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
Westbrook-Rossini, Zürich Live 1986 Westbrook-Rossini, Zürich Live 1986 Westbrook-Rossini, Zürich Live 1986 is a live album by Mike Westbrook, featuring interpretations of works by Gioachino Rossini which was recorded in Switzerland in 1986 and first released on the hat ART label in 1996. The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek stated "Hearing the fine studio recording of Westbrook's magnum opus "Rossini" made for some trepidation at the prospect of a live recording of the work. ... The result is staggering. Whatever little is lost in the recording quality due to the unpredictability of live dynamics is more than compensated for in a performance so dramatic,