Tancredi marks a turning point in Rossini's career, as well as in the evolution of nineteenth century opera. In it the essentially static and segmented forms of eighteenth century opera seria are infused with a more expansive, less structured lyricism, and the dramatic content is brought more into agreement with the romantic spirit of nineteenth century Europe. It is also the opera that clinched Rossini's already rising fame in his native Italy and abroad.

Tancredi is a melodrama in two acts to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The story, taken from Voltaire's play Tancrède (1760), is filled with sympathy for the ideals of the French revolution—a revolution which Rossini lived through (Rossini's own father had been a sympathizer with French Republican views and had been imprisoned for it). Patriotic ideals of liberty are espoused everywhere throughout the opera. Tancredi is the story of two young lovers, Tancredi and Amenaide, who struggle to realize their affections against a backdrop of political and family conflict, somewhat alà Romeo and Juliet. Although the music provides for plenty of vocal display, Tancredi has a strong dramatic purpose; it is a credible drama with vivid, vibrant characters, full of strong human emotions and motivations. Opera seria conventions are dispensed with in favor of a more supple drama with broader appeal.

Rossini composed two distinct version of Tancredi. The original version which premiered at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, on February 6, 1813, was extremely well received by the public. This version, although filled with lyrical beauty and formal innovations, was not as revolutionary as its later version. Instead of the tragic ending written by Voltaire, Rossini and Rossi chose to alter the ending. They changed the plot so that Tancredi could live and marry the woman he loves. However, for the Ferrara revival one month later, Rossini reinstated Voltaire's original ending and supplied entirely new music. This version, now with a tragic arioso scena during which Tancredi dies of his wounds and Amenaide protests her innocence and love, proved a bit much for the Italian public, which was not prepared for such a formal and artistic innovation. In deference to taste, Rossini eventually returned to his original, more conventional ending.

Some of the highlights of Tancredi include two love duets for Amenaide and Tancredi and two solo scenes for each of the main protagonists. In Act Two, Amenaide has a prison scene, orchestrated with exquisite care and sensitivity. Here, the instrumental music is just as moving as the song in which Amenaide expresses her resolve to die rather than betray her love. In Tancredi's solo scene, he is given beautiful melodies and florid passagework as he expresses his resolve to win his battle against Solamir.

Semiramide can be seen as the direct descendent of the experimentations begun in Tancredi. Although the innovations in Tancredi were greatly expanded upon in Semiramide, the later work is missing the youthful vigor and ingenuity of its predecessor and it has not achieved the same lasting presence on operatic stages.

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Act 1 - 1.Overture

Recycled directly from an 1812 opera, La pietra del paragone, the overture most familiar now as belonging to Tancredi is an example of Rossini's efforts to introduce a serious stage work rather than a comedy. One would hardly guess the difference just by listening. The overture begins with an oddly bumptious gesture, a series of rising orchestral groans accompanied by Turkish-style triangle and cymbal crashes, which is answered by short phrases passing through the woodwind section. This soon develops into a fuller, slow melody in the winds underpinned by pizzicato strings. The pizzicato figure turns into a slightly ominous series of punctuation marks, dotted with percussion strokes, while the slow melody continues. After a pause, there emerges a typically scurrying Rossini tune not far removed from the popular Italian style of the later Funiculì, Funiculà. This explodes into a frantic episode, which in turn gives way to new, lower-key material, serving merely to set up a textbook Rossini crescendo. After this, Rossini quickly revisits the two main themes that have appeared starting with the scurrying tune, then dives into an abbreviated crescendo that introduces a lively coda.

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