Tune in every day at 1:00 this week as we feature the delightful and charming wind concertos of Severio Mercadante, in honor of his 229th birthday.
Saverio Mercadante was born in Altamura in 1795 and was a pupil at the Naples Conservatory between 1808 and 1819. There he studied violin, cello, bassoon, clarinet and flute, and composition. His composition teachers included Giovanni Furno, Giacomo Tritto and Nicola Zingarelli.
His talents for both composing and conducting were evident from an early age, and in 1819 he was commissioned to write an opera, L’apoteosi di Ercole, for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. This work marked the start of his successful operatic career.
In 1823 he was appointed composer-in-residence of the Teatro San Carlo, and in 1824 he began a tour of various European capitals. Two years later he became director of music at the Italian Opera in Madrid, remaining in Spain until 1830. In 1833 he was appointed maestro di cappella of Novara Cathedral, and in 1840 he became director of the Naples Conservatory, a post he then held until his death in 1870.
In his day Mercadante was known primarily as an opera composer (he wrote over 60,) but today he is mostly remembered for his wind concertos, many of which were composed for his wind playing friends, while he was at the Naples Conservatory.
Monday, September 16: Flute Concerto in D Major (1818?)
Tuesday, September 17: Clarinet Concerto no 1 in E flat major (1814)
Wednesday, September 18: Flute Concerto in E Major op. 49 (1813)
Thursday, September 19: Clarinet Concerto no 2 in B Flat Major op. 101 (1819?)
Friday, September 20: Concerto for two Flutes in D Major (Composition Date Unknown)