Music for Harp and Piano: Pollini, Negri, Mercadante, Rossi

Featuring

Anna Pasetti
Michele Gioiosa
Francesco Pollini
Benedetto Negri
Saverio Mercadante
Lauro Rossi

Did you know?

1/7

Composer Biography

Francesco Pollini, a central figure in Italian pianism, studied with Mozart in Vienna and later had Vincenzo Bellini dedicate his opera 'La Sonnambula' to him.

Composer Biography

Saverio Mercadante, a prolific opera composer, continued to compose by dictating notes to his students during the last eight years of his life, when he was completely blind.

Composition History

Francesco Pollini's Grande Sonate for harp and piano, published in the early 19th century, is a large three-movement piece that explores the full dynamic range of instruments of its time.

Performer Biography

Anna Pasetti, the harpist on this album, is internationally recognized as a major expert in harp history and has served as a jury member in important international harp competitions.

Composition History

Mercadante's Melodia for harp with piano accompaniment is an adaptation of a larger version for harp and orchestra, and includes a harp cadenza that the performer is expected to improvise.

Historical Context

The Milan Conservatory, inaugurated in 1808, was a secular music institution focused on training composers and highly skilled musicians for theaters, orchestras, and city chapels.

Historical Context

At the Milan Conservatory, female students were primarily trained for opera singing careers, with classes in singing and harpsichord or harp, unlike male students who could attend any course.