Gioachino Rossini Magpie" ("La gazza ladra") features one of his most celebrated overtures. Rossini moved to Paris in 1824 where he began to set French librettos to music. His last opera was the epic "William Tell" ("Guillaume Tell"), featuring its iconic overture which helped to usher in grand opera in France. A tendency for inspired, song-like melodies is evident throughout his scores, which earned him the nickname "the Italian Mozart." He was a rapid and prolific composer, quoted as joking, "Give me the laundress' bill and I will even set that to music." He also earned the nickname "Signor Crescendo" for his
La Fenice sooner had the opera house been rebuilt than a legal dispute broke out between the company managing it and the owners, the Venier family. The issue was decided in favor of the Veniers. At the beginning of the 19th century, La Fenice acquired a European reputation. Rossini mounted two major productions there: "Tancredi" in 1813 and "Semiramide" in 1823. Two of Bellini's operas were given their premieres there: "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" in March 1830 and "Beatrice di Tenda" in March 1833. Donizetti, fresh from his triumphs at La Scala in Milan and at the Teatro di San Carlo