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The prolific Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870) was a composer of a similar mould to Rossini, although rather fewer of his works have stood the test of time, being not so strong on personality as those of his great compatriot. But occasionally one of the sixty or so operas is given (Liszt actually wrote a fantasy on themes from Il giuramento, "Réminiscences de La Scala") and a few instrumental pieces remain on the fringe of the repertoire. With the Soirées italiennes Liszt was not as generous as he had been with Rossini's Soirées, and he chose just six to transcribe, successfully managing to select the pieces which differ as widely as possible from their pretty obvious Rossini models. Sadly, these transcriptions are quite rare nowadays, probably because they are absolutely unrestrained in their taxing technical demands-even the gentler pieces have fiendishly intricate details which render them immediately beyond the salon performer. Liszt’s method is of the same stamp as with the Rossini pieces, and the transcriptions themselves, depicting in turn the spring, a gallop, a Swiss shepherd, a sailor’s serenade, a drinking song and a Spanish gypsy girl, require no further gloss.
Keeping in mind the Italian theme of this video, I wish my European brothers all the best in dealing with this coronavirus pandemic that has hit them particularly hard. Everyone else, take care!