Michael W. Balfe

"Michael William Balfe (1808-1870). rose to fame in London in 1835 immediately after the premiere of his first opera The Siege of Rochelle. For the next thirty-five years this unique Dublin born musician was destined to be the most important operatic composer in Victorian Britain." "He was to music in Victorian Britain what his renowned contemporary, Charles Dickens was to literature. The popularity of their respected works reached far beyond London, Dublin and New York in the English speaking world. Balfe also personally achieved great success in places such as Paris, Vienna, Berlin,…