Plenty of great opera overtures have eventually become far better known than the dramas they introduce. In some cases that disparity is easy to understand, while in others it's a bit of a mystery.
La Gazza Ladra Synopsis
On one side of that divide, take the overture to Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. It's a rollicking, orchestral showcase that's a sure-fire hit in the concert hall. Yet the opera itself, with its labyrinthine story, is often a conundrum to audiences not steeped in the Russian culture and folklore that spawned the piece. The overture, which sums up the action quite nicely in just a few minutes, makes for a more accessible alternative -- leaving the opera neglected by comparison.
Conversely, there's a symphonic favorite by Rossini: the overture to his opera La Gazza Ladra -- The Thieving Magpie. Its unique opening, featuring dueling snare drums, gives way to a score with a little bit of everything, from silky lyricism to frolicsome virtuosity. Not surprisingly, it has long been irresistible to orchestras, conductors and concert audiences.
Gioachino Rossini: La Gazza Ladra: Concert Band: Score & Parts Concert band Score and Parts Mitropa Music. 119.99 GBP - Sold by Musicroom UK. La gazza ladra, melodramma in two acts to a libretto by Giovanni Gherardini, was first produced at the Teatro alla Scala on 31 May 1817. Rossini:Ouverture 'La Gazza Ladra' - Boian Videnoff指揮Mannheimer Philharmonikerによる演奏。Mannheimer Philharmoniker公式YouTube。 G.Rossini - La Gazza Ladra, Overture - Leonardo Catalanotto指揮Orchestra Del Teatro Massimo Belliniによる演奏。当該指揮者自身の公式YouTube。. On the heals of its release of a winning recording of Rossini's epic Guillaume Tell, comes this wonderful recording of La Gazza Ladra, which is probably Rossini's finest opera in the semiseria genre. It concerns the plight of a servant girl who is wrongly accused of stealing a silver spoon and is condemned to death. La gazza ladra is a 'opera semiseria'; It is about a maid accused of stealing some cutlery with which the title magpie has escaped from her nest. Apparently light, the opera was based on a true story in which a young woman was sentenced to death for the bird crime.
Like Glinka's curtain-raiser, Rossini's Thieving Magpie overture launches an opera that's something of a rarity in the world's theaters. In this instance, though, the drama has a great deal that recommends it to any opera lover, including a taught story of young love, family loyalty and the bonds of friendship -- and a score graced by some of Rossini's most outstanding music.
Yet somehow, La Gazza Ladra has never reached the levels of popularity achieved by Rossini's genuine hits, including The Barber of Seville, Tancredi and L'italiana in Algeri.
At least part of the problem may stem from where the piece falls along opera's dramatic spectrum. Technically, it occupies a category of Italian opera known as opera semiseria. That's a term that tends to mean pretty much what it sounds like: 'semi-serious opera.' That is, a work that's either a comic opera with serious elements, or a serious opera with comic elements, depending on your perspective.
La Gazza Ladra sustains such a fine balance between funny and tragic that it's often confoundingly difficult to pin down -- and perhaps that's part of why we don't hear it more often.
Yet the trouble may also lie in our own expectations. It could be we're so accustomed to Rossini's operas being either hilarious comedies or tragic dramas, that a fence-sitter such as La Gazza Ladra is simply difficult to take in.
It shouldn't be. However the opera is defined, it hardly takes a primer to identify with its rich story of tender romance, unjust persecution, shared outrage and ultimate vindication. And, while it's among Rossini's longer operas, the music throughout sustains the same level of brilliance established in the overture that gets it all started.
On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents The Thieving Magpie from the 2015 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy, the composer's hometown. The stars are soprano Nino Machaidze and tenor René Barbera, in a production led by conductor Donato Renzetti.
Rossini La Gazza Ladra
Social sharing
Welcome to the Daily Download, a handpicked, free, downloadable piece of classical music available every weekday. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Download newsletter to get a bonus download of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture — and so you never miss a free classical track!
Download today's track below. Can you guess this week's theme? Come back each day, and let us know when you've figured it out using the form below. But you get only one guess, so make it a good one! We'll pick a random winner from correct entries received by 11:59 p.m. Sunday to get a digital track of their choice or a CD of our choice.
Last week's theme was waltzes to ring in the New Year.
Gioacchino Rossini - La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie): Overture
Prague Sinfonia
Christian Benda, conductor
More info about today's track: Naxos 8.570933
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.
Apple users: How to get the Daily Download on iPhone and iPad
Subscribe
You can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed.
Purchase this recording
Maxactive tomcat 8.5. Have a request for the Daily Download? Send it to Randy Salas at [email protected].
You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy. This giveaway is subject to the Official Giveaway Rules.