Gioacchino Rossini was a musical prodigy, composing his first operawhen he was eighteen years old. At the age of 37, after having written39 operas in all, he almost completely stopped composing anddevoted himself to the culinary art and the mysteries of wine! In hisopera L’Italiana in Algeri, Rossini shows the difference in mentalitybetween two countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, Turkeyand Italy. The exotic themes and oriental sound colours of thisopera have ensured that it is still lo...