Gioachino Rossini

bel canto

With Bellini and Donizetti he forms the great trio of Italian bel canto.

💡 Did you know? Rossini was the king of „bel canto“: „beautiful singing“ with its breakneck coloratura and ornaments.

Pesaro

The Rossini Opera Festival is still held there in his honour every year.

💡 Did you know? Rossini composed at breathtaking speed: some operas he tossed off in a few weeks, often lying in bed.

The Barber of Seville

Written in barely three weeks in 1816; Figaro's 'Largo al factotum' is one of the most famous arias of all.

💡 Did you know? „The Barber of Seville“ flopped at its chaotic premiere (a cat wandered across the stage) but quickly became the world's most beloved comic opera.

a fiasco

Supporters of his rival Paisiello disrupted the evening; even a cat wandered across the stage. The second night was a triumph.

💡 Did you know? Rossini pointedly stayed away from the second performance: reportedly asleep in bed.

William Tell

Its overture with the galloping finale was made immortal by radio, film and television.

💡 Did you know? The overture to „William Tell“, with its galloping finale, later became the theme of the Western hero „The Lone Ranger“.

He stopped composing operas

He lived almost 40 more years, as a celebrated host and gourmet in Paris. The reasons for his retirement are still debated.

💡 Did you know? Mysteriously, at the height of his fame Rossini stopped writing operas almost entirely at just 37 and lived nearly 40 more years.

the Rossini crescendo

A short phrase repeated and intensified until the whole hall is electrified: his trademark in the overtures.

💡 Did you know? The „Rossini crescendo“ (an endlessly building, exhilarating repetition) was his trademark and lifted audiences from their seats.

Cinderella

Instead of a fairy godmother, the philosopher Alidoro helps out; the magic is in the singing.

💡 Did you know? In his opera „La Cenerentola“ (Cinderella), Rossini did without the glass slipper: instead the prince recognises his girl by a bracelet.

Tournedos Rossini

The dedicated gourmet and amateur chef gave legendary dinners in Paris.

💡 Did you know? Rossini reportedly claimed he had cried only twice in his life: once when a truffled turkey fell into the water.

29 February (leap day)

He could celebrate his 'real' birthday only once every four years.

💡 Did you know? Rossini was born on a 29 February: so he had a real birthday only every four years.

Sins of Old Age

More than 150 piano pieces, songs and jokes: purely for the private amusement of his Paris salons.

💡 Did you know? In retirement Rossini became a passionate gourmet: a beef dish („Tournedos Rossini“) still bears his name.

Santa Croce (Florence)

He died near Paris in 1868; in 1887 he was reinterred in Florence: alongside Michelangelo and Galileo.

💡 Did you know? Rossini is buried in the church of Santa Croce in Florence: alongside Michelangelo and Galileo.

Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini was an Italian bel canto opera composer, famous for his lightning-fast writing and comedies like „The Barber of Seville“.

💡 Did you know? At the height of his fame he stopped composing almost entirely at just 37 and became a famous gourmet.

William Tell Overture

The overture moves through several scenes; its famous galloping finale (the ‘cavalry charge’) comes only late: a case where the start time pays off.

💡 Did you know? The galop became world-famous through the TV western ‘The Lone Ranger.’