Saverio Mercadante (born Altamura, near Bari, Kingdom of Naples, 16 Sep. 1795, died
Naples, 17 Dec. 1870) with his 60 operas was one of the most frequently performed of
nineteenth century opera composers. Liszt
and Rossini give evidence of the respect he was shown:
"The latest works by Mercadante are undoubtedly the most seriously considered in the
contemporary repertoire"; "Mercadante takes over where we finish."
MIDI FILE - from
Clarinet Concert: 1st Mov. (8'17'')
Rossini indeed helped Mercadante to get his first opera, L'apoteosi
D'Ercole, performed.
His international break-through came in 1821 with the opera Elisa
and Claudio which, following 48 highly successful performances at La Scala in Milan, was
performed in London, Paris, Barcelona and Vienna.
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