Rossini’s musically sinful old age

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

At the age of 37, having just had a huge success in Paris with his Guilhaume Tell in spite of one of the hottest summers ever, Gioacchino Rossini hung his operatic hat and never wrote another stage work. Instead he lived the good life, eating well, drinking vintage wines, and hosting musical soirees for his many friends. For these events he composed dozens of miniature works for all sorts of vocal and instrumental combinations, none longer than ten minutes in length, which he called Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age).

In the box set of thirteen discs Péchés de vieillesse NAXOS CLASSICS has assembled a group of Rossini interpreters, led by Italian pianist Alessandro Marangoni and accompanied the music-making with an informative booklet, all with terrific results.

Rafael de Acha     ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”