Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868) was an Italian composer best known for the operas Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) and La cenerentola (Cinderella).

Rossini was one of the major innovators in the field of opera. Moïse et Pharaon is a score which he revised for Paris ten years after it had been composed for Naples; the result shows the evolution of his taste over a decade - from the neoclassical sublime to spectacular Romantic grand opera. Il barbiere di Siviglia has been a favourite with the public since it opened, and Marco Spada analyses how its stylish comedy has been misunderstood. Other essays throw light on the working conditions of the "opera industry" in Rossini's Italy, on Balzac's delightful novel concerning Moses and on the exceptional challenge of performing this type of music to a high standard.

Contents: Rossini: the Serious and the Comic, Philip Gossett; The Composer at Work, John Rosselli; The Roots of a Masterpiece, Marco Spada; A Personal View of Rossini, Ubaldo Gardini; Il barbiere di Siviglia: Libretto by Cesare Sterbini; The Barber of Seville: English version by Edward J. Dent; Balzac, Stendhal and Rossini's 'Moses', Pierluigi Petrobelli; From Sublime to Romantic, Richard Bernas; Moïse et Pharaon: Libretto by Victor de Jouy and Louis Balochy; Moses: English translation by John and Nell Moody

Brilliantly produced and superb value.

All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought.

Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series.