Beethoven tells Rossini: “Above all, my dear, do a lot of Barbier” (6/7)

In the early 1800s, Beethoven was the youngest member of Viennese musical life. Even after the birth of the rising star Rossini, Beethoven’s primacy remained intact, especially in German culture. However, in 1822, when the Swan of Pesaro arrived in Vienna for the performance of his opera Zelmira, the Viennese people eagerly awaited him, and his celebrity offended that of Beethoven.

Rossini made several attempts to meet Beethoven, whom he deeply admired. He succeeded in 1822, with the help of Antonio Salieri and the Italian poet Giuseppe Carpani, who introduced him to the 51-year-old composer. Legend has it that Beethoven congratulated him on his opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, while advising him not to writeopera seria. This was the German composer’s way of classifying Rossini’s music as frivolous, fit only for amusement, and thus condemning his success. Fortunately, Rossini did not follow Beethoven’s recommendations, and his last operatic compositions were not opere buffe, but melodramas, masterpieces such as Semiramide and Guillaume Tell.

Federica, Musicology Manager, Riponne site