Bianca E Falliero by Gioachino Rossini April 13, 2008

'Bianca E Falliero' is replete with the rhythmic propulsion and florid coloratura singing that mark all of Rossini's 39 operas. The plot turns on the ill-fated love between Bianca and the warrior Falliero, thwarted by her father who insists that his daughter make a more politically and financially advantageous match with Cappellio. In an unusual twist, the dilemma is solved at a traumatic public trial-inspiring a quartet that to Stendhal was one of Rossini's finest pieces-and leads to a happy resolution of the lovers' quandary.