Soundtracks:
Clockwork Orange
My Life
Brassed Off
Victor Borge routine
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Wilhelm (William) Tell - Overture
At 30 years old Rossini wrote his last opera. The most successful opera
writer of his time retired from composing music and moved to Paris for
a life of indulgence and making gourmet dinners for his friends. This last
opera was "Wilhelm Tell", and its overture became his most famous
one. The overture starts with an introduction in the cellos, followed by
the violins and the woodwinds, beginning a musical description of the rebellion.
The middle section presents Switzerland's quiet, serene mountains. In the
last part, the trumpet makes cheering sounds and the horns answer it. The
concluding march declares the great victory.
Rossini's brilliant arrangement and genius orchestration show up in
every single note. But Rossini's catchy tunes are his winning card, both
in his operas and in his symphonic music. Shostakovich, who tried to mock
and ridicule him, quoted "Wilhelm Tel" in his 15th Symphony.
He mocked the popular music Rossini represented in his writing, loved by
music fans; Shostakovich was in fact considered "Russian Rossini"
as a young man, for the exact same quality - melodic ability, that brought
him popularity among the masses.
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