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Morlacchi Pietro
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Gran fantasia "Mosè in Egitto", Op. 3
Gran fantasia "Mosè in Egitto", Op. 3
Pietro Morlacchi: Gran Fantasia on themes from "Mosè in Egitto" (Moses in Egypt) by Gioacchino Rossini for flute and piano was written around 1875-1880. This was the era when the "Potpourri" or "Fantasia" based on popular operas reached its zenith in Italian salons and concert halls.
The piece is dedicated to Giuseppe Rabboni, the first flute at Teatro alla Scala for over 30 years and a legendary professor at the Milan Conservatory. Pietro Morlacchi was Rabboni’s star pupil. By dedicating his third opus to his teacher, Morlacchi was formally acknowledging his lineage. In the 19th-century conservatory system, such a dedication was a public "diploma" of sorts, proving the student had mastered the technical and expressive secrets of the master.
Rabboni was famous for his Metodo per flauto, which emphasized the vocal quality of the instrument. By using the high drama and lyrical "Prayer" from Rossini's "Mosè in Egitto", Morlacchi was showing Rabboni that he had learned how to make the flute "breathe" and "sing" like a human voice, the core tenet of Rabboni's teaching.
The dedication took on even greater weight when Morlacchi eventually succeeded Rabboni as the principal flutist of La Scala, effectively becoming the new "voice" of Italian opera for the flute.
Although Rossini had died in 1868, his operas remained the "pop music" of Italy. Creating a fantasy on "Mosè in Egitto" (1818) was a guaranteed way to engage an audience, as everyone knew the tunes by heart.
In 1875, Morlacchi was a professor at the Milan Conservatory. His goal with pieces like this fantasy was to teach flutists how to "sing" like the great operatic divas of the day (such as Giuditta Pasta).
By the mid-1870s, Morlacchi was a master of the Boehm system flute. This piece was designed to show off the instrument's improved intonation and agility in difficult keys, featuring rapid chromatic scales and wide, "vocal" leaps.
Raffaele Cortesi (piano), live performance, July 2021 at the Teatro Adolfo Mejia in Cartagena, Colombia
Gran fantasia "Mosè in Egitto"
Nikka Gershman (flute), Vivian Fan (piano), 2022
Gran fantasia "Mosè in Egitto"
Morlacchi Pietro
Pietro Morlacchi (1828–1884) was a prominent Italian flutist and composer of the 19th-century "Golden Age". Born in Milan, Italy, he was raised in the heart of the Italian operatic world, dominated by the aesthetic of Bel Canto, which would later define his compositional style.
At the Milan Conservatory, he quickly became the most celebrated pupil of Giuseppe Rabboni, the patriarch of the Italian flute school. His upbringing coincided with the "Rossini fever" of mid-century Italy. As a student, he spent his evenings in the gallery of La Scala, transcribing vocal ornaments and cadenzas from the leading sopranos of the day to adapt them for his instrument. In 1856, following the death of his mentor Rabboni, Morlacchi was appointed First Flute of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra. He held this prestigious post for nearly three decades, playing under the batons of major conductors and witnessing the premieres of late-Verdi operas.
Beyond the opera pit, he was a prolific touring soloist. He performed extensively across Europe and South America, where his technical brilliance on the newly introduced Boehm system flute, a metal, cylindrical instrument, was hailed as a revolutionary advancement over the older 8-keyed wooden models. He returned to his alma mater as a professor at the Milan Conservatory, where he trained the next generation of Italian flutists in the "vocal" tradition. His compositions, such as Il Pastore Svizzero and his various Rossini Fantasies, remain staples of the advanced flute repertoire.
In Ginevra Petrucci’s research for Brilliant Classics, she characterizes his music as "operas for the flute." His works typically follow a Scena e Aria structure: a dramatic introduction, a cantabile melody, and a series of virtuosic variations that mimic a soprano's coloratura.