L'Italiana in Algeri

'L'Italiana in Algeri' (The Italian Girl in Algiers) is an operatic 'dramma giocoso' in two acts by Gioacchino Rossini. The music is characteristic of Rossini's style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies. The overture is widely recorded and performed today, known for its distinct opening of slow, quiet pizzicato basses, leading to a sudden loud burst of sound from the full orchestra. This 'surprise' reflects Rossini's early admiration for Joseph Haydn, whose 'Symphony No. 94' in G major, 'The Surprise Symphony', is so named for the same shocking and semi-comic effect.