The Barber of Seville & Moses and Phareon - English National Opera Guide 36

Rossini was one of the major innovators in the field of opera

Moses and Phareon 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 neo-classical sublime to spectacular Romantic grand opera

The Barber of Seville 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.

REVIEWS

'Brilliantly produced and superb value' ~ Sunday Times

'All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought' ~ Daily Telegraph

'Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series' ~ TLS