In this early "family opera," Rossini explored themes of parental love, which would continue to inspire his most profound emotions throughout his career, even up to Guillaume Tell.
Compositional Technique
The overture to Demetrio e Polibio is not by Rossini, but is attributed to Domenico Mombelli, the tenor who commissioned the work.
Critical Reception
Literary figures like Giovanni Berchet and Stendhal admired Demetrio e Polibio, seeing in it an expression of youthful energy and precocious brilliance.
Composition History
Rossini himself claimed to have written Demetrio e Polibio four or five years before its 1812 premiere, when he was only 13, though this is likely an exaggeration.
Composition History
Rossini's opera Demetrio e Polibio was initially conceived as a "family opera" for the tenor Domenico Mombelli, with roles for his daughters and a libretto by his wife.
Recording & Production
This recording was made live at the Königliches Kurtheater in Bad Wildbad, Germany, as part of the XXVIII ROSSINI IN WILDBAD Festival in July 2016.
Composition History
The opera Demetrio e Polibio premiered on May 18, 1812, at the Teatro Valle in Rome, not in Milan as Rossini later recalled.
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