Italian Opera Composers At The Piano

Contents

Leoncavallo: Tarantella, Valse coquette

Ponchielli: Notturno “Il primo affetto”, Notturno in A flat minor

Cilea: Danza Nr. 2, Serenata, Mazurka

Verdi: Romanza senza parole, Waltz in F major

Puccini: Foglio d’album, Piccolo tango

Rossini: from “Quelques riens”

Giordano: Minuetto, Alla gavotta

During the 19th century, Italy’s leading opera composers began writing solo piano music. Rossini was the most important among these composers and began to develop his piano idiom after his early retirement from opera in 1829. These extraordinary pieces are rich in signs and symbols either disguised within the music or included in titles that display his wit.