Rossini: William Tell and other Rossini Overtures

While today's houses swell with the works of numerous undoubted masters of the operatic genre, not one of these now- legendary composers enjoyed the immense success and popularity during their lifetimes that was experienced by a man born in Pesaro, on the Italian Adriatic coast, in 1792.

The composer of no less than 39 operas, he was the darling of the Italian golden era in this field, adored not only in his home country but around Europe, and was a major contribution to the development of opera- going as a culture in 19th Century Italy.

Rossini was known to be a composer who completed works at great speed. The legend behind the premier of La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) has the producer locking Rossini into a room the day before the opening night in order for him to write the overture, with pages of the score being thrown to copyists from a window as they were completed.

Rossini played on original instruments by The Hanover Band and they thus recorded one of its most spectacular albums under the baton of its leader Roy Goodman.

Newton Classics is proud to issue this marvel.