In this production, from the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, it becomes clear why The Barber of Seville has become one of the most cherished operas – the humour, the defiance of authority and the famous melodies. But it started with a bloody nose, a stubborn cat and a jeering crowd.
Gioachino Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville is one of the most seen, loved and hummed operas. Full of humour, it tells a story of how young love defeats stupidity and greed. But it is a comedy with a dramatic prehistory. What is now a beloved classic was not a success at its world premiere in 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
The young Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina. He contacts her under the false name Lindoro, saying that he is a poor student and he is told that the feelings are mutual. However, she is closely watched by her aging guardian, Dr Bartolo, who wants to marry her himself. Almaviva and his friend, the barber Figaro, do everything they can to fool Bartolo. And of course, the young lovers get each other in the end.
DIRECTOR AND SOLOISTS
The performance is directed by the acclaimed English director Annabel Arden. She is one of the co-founders of the famous Théâtre de Complicité and works at opera houses such as Covent Garden, the English National Opera, the Liceu in Barcelona, the Wales National Opera and the Houston Grand Opera.
In the leading roles we see three acclaimed soloists who regularly sing on the world’s major opera stages: the South African tenor Levy Sekgapane, the German-Italian mezzo-soprano Theresa Krontahler and the Austrian baritone Rafael Fingerlos.