Saverio Mercadante

about

Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (16 September 1795 - 17 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. Born in Altamura, near Bari (Apulia), Mercadante studied music in Naples and at first showed an interest in instrumental composition. The encouragement of Rossini led him to compose for the opera, where he won considerable success with his seventh such work (Elisa e Claudio), in 1821. He worked for a time in Vienna, in Madrid, in Cadiz, and in Lisbon, but re-established himself in Italy in 1831. He was invited by Rossini to Paris in 1836, where he composed I Briganti for Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini and Lablache. While there, he had the opportunity to hear operas by Meyerbeer and Halevy which imparted a strong influence on him, especially the latter's La Juive. This influence took the form of greater stress on the dramatic side. After he returned to Italy in 1837, he composed some of his most important works, including Il Giuramento which was premiered at La Scala in 1837. These temporarily put him in the forefront of composers then active in Italy, although he was soon passed by Giovanni Pacini with Saffo and Giuseppe Verdi with several operas, especially Ernani. Some of his later works, especially Orazi e Curiazi, were also quite successful. He was made the director of the Naples conservatory in 1840. His sight failed during his sixties, and from 1863 he was almost totally blind. In the decades after his death in Naples in 1870, his output was largely fo

top songs

albums

Mercadante: Flute Concertos, Vol. 2

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Mercadante, S.: Virginia

MERCADANTE: Elena da Feltre

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MERCADANTE: La Vestale

Mercadante : Flute Concertos & Sinfonia on Themes from Rossini's Stabat Mater (Apex)

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Christmas With Pavarotti

Mercadante: Virginia

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Mercadante: Flute Concertos: Classic Library Series

Mercadante, S.: Flute Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 6

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Mercadante: Francesca da Rimini (Live)

Cielo e mar

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Mercadante: Il giuramento (Live)

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