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34-450: In his will, Rossini left virtually his entire estate to Pesaro, his native city, for the establishment of a free music school there with the provision that the legacy would only come to the city upon the death of his widow, Olympe Pélissier . In 1869, the year following Rossini's death, the city set up the association which would eventually become the "Liceo musicale Rossini". Olympe Pélissier died in 1878. Four years later, on 5 November 1882,

68-406: A 1903 address, the president of the governing board recommended that the next director not be an opera composer because an opera composer "in addition to being steeped in liberties, has his mind always focused on his own compositions and all of the interests that flow from them." In 1905, Amilcare Zanella , a pianist and composer of instrumental music was appointed as Mascagni's successor, a post he

102-464: A cholera epidemic forced them to leave the city in favour of Italy. At the end of 1836, they moved to Bologna, where for etiquette's sake they lived under separate roofs. In Bologna Pélissier met Rossini's first wife, Isabella Colbran. Pélissier felt suffocated in Bologna and pressured her companion to move. In November 1837 they moved to Milan where they held musical evenings every Friday night. Among

136-761: A libretto by Ida Finzi ), premiered at the Liceo Rossini; La Sulamita (1926, to a libretto by Antonio Lega), premiered at the Teatro Politeama Piacentino in Piacenza ; and Il revisore (1940, after The Government Inspector of Nikolai Gogol ), premiered at the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste . During his career he was also well-regarded as a pianist. This article about an Italian composer

170-593: A new villa constructed in the Passy suburb of Paris in 1859. Rossini died a rich man in 1868, allowing Pélissier to live a comfortable life after his death, although on her death, the estate was to pass to the Municipality of Pesaro to establish the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" . Olympe Pélissier died on 22 March 1878. I offer these modest songs to my dear wife Olympe as

204-610: A notable figure in Parisian society, admired by the Comte de Girardin, holding salons attended by Baron Schikler, and in 1830 had a liaison with the writer Eugène Sue , who introduced her to Honoré de Balzac. Pélissier and Balzac were lovers for a year, starting in 1830. After Pélissier rejected him, the affair left Balzac full of resentments. A few years later Balzac called Pélissier "an evil courtesan." Amongst her lovers, who included aristocrats, artistic and literary figures, were

238-511: A simple testimony of gratitude for the affectionate, intelligent care which she lavished on me during my overlong and terrible illness. Dedication of Musique anodine , 1857 Her lover, the painter Horace Vernet, painted her as Judith in his 1830 work Judith and Holofernes . Balzac cast her as the merciless Fedora in his 1831 novel La Peau de chagrin . The incident where the hero, Raphaël de Valentin, secretes himself in Fedora's bedroom

272-585: A time at the conservatory. Olympe P%C3%A9lissier Olympe Pélissier (9 May 1799 – 22 March 1878) was a French artists' model and courtesan and the second wife of the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini . She sat for Vernet for his painting of Judith and Holofernes . Honoré de Balzac described her as "the most beautiful courtesan in Paris ". Olympe Pélissier was born in Paris on 9 May 1799,

306-725: The Teatro Regio . He was also a noted voice teacher. Amongst his pupils were the tenors Francesco Tamagno and Alessandro Bonci . During Pedrotti's tenure, the conservatory moved to its permanent home in the Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli and an auditorium was added which now bears his name. Following Pedrotti's retirement in 1893, the conservatory was without a director until the appointment two years later, of another opera composer, Pietro Mascagni . Mascagni took up his post in December 1895. Thanks to Rossini's large legacy,

340-461: The Directorship from 1947 to 1950. The conservatory produced or participated in a number of opera productions during the 20th century, including Il barbiere di Siviglia (1916), La gazza ladra (1941), Le Comte Ory (1942) and later Orfeo ed Euridice , Suor Angelica , Gianni Schicchi , Il Signor Bruschino , Francesca da Rimini , and Dido and Aeneas . In 1999 the school

374-601: The Piazza Olivieri is home to both the conservatory and the Fondazione Rossini, a centre for Rossini scholarship which organizes the annual Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. The neo-classical palazzo with its monumental central staircase was built in 1794 for Annibale Olivieri, a member of a noble Pesarese family. It was designed by Gianandrea Lazzarini , who also painted the frescos adorning several of

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408-517: The Sala Pedrotti. Rectangular in shape with a raised stage, stalls and two tiers of balconies, the Sala Pedrotti is one of the few "shoebox" concert halls in Italy and is known for its good acoustics. It was inaugurated on 29 February 1892 with a concert conducted by Carlo Pedrotti to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rossini's birth. In addition to the concert hall, teaching rooms, and offices,

442-679: The Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, Saxophone Ensemble, and Gregorian Choir . The ensembles and soloists perform a variety of public concerts in Pesaro and the surrounding region during the year, including those celebrating Christmas, Easter, Ferragosto , May Day , Festa della Repubblica , and Saint Cecilia's Day . The conservatory also co-produces Progetto Orfeo, an international university festival of opera and musical theatre, and runs two national music competitions, Harpsichord (established in 1991) and Bassoon (established in 2004). The Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli on

476-475: The ceremonial rooms, now often used for chamber music concerts. It includes a gallery of illustrious men and women from Pesaro's history. The building was acquired by the city of Pesaro in 1884, initially to house the Biblioteca Oliveriana and its collections, and gradually adapted by 1892 for use as a music conservatory, including an extension to accommodate an 800-seat concert hall, now known as

510-607: The composer as well as the autograph scores of his Petite messe solennelle and six operas, most of which he composed for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples: Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra , Otello , Armida , La donna del lago , Maometto II , and Adina . A large bronze statue of Rossini by Carlo Marochetti is situated in the building's main internal courtyard. This list includes both graduates and musicians who are known to have studied for

544-468: The conservatory had an enrollment of approximately 850 students. Of those, 821 were Italian with the remainder from 26 other countries as far afield as Peru , Nepal and Kazakhstan . The conservatory offers bachelor and master diplomas in singing, instrumental performance, composition, musicology , choral conducting, jazz and electronic music . It also trains music teachers for secondary schools and holds regular master classes and seminars. Admission to

578-513: The diploma courses is based on an entrance examination with five € 1000 scholarships awarded annually by the Fondazione Rossini. The conservatory has three specialised research laboratories: 20th Century and Contemporary Music; Early Music ; and Electronic and Experimental Music (LEMS), which was established in 1971 by the Italian composer Aldo Clementi . There are several permanent ensembles in which both students and faculty participate, including

612-425: The faculty had grown and the enrollment had doubled, as had the number of diplomas awarded. However, by 1900 Mascagni's relationship with the governing board of the school had begun to sour, partly due to his frequent absences for conducting tours and the preparations for the premiere of his opera Le maschere , and partly due to his abrasive treatment of local dignitaries. He had also run up fairly large deficits in

646-496: The illegitimate daughter of an unmarried woman who later married Joseph Pélissier. She was sold by her mother at age fifteen to a young duke, who installed her in a small furnished house. The duke contracted a venereal disease and had to give her up. Pélissier was then sold to a rich Anglo-American. She soon gained her independence and began to look for other lovers. Under the Bourbon Restoration , Pélissier had been

680-425: The painters Horace Vernet and Alfred d'Orsay and the musician Vincenzo Bellini . The affair with Sue was longer lasting, but the relationship consisted of a frequent swing between quarrels and strong passions. It ended when Pélissier met Gioacchino Rossini. She and Rossini first met in the 1830s in the aftermath of his separation from his first wife Isabella Colbran . The couple lived in his house in Paris until

714-462: The palazzo houses the conservatory's collection of antique and exotic musical instruments and its library. The conservatory library, with 45,000 volumes as well as rare manuscripts and documents dating back to 1500, is one of the largest music libraries in Italy. The "Tempietto Rossiniano" (Little Temple to Rossini) on the piano nobile of the building has a ceiling decorated with Neo-Pompeian scenes of Ancient Rome. It contains many items that belonged to

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748-404: The previous two years, and the board had taken over the financial management of the conservatory. Budget cuts in 1902 led to a student rebellion in support of Mascagni. In turn, the board closed the conservatory for the remainder of the year and sent the students home. On 20 January 1903, Mascagni was officially dismissed from his post. It was another two years before a new director was appointed. In

782-606: The regular guests was Franz Liszt . However, she held the social position of the courtesan, a companion, but not a future bride to the composer. Even Marie d'Agoult, who had abandoned her husband to follow the musician Liszt, was sceptical: "Rossini spent the winter in Milan with Mademoiselle Pélissier and tried to introduce her into society, but no lady of class ever visited her". In October 1845 Isabella, Rossini's first wife died, and in August 1846 Rossini and Pélissier married. Bologna

816-485: The school opened the doors of its temporary home in the former Convent and Church of San Filippo Neri to the first cohort of 67 students, of whom 25 were enrolled in the choral school. Following the terms of Rossini's will, the school emphasised operatic and choral singing as well as composition. Its first Director, Carlo Pedrotti , was the composer of 17 operas and had previously been the Director of Turin 's opera house,

850-502: The school was well endowed financially. Mascagni's annual salary was 12,000 lire , more than twice that of the much older Parma Conservatory , and was supplemented with a lavish rent-free apartment in the Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli. Despite its large endowment, the conservatory had made little progress in raising its prestige during the Pedrotti years and was overshadowed by the big conservatories of Milan , Rome , and Naples and even

884-496: The smaller Parma Conservatory. It had yet to produce any musicians of note and its enrollment had only increased from the initial 67 students to 73. Its location in a small sea-side town also made it relatively less attractive to the more gifted students and distinguished teachers who tended to prefer the conservatories located in major cultural centres. Mascagni was eager to change the situation and to implement his own ideas about what conservatory education for young people should be. He

918-422: The world premiere of his opera Zanetto , which he had completed shortly before taking up his post. Two students from the conservatory sang the leading roles, and went with Mascagni when he took the opera to La Scala . He also established the first conservatory-published music journal in Italy, La cronaca musicale , as well as the first conservatory course specifically devoted to sacred music . Within four years,

952-619: Was an Italian composer . Born in Monticelli d'Ongina , Zanella studied in Cremona under Andreotti before entering the Parma Conservatory , where he studied under Giovanni Bottesini and graduated in 1891. The following year he went to South America , where he worked as an opera conductor and a pianist; upon his return to his native land in 1901, he organized an orchestra that traveled the country giving symphonic concerts. It

986-733: Was being affected by uprisings as part of the 1848 Revolution , so the couple moved to Florence. They stayed for seven years, during which time Rossini's health declined. He suffered from depression, caused by the effects of gonorrhea . Pélissier missed Paris, and wished to return there to seek medical help for Rossini, so in May 1855 they returned there, taking a large apartment on the Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin . In Paris they restarted their musical evenings, which became legendary within Paris society. Guests included Alexandre Dumas fils , Eugène Delacroix , Franz Liszt, and Giuseppe Verdi . The couple had

1020-418: Was designated by the Italian government as an "Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali" (Higher Institute of Musical Studies) with university status, one which it holds to the present day. Following a vote by the faculty, the pianist Ludovico Bramanti became the new director of the conservatory in 2014, succeeding another pianist, Maurizio Tarsetti, who had held the post since 2008. In the academic year 2009/2010,

1054-506: Was opposed to the methods used in many Italian conservatories at the time which taught music largely by rote memorization or as he put it, "like a catechism ." Within three years, Mascagni had started the Liceo Symphony Orchestra, which included both students and faculty and was the first permanent orchestra to be established in an Italian conservatory. Mascagni himself conducted their concerts. The orchestra also played in

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1088-538: Was reputedly based on an experience Balzac had with Pélissier, although Balzac denied this. In 1832, Rossini composed the cantata Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc) in her honour. In 1857 he dedicated Musique anodine to her. Pélissier is a character in the 1974 French television film Eugène Sue , played by Claudine Coster. The 1991 Mario Monicelli film Rossini! Rossini! about the life of Rossini features Sabine Azéma as Pélissier. Amilcare Zanella Amilcare Zanella (26 September 1873 – 9 January 1949)

1122-576: Was to hold for the next 35 years. With the appointment of Riccardo Zandonai as Director in 1940, the school was once again led by an opera composer. (Zandonai, whose most well-known opera is Francesca da Rimini , had been a pupil of Mascagni at the conservatory.) Under Zandonai, the governance of the Liceo passed from the city of Pesaro to the Italian Ministry of Education. Zandonai was followed by another opera composer, Franco Alfano , who held

1156-574: Was with this group that he introduced some of his own music. In 1903 he became director of his alma mater, remaining in the post for two years; in 1905 he was tapped to succeed Pietro Mascagni as head of the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" in Pesaro . There he was to remain until 1939, when he was succeeded in the post by Riccardo Zandonai . He died in Pesaro. Zanella's compositional output consisted mainly of orchestral and chamber works. He also composed three operas; Aura (1910, to

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