Search - Vincenzo Manfredini, Giovanni Paisiello, Alberto Zedda :: The Italian Collection, Volume 2

The Italian Collection Volume 2 While Eighteenth-century Europe was awash with Enlightenment ideas of progess and rationality, of new-found forms of self-expression and self-determination, composers were, by-and-large, still reliant either on the church or royal patrons for a decent living. Even the most enlightened of monarchs continued to wield enormous power, making and breaking careers without pausing for breath. Both composers represented here spent some years at the Russian court of the mighty Catherine the Great where life was not always easy for them, despite being influential figures of their day. Even at this relatively progessive court where intellectual giants like Voltaire and Diderot were welcomed by the self-styled ?philosopher on the throne?, composers were little more than functionaries, promptly delivering music for a range of purposes: opera to reflect Catherine?s wealth and power; occasional pieces to celebrate the Empress; and marches dance music and didactic works for the court?s pleasure. Vincenzo Manfredini
Concerto in B Flat Major
Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799) reached the Russian court in St Petersburg in his early twenties after leaving Italy for Moscow with his brother, a noted castrato and teacher. He was soon appointed as maestro di cappella to Pyotr Fedorovich who, on becoming Emperor Peter III in 1762, promoted him to the enviable position of maestro of the Imperial Court?s Italian opera company. Peter reigned for only six months as Emperor before being forced to abdicate by his wife, Catherine, who became Empress of Russia and confirmed Manfredini in his position. Despite her many reforms, free-thinking court and links to Europe?s great artistic personalities, Catherine the Great was no fan of music, but maintained the opera company for the prestige it brought to her rule. The position proved something of a poisoned chalice for Manfredini, who appears to have made no lasting impression with his operatic and occasional works. And with the arrival of the brilliant opera buffa composer, Baldassare Galuppi in 1765, Manfredini was downgraded to composing ballet music and teaching harpsichord to the heir apparent, Paul Petrovich.
After leaving the court in 1769, Manfredini continued composing operas for a time but was soon devoting most of his time to writing and teaching. His writings reveal a man in tune with Enlightenment thought, grappling with the changing nature of music, the social status of composers and the role music has to play in public life. Although a composer of many operas, he argued for the ascendancy of instrumental music and thus it is fitting that his best known work is the Concerto in B Flat Major. The work shows off the principles of the classical concerto form in a delightful fashion - from the contrasting thrusting and lilting themes of the opening allegro, through a poised, thoughtful slow movement to the finale?s bright, punchy dance in duple time. Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto in F major
Piano Concerto in C major
While Manfredini?s influence rested largely in his writings, Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) became one of the most successful, sought-after and prolific opera composers of his day, producing over 90 stage works in 35 years. Born in Taranto, Italy, he began staging his operas in Bologna in 1764, before moving on to Naples where he managed to complete an astonishing 40 operas in just 10 years. While his music had the approval of the King of Naples, he seems to have lost royal favour through attempting to wriggle his way out of a marriage contract, a misdemeanour that put him in prison for a time.
By 1776, Catherine the Great had stepped in, eager to secure the services of the latest operatic star composer to become her maestro di cappella. So, only 14 years after Manfredini, Paisiello found himself in the same court, under the same monarch and in a similar musical position. However unsympathetic to