Le Siège de Corinthe is an opera by Gioacchino Rossini. It was written in French in 1826. This article is about opera as an art form. ... Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 — November 13, 1868) was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The event the opera commemorates is the siege and ultimate destruction of the town of Messolonghi in 1822 by Turkish troops during the Greek War of Independence, fought from 1821 to 1829 (the reference to Corinth being an example of allegory; in an interesting coincidence, the town of Corinth, Mississippi was beseiged four decades later during the American Civil War). A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... Messolonghi is a town of about 12,000 people (as of 1991 census) in central Greece. ... 1822 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Greek War of Independence was fought from the Greeks declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire on March 25 (now Greek Independence Day) 1821 until the modern state of Greece was granted independence by the Treaty of Constantinople in July 1832. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Temple of Apollo at Corinth Corinth, or Korinth (Κόρινθος) is a Greek city, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the original isthmus, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative representation conveying a meaning other than and in addition to the literal. ... Corinth is a city located in Alcorn County, Mississippi. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ...

This same incident - condemned throughout Western Europe for its cruelty - also inspired a prominent painting by Eugène Delacroix, and was mentioned in the writings of Lord Byron and Victor Hugo. Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... Eugène Delacroix (portrait by Nadar) Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( April 26, 1798 - August 13, 1863) was an important painter from the French romantic period. ... Lord Byron, English poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824), commonly known as Lord Byron, was the most widely read English language poet of his day. ... Victor Hugo Victor Hugo (February 26, 1802 - May 22, 1885) was a French author, the most important of the Romantic authors in the French language. ...

The opera's overture has remained widely popular, and has been performed by many contemporary classical orchestras, including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields when conducted by Neville Marriner. The Academy of St. ... Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is a conductor and violinist. ...