Life of Bellini

A sigh in dancing pumps' was Heine's view of Bellini. His physical beauty, boundless success and untimely death at the age of thirty-three combined to give Bellini instant mythical status. But both the facts and the fantasies were to be embroidered by Bellini's close friend and eventual biographer Francesco Florimo, who distorted the posthumous image of the composer to the extent of altering or destroying letters in his possession. In John Rosselli's account of Bellini's life and music, a new picture of the composer emerges. He provides a more accurate view of Bellini's personality, his relationships and his short but dazzling career in Naples, Milan and Paris. He introduces the operatic world of the early nineteenth century, the singers of Bellini's roles, and, above all he explains the writing and performance of the operas themselves.

Review: 'It is several years since the most recent life of Vincenzo Bellini appeared in English, so John Rosselli's compact biography is highly welcome ... his comments on the music are pertinent and perceptive ... Rosselli convincingly challenges much of the established evidence for Bellini's career.' Charles Osborne, BBC Music Magazine
'... a book which significantly adjusts our understanding of the composer's character and objectives. It is penned with unusual elegance and wit, its comparative economy disguising a piece of important and original research.' Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards Book Jury
'This is the first in what promises to be a valuable series of composer-biographies ... No-one is better qualified to set the material in proper perspective than John Rosselli. As in his previous books he brings to his subject all the skills of a professional historian ... the book is a triumph, and one which leaves its successors in the series much to live up to.' Julian Budden, Opera
'John Rosselli is that best kind of guide: a scholarly, amusing, sceptical enthusiast.' Musical Times
'John Rosselli's excellent book traces the composer's life from his birth in Catania in 1801 to his death from amoebic dysentery outside Paris in 1835. It does so, lucidly, sensibly and with an admirable lack of padding. In a very few pages, John Rosselli has done for Bellini what William Ashbrook and Herbert Weinstock took three times the length to do for Donizetti.' The Times Literary Supplement
'... admirably clear narrative of the events in the composer's all-too-short life, convincingly challenging much of the accepted evidence. Here is an ideal introduction to the life and work of a bel canto composer.' The Daily Telegraph
' ... outstandingly successful in setting the composer's career within the complex world of Italian opera, in France as well as Italy, of which Rosselli has unrivalled command'. The Times Higher Education Supplement