La cantata fue escrita en 1846, 17 años después de la última ópera "Guillermo Tell". Fue estrenada en el Campidoglio de Roma el 1 de Enero de 1847 para la celebración por la elección del nuevo Papa, PIo IX.
Como la mayor parte de los italianos Rossini pensaba que PIo IX haría avanzar la tan esperada unificación de Italia. La cantata fue compuesta en un espíritu optimista pero el optimismo se acabo pronto porque el papa se hizo cada vez más conservador y los sentimientos revolucionarios cada vez más violentos.
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This is the first in what is to be a complete survey of Rossini’s cantatas. La morte di Didone was written as early as 1811, the year after he abandoned his studies in Bologna, and was commissioned for the soprano Ester Mombelli. The original autograph does not survive and the present edition has been prepared by Paolo Rossini from the five manuscript copies that do.
The Cantata in onore del Sommo Pontefice Pio IX was written, or one might almost say ‘assembled and transcribed’, for the election of Pius IX (of whom there were high hopes – soon to be dashed) and first performed on New Year’s Day, 1847. With his usual skill Rossini recycled and adapted material from early operas that had by then fallen out of the repertoire, including Ermione, Armide and Ricciardo e Zoraide. To all this Chailly brings characteristic lightness of touch and sensitivity. In La morte di Didone, Mariella Devia sings with fervour (she is more forwardly balanced than are the soloists in the longer, later cantata) but they all acquit themselves, as does the Scala chorus. The sound is clear and well-focused, albeit not quite in the demonstration bracket (the acoustics are a touch dry), and there is good balance between soloists and orchestra. Robert Layton
Estrenada el 1 de Enero de 1847.
Rossini nació 1 de Marzo de 1792 (29 de febrero de 1792) y murió el 13 de noviembre de 1868.
