Italian opera in bringing the art form back to life again. Romantic opera, which placed emphasis on the imagination and the emotions began to appear in the early 19th century, and because of its arias and music, gave more dimension to the extreme emotions which typified the theater of that era. In addition, it is said that fine music often excused glaring faults in character drawing and plot lines. Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) initiated the Romantic period. His first success was an "opera buffa" (comic opera), "La Cambiale di Matrimonio" (1810). His reputation still survives today through his "Barber of Seville" (1816), and
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,