For the Italian public at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, opera — and especially opera buffa — was a true passion, affecting all social classes. It was a dedicated audience that used to demand new shows each season, so composers and librettist had to work hard to finish the next work in record time, being usually not well paid for it. Because of this, it was common for composers to use overtures — or full arias — from previous works and, with some modification or without it, transfer them to the new production.
Despite his expertise, that led him to compose up to four operas in a year, the writing of Il Barbieri di Siviglia complicated Gioachino Rossini more than usual. He had only two months to fulfil the commission. So, in addition to the overture he should have taken from previous work, he did not manage to compose all the arias either. Consequently, the serenade that the Count of Almaviva had to sing for Rosina in the first act had to be improvised by the tenor, who made use of a piece of his authorship that was not to the liking of the audience.
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| Rossini (1792 - 1868) |
And as tradition pointed out that the author of the work should conduct the premiere, that February 20, 1816, the failed aria surprised Rossini in the front line, joining to the failure that, incidentally, affected the entire work. But Gioachino had the solution at hand.
For the next performance, he borrowed the melody of the opening chorus of his opera Aureliano in Palmira, from 1813, which in turn came from Ciro in Babylon, from 1812, and with that material he wrote one of the most beautiful arias for a tenor of the bel canto period, the cavatina (short aria without repetition) Ecco, ridente in cielo, sung by the Count of Almaviva at the beginning of Act I, under Rosina's balcony.
The aria has two parts, a lyrical and expressive one, and another of greater liveliness (minute 3:04) that entails a higher degree of technical difficulties, which the Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus addresses here with great ease to finish off with a spectacular ending.
