Luigi Legnani participated in numerous operas and concerts throughout his career. In 1806, he made his debut as a tenor singer in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Paisiello and in "La Capricciosa corretta" by Martini in Comacchio. In 1816, he appeared as a first tenor in works by Blasis, Fioravanti, and Cimarosa at the Teatro Comunitativo of Ravenna. During the carnival season of 1820, he performed "Le donne gelose" and "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini in Ravenna.
Regarding his concerts, in 1811 he held two academies, one in spring in Ravenna and another on October 10 in Cesena, where he also played the guitar. In 1818, he gave a concert at the Sala della Società Filarmonica Modenese in Modena. In 1819, he performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on several occasions, including a concert on June 20.
Legnani also undertook European tours, notably in 1822 with three concerts in Graz, Austria, and performances in Vienna. In 1832, he participated in a concert at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, where he was recognized as an honorary member. In 1842, he offered four concerts in Barcelona and others in Madrid.
Throughout his life, he composed more than 250 works, including "Op. 20" with 36 Capricci for guitar, "Op. 21" with Variazioni su Tema Rossiniano, and "Op. 250," a method for learning to play the guitar that includes "6 Capricetti" published in 1847. The fusion of his experiences in operas and concerts with his virtuosity on the guitar translated into a style that combined technique and operatic melody, leaving a significant legacy in guitar music.
In what I have been doing for my master's degree until the delivery of this final work, I have been immersed above all in Legnani's repertoire. My motivations were to learn from my current professor Pavel Steild (you can listen to his Luigi Legnani album on Spotify) how to interpret and grow technically to be able to interpret this type of repertoire that for the listener sounds in many cases simple but the reality is that from my point of view and that of most guitarists it is the most due to the difficulty of transferring bel canto techniques to the guitar trying to make the most complex thing appear as the simplest thing.
Rodolfo Celletti, in his history of bel canto, captures the essence of this style by highlighting its agility, flexibility, nuances, and a clear and relaxed tone applicable in Legnani's works for guitar.
Celletti summarizes the main characteristics of bel canto by listing its components, thus creating a more complete picture of its aesthetic world. We now know the objectives and elements of bel canto, which can be detailed. Its purpose is to evoke awe through unusual timbre, variety of color and delicacy, virtuosic complexity in vocal execution, and an ecstatic lyrical abandon.
In his analysis of the renaissance of bel canto in the mid-twentieth century, Celletti offers deep insight into the characteristics that underpin this style of singing.
(a) The re-establishment of an analytical and varied phrasing, calculated by gradations of emphasis and color, to interpret not only the expressive indications of the composer, but also to give a significant psychological impulse to the meaning of the words through a subtle play of contrasts and nuances.
(b) The return of true virtuosity, which consists of expressing the coloratura and revealing what Rossini defined as 'the hidden accents'.
(c) The resurgence of Cantabile singing, whether romantic or pre-romantic, performed with a soft tone, purity in legato, continuity of sound, overflow of pathos or elegiac expression, and intensity of lyrical outpouring.