Above Praise Rossini's 'La Cambiale di matrimonio' - reviewed by ROBERT ANDERSON '... seductively lyrical where the young Rossini demands.'

At eighteen Rossini was musically full-grown, capable of stringing notes to produce a heart-searching tune, patter a smile on to any face, and orchestrate such a crescendo as had never previously been heard. It was very foresighted of Venice to commission this little farce and thus launch Rossini on a meteoric career that faltered only when cooking and the kitchen seemed more beguiling than composition. And what a relief that the director, Luigi Squarzina, has made no attempt to drag the work towards our sorry world, or pander to any notions of political correctness Rossini would have laughed out of court.

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