Rossini: Le siège de Corinthe

Rossini adapted his own Italian opera of 1820, Maometto, for the Parisian stage under the title of Le Si+¨ge de Corinthe. As Rossini's original work had already absorbed distinctive French characteristics such as heroic arias, and characterisation through orchestral colour, the newly composed music for the reworking makes for a powerful and compelling operatic tour de force. With its historical subject matter and tragic ending, Le Si+¨ge de Corinthe anticipates the advent of grand opera.