Vincenzo Bellini - Symphony from "Norma"

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Vincenzo Bellini - Symphony from "Norma" _________________________________________ Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (November 3, 1801 -- September 23, 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer. Known for his flowing melodic lines, Bellini was the quintessential composer of Bel canto opera. Born in Catania, Sicily, Bellini was a child prodigy from a highly musical family and legend has it he could sing an aria of Valentino Fioravanti at eighteen months, began studying music theory at two, the piano at three, and by the age of five could, apparently, play well. His first composition is said to have dated from his sixth year. Regardless of the veracity of these claims, it is certain that Bellini grew up in a musical household and that a career as a musician was never in doubt. Having learned from his grandfather, Bellini left provincial Catania in June 1819 to study at the conservatory in Naples, with a stipend from the municipal government of Catania. By 1822 he was in the class of the director Nicolò Zingarelli, studying the masters of the Neapolitan school and the orchestral works of Haydn and Mozart. It was the custom at the Conservatory to introduce a promising student to the public with a dramatic work: the result was Bellini's first opera Adelson e Salvini an opera semiseria that was presented at the Conservatory's theater. Bianca e Gernando met with some success at the Teatro San Carlo, leading to an offer from the impresario Barbaia for an opera at La Scala. Il pirata was a resounding immediate success and began Bellini's faithful and fruitful collaboration with the librettist and poet Felice Romani, and cemented his friendship with his favored tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini, who had sung in Bianca e Gernando. Bellini spent the next years, 1827--33 in Milan, where all doors were open to him. Sparking controversy in the press for its new style and its restless harmonic shifts into remote keys, La straniera (1828) was even more successful than Il pirata, and allowed Bellini to support himself solely by his opera commissions. The composer showed the taste for social life and the dandyism that Heinrich Heine emphasized in his literary portrait of Bellini (Florentinische Nächte, 1837). Opening a new theater in Parma, his Zaira (1829) was a failure at the Teatro Ducale, but Venice welcomed I Capuleti e i Montecchi, which was based on the same Italian sources as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The next five years were triumphant, with major successes with his greatest works, La sonnambula, Norma and I puritani, cut short by Bellini's premature death. Bellini died in Puteaux, near Paris of acute inflammation of the intestine, and was buried in the cemetery of Père Lachaise, Paris; his remains were removed to the cathedral of Catania in 1876. The Museo Belliniano housed in the Gravina Cruyllas Palace, in Catania, preserves memorabilia and scores. [from Wikipedia]

Channel: Music
Uploaded: December 16, 2007 at 2:06 am
Author: soylentgrun

Length: 0:05:42
Rating: 4.78
Views: 15,660

Tags: Vincenzo Bellini Symphony Norma Maria Callas Ludwig Corelli Zaccaria Teatro alla Scala Serafin

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Video Comments:
sibillafromtorino (Saturday 15th of November 2008 05:47:09 AM)
Quando gli faccio sentire questa musica a mio padre(che x altro ha 81 anni).. si ammutolisce...e non parla +...e credetimi non è facile farlo stare in silenzio..Maury.....
timewhorl (Wednesday 12th of November 2008 07:59:22 PM)
Thanks for posting this lovely piece, but you might want to credit wikipedia for the information on the right. You're committing plagiarism otherwise.
soylentgrun (Saturday 15th of November 2008 08:00:47 AM)
oh you're right! i was sure i already credited wikipedia! i'm going to fix that ;)
alessia095095 (Saturday 25th of October 2008 04:33:15 AM)
Grande Bellini, catanese come noi!!!
soylentgrun (Saturday 15th of November 2008 08:06:44 AM)
'mbare nostro ;)
ocramizz (Tuesday 21st of October 2008 03:26:29 PM)
In fact, Rossini had already written most of his best works when Bellini became a composer. But I totally agree with you, Bellini is a keystone in the opera and in the italian "belcanto". As an italian, I'm proud of all these italian examples of universal culture!
ocramizz (Tuesday 21st of October 2008 03:03:40 PM)
Which orchestra is playing in this registration? I like very much...
soylentgrun (Saturday 15th of November 2008 08:09:14 AM)
Orchestra from La Scala, Tullio Serafin as conductor
MercuryRevolution (Saturday 27th of September 2008 03:32:45 PM)
Forza Catania!
Tigerente25 (Tuesday 23rd of September 2008 12:10:18 PM)
Oh many,many thanks for this very great video. I like Belline,and "Norma" is my absolutly favorite of operas!!!!!!! Maria Callas was the best voice of "Norma". Plaese excuse my english,it is not the best.But I hope you all can understand me. I'm a german girl......