“My life is special, starting from the day I was born: 29 February 1792…”: and it is precisely on this very special date that the new volume Gioachino Rossini, gourmet musician, completes the series for children I miti dell’Opera published by the Teatro Regio in Parma. The book, written by Cristina Bersanelli and illustrated by Patrizia Barbieri, will therefore be available online and at the Theatre Bookshop from Thursday 29 February 2024, the composer’s 232nd birthday.
Born in Pesaro, the son of an opera singer and a musician, ‘il tedescochino’ embarked at an early age on a successful career between Italy and France. At only 18 years old, he staged his first opera and since then, thanks to his extraordinary speed in composing music, he wrote 16 operas in just six years, becoming a true rock star of yesteryear, sought after by Europe’s biggest impresarios.
Alternating curiosities related to his most famous works with lots of amusing anecdotes, games and illustrations to colour in, the story highlights the composer’s playful, cheerful and altruistic character, which is reflected in his brilliant musical style. There will, of course, be no lack of anecdotes related to his greatest passion (after music): that for good food, which led him to experiment with many delicious recipes. Because, says the composer in the book, “composing music is a bit like preparing a recipe full of ingredients, and one of my favourites is rhythm!”
The Myths of Opera are books conceived and written for children with ‘extraordinary’ protagonists, able to entertain and fascinate children, thanks to the affabulatory capacity of their authors and the narrative power of beautiful stories, really lived by unforgettable characters. After books dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, Maria Callas, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Arturo Toscanini, Renata Tebaldi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gioachino Rossini. Gourmet Musicians completes the series inaugurated in 2020 and available in Italian and English.
The volume is on sale for 12 euros and the entire series (8 books) at the special price of 80 euros.