Mercadante: Sinfonia on themes from Rossini's Stabat Mater

Saverio Mercadante’s substantial contribution to instrumental music is exceptional among other famous Italian opera composers of his time. Both his Omaggio a Bellini and the Gran Sinfonia sopra motivi dello Stabat Mater del celebre Rossini are fantasias which contrast the dramatic and the lyrical in their selection of famous tunes of the day. The Seconda Sinfonia caratteristica napoletana magnificently captures the spirit of the tarantella, while the small-scale Clarinet Concerto No. 2 is reminiscent of Mozart. Two patriotic anthems and a popular Milanese song infuse the sumptuously orchestrated Garibaldi – Sinfonia a grand’orchestra which celebrates Italian unification.