The Barber Of Seville - Overture - Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music.

He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.

In 1815 he was engaged to write operas and manage theatres in Naples. In the period 1810–1823 he wrote 34 operas for the Italian stage that were performed in Venice, Milan, Ferrara, Naples and elsewhere; this productivity necessitated an almost formulaic approach for some components (such as overtures) and a certain amount of self-borrowing.

During this period he produced his most popular works, including the comic operas L'italiana in Algeri and Il barbiere di Siviglia (known in English as The Barber of Seville)