5 Things to know about Rossini
29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868
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.
Some defining qualities to listen for in all of Rossini’s opera buffas include: acrobatic vocal melismas, extreme crescendo buildups, driving rythyms, clear form, ostinatos and attention-grabbing overtures, all of which create the exciting and larger than life musical and dramatic experience for which his music is famous.