Comic opera had a real story that people liked; it had dramatic variety; and, musically, it had strong melodies and even strong supporting orchestral parts, including a strong "stand-alone" overture (i.e., you could even enjoy the overture as an independent orchestral piece). Verdi was also enthusiastic because the music was by a southern Italian and the text by a northerner, which appealed to Verdi's pan-Italian vision. The genre was developed further in the 19th century by Gioachino Rossini in his masterpieces such as "The Barber of Seville" (1816) and "La Cenerentola" (1817). French composers eagerly seized upon the Italian model and made
Sarasota Opera Petrolini, President of the Club dei 27. Starting this fall, Sarasota Opera will launch a new venture entitled "Sarasota Firsts" in which the company will present operas never previously produced on the Sarasota Opera House stage. For the 2016/2017 season, Sarasota Opera will present three operas in association with this new series which will be "Don Pasquale" by "Gaetano Donizetti", "L'italiana in Algeri" by "Gioachino Rossini", and "Dialogues of the Carmelites" by "Francis Poulenc". The season will also include "Madama Butterfly" by "Giacomo Puccini" and "L'amore dei tre re" by "Italo Montemezzi". The series includes presentations of neglected works of