Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini is considered one of the most talented Italian composers of his time and is best known for his comic operas. He had his most prolific period between 1810 and 1830, where he wrote some of his masterpieces such as Il barbiere di Siviglia, La cenerentola, Tancredi or Guillaume Tell among his 39 operas. His early retirement from operatic composition at the age of just 37 is surprising, especially given his prolific early output and fame at the time.
Rossini's style and method was criticised and praised in equal measure, but he certainly brought innovation the world of operatic music, such as the establishment of a new fiery and vibrant genre of opera seria and buffa, the consolidation of the structures of operatic arias or the lengthening of concertante finales.
From Napoli, a breeding ground for his classical style, to Paris, where he presided over a dynamic a salon with fellow artists in the Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Rossini left his triumphs and personal mark in each of the cities where he travelled with his music.
Il barbiere di Siviglia
A young count is in love with a clever woman who returns his feelings. But her guardian harbours his own plans for her. When jack-of-all-trades Figaro rushes to the young couple's aid, bribery, deceit and comic entanglements ensue. Will he succeed in saving the day - and love?
Le Comte Ory
All the men of Touraine are away on a Crusade. Only the young Count and his companions are around but have other things in mind; they are on the prowl for amorous adventures. In ridiculous disguises, they try to outwit the women, for now, bereft of their husbands. The beautiful and strict Countess Adele, to honour her crusading brother and other knights, has taken a vow of chastity, although she has fallen in love with Count’s noble squire, the young Isolier. Surely, in such circumstances, shouldn’t all men be banished from her castle?
