Rossini wrote some of music's most masterful and lovable operas. His gift for comic and tragic forms was matched by a relish for characterization, qualities that are always evident in his overtures. La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) is perhaps the most famous, one of the world's most popular concert openers. Guillaume Tell, with it's overture in four movements, includes a scene for five solo cellos. La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) opens with an overture of charm and elan, and Le siege de Corinthe is dramatic and colourful. All of Rossini's overtures display sparkling themes, rich lyricism and theatrical excitement.