7.2.11 CotW - Paisiello

[french frank]

"Giovanni Paisiello was one of the most popular opera composers of his day, feted all over Europe, not least by the greatest world leaders of the day including Napoleon, Catherine the Great and Emperor Joseph II. And yet, other than a handful of operatic arias, he's virtually unknown today. Donald Macleod looks at the life and times of this prolific composer who produced nearly 100 operas and made a significant contribution to the development of opera." Composer of the Week

The interesting thing is that, although one understands that there can be all sorts of reasons why posterity raises certain composers to its musical pantheon, what explains why those who sink into oblivion were so hugely popular in their day? How do the critical values change?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not a composer I'm familar with. Indeed, I had to look him up to find exactly when he lived and what he wrote.

But in response to french frank's post, fashion can be a wierd thing. But then, Rutter's music is very popular at the present time, but may not be quite so in decades and centuries to come?

[french frank]

Interesting that Paisiello's Il barbiere di Siviglia was performed in 1782. I suppose its popularity might have encouraged Mozart to leap in and claim Beaumarchais's Le Mariage. (Must look up the Letters to see if WAM mentions P)

[MickyD]

I have to say that I am amazed that there is enough recorded Paisiello to make up five programmes!

[decantor]

In his twenties, Beethoven wrote two separate sets of piano variations on themes from Paisiello's opera La molinara. Without that, I would not even have known the name Paisiello. It's good to find out a bit more about him. Some music I heard this morning made me think that perhaps Sullivan owed him a debt!