography
Mercadante studied at the Naples Conservatorio di San Sebastiano, where he later succeeded his composition teacher, Zingarelli, as director in 1840.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Many of Mercadante's instrumental works, such as the Omaggio a Bellini and Gran sinfonia sopra motivi dello Stabat Mater del celebre Rossini, are tributes based on themes from popular operas by composers like Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, and Pacini.
