Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (November 3, 1801 – September … Read Full Bio ↴Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (November 3, 1801 – September 23, 1835) was an Italian opera composer. Known for his flowing melodic line, Bellini was the quintessential composer of Bel canto opera.
Born in Catania, Sicily, Italy, Bellini was a child prodigy from a highly musical family and legend has it he could sing an air of Valentino Fioravanti at eighteen months, began studying music theory at two, the piano at three, and by the age of five could play well. His first composition dates 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. Supported solely by his opera commissions, for La straniera (1828) was even more successful than Il pirata, sparking controversy in the press for its new style and its restless harmonic shifts into remote keys, he 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, 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, Catania, preserves memorabilia and scores.
Bellini is best known for his opera Norma, the title role of which is considered one of the most difficult roles in the soprano repertoire. During the 20th century, only a small number of singers were able to sing it with success: Rosa Ponselle in the early 1920s, and later Joan Sutherland in the 1950s and 1960s. Maria Callas was the famous Norma of the postwar period; she performed it many times and recorded it in the studio twice.
Born in Catania, Sicily, Italy, Bellini was a child prodigy from a highly musical family and legend has it he could sing an air of Valentino Fioravanti at eighteen months, began studying music theory at two, the piano at three, and by the age of five could play well. His first composition dates 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. Supported solely by his opera commissions, for La straniera (1828) was even more successful than Il pirata, sparking controversy in the press for its new style and its restless harmonic shifts into remote keys, he 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, 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, Catania, preserves memorabilia and scores.
Bellini is best known for his opera Norma, the title role of which is considered one of the most difficult roles in the soprano repertoire. During the 20th century, only a small number of singers were able to sing it with success: Rosa Ponselle in the early 1920s, and later Joan Sutherland in the 1950s and 1960s. Maria Callas was the famous Norma of the postwar period; she performed it many times and recorded it in the studio twice.
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02I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena prima: All'erte! All'erta! (Bruno/Coro)4:29Carlo Pepoli
03I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena prima: O di Cromvel guerrieri (Bruno/Elvira/Arturo/Riccardo/Giorgio/Coro)3:31Carlo Pepoli
05I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena prima: Or dove fuggo io mai? (Riccardo/Bruno)2:55Carlo Pepoli
06I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena prima: Ah! per sempre io ti perdei (Riccardo)3:08Carlo Pepoli
07I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena prima: Bel sogno beato (Bruno/Riccardo)1:58Carlo Pepoli
08I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena secondo: O amato zio, o mio secondo padre! (Elvira/Giorgio)2:19Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
09I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena secondo: Sai com'arde in petto mio ... (Elvira/Giorgio)6:58Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
10I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena secondo: Odi ... Qual suon si desta? (Elvira/Giorgio/Coro)2:47Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
12I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: A te, o cara, amor talora (Arturo/Elvira/Giorgio/Gualtiero/Coro)6:30Carlo Pepoli
13I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Il rito augusto si compia senza mei! (Gualtiero/Enrichetta/Arturo/Giorgio)1:58Carlo Pepoli
14I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Com'io, vi unisca (Gualtiero/Enrichetta/Arturo)4:23Carlo Pepoli
15I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Son vergin vezzosa (Elvira/Enrichetta/Arturo/Giorgio/Coro)3:35Maria Callas/Giuseppe di Stefano/Nicola Rossi-Lemeni/Aurora Cattelani/Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Milano/Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Milano/Tullio Serafin
16I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Sulla verginea (Enrichetta/Arturo)0:42Carlo Pepoli
17I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Ferma invan rapir pretendi ... (Riccardo/Arturo/Enrichetta/Elvira/Bruno/Giorgio/Coro)4:32Carlo Pepoli
18I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: E già al ponte - passa il forte (Riccardo/Elvira/Giorgio/Gualtiero/Coro/Bruno)3:45Carlo Pepoli
19I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Ah, vieni al tempio ... fedele Arturo (Elvira/Bruno/Coro/Riccardo/Giorgio)4:59Carlo Pepoli
20I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act I, Scena terza: Ma tu già mi fuggi? (Elvira/Bruno/Riccardo/Giorgio/Coro)2:03Carlo Pepoli
23I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act II: Cinta di fiori e col ben crin disciolto (Giorgio/Coro)4:15Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
24I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act II: E di morte lo stral non sarà lento (Riccardo/Coro/Giorgio)3:03Carlo Pepoli
25I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act II: O rendetemi la speme ... Qui la voce sua soave mi chiamava10:05Tullio Serafin
26I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act II: Vien diletto, è in ciel la luna (Elvira/Riccardo/Giorgio)2:50Tullio Serafin
30I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act II: Suoni la tromba e intrepido (Giorgio/Riccardo)3:22Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
32I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act III: A una fonte afflitto e solo (Elvira/Arturo)2:34Carlo Pepoli
33I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act III: Qual suon! Alcun s'appressa! (Arturo/Coro)2:06Giuseppe di Stefano/Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Milano/Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Milano/Tullio Serafin
38I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act III: Alto là! Fedel drappello! (Coro/Arturo/Elvira/Riccardo/Giorgio)1:11Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
39I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act III: Cavalier, ti colse il Dio (Riccardo/Giorgio/Coro/Elvira)2:09Carlo Pepoli
40I Puritani (1986 - Remaster), Act III: Credeasi, misera (Arturo/Elvira/Giorgio/Riccardo/Coro)5:31Nicola Rossi-Lemeni
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Bellini: I puritani
Carlo Pepoli Lyrics
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