The character of the 'foolish old man in love' in Ser Marcantonio draws inspiration from Jean-Baptiste Rousseau's 1733 comedy L'hypocondre, ou La femme qui ne parle point, which itself was a reworking of Ben Jonson's 1609 play Epicoene, or The Silent Woman.
Recording & Production
This recording of Ser Marcantonio is a world premiere recording, captured live at the Königliches Kurtheater, Bad Wildbad, Germany, for the XXIII ROSSINI IN WILDBAD Festival.
Composition History
The libretto for Ser Marcantonio was written by Angelo Anelli, who was also a professor of forensic oratory in Milan and had a twenty-year career as a librettist.
Compositional Technique
Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio uses recurring musical elements and a stringent writing style with shorter, sharper episodes to maintain tension and cohesion, features that might be considered 'Rossinian'.
Critical Reception
Between 1810 and 1831, Ser Marcantonio was revived almost fifty times and was the only one of Pavesi's works not overshadowed by Rossini's operatic success.
Composition History
Stefano Pavesi's opera Ser Marcantonio had a remarkable first run at La Scala, Milan, lasting 54 nights.
Composer Biography
Stefano Pavesi's early musical studies and move to Naples for conservatory education were funded by local aristocratic patrons.
