Rossini : Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Rossini : Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Gioacchino Rossini was only 23 years old when he wrote what was to become his most famous opera, composed after the scandalous eponymous play by Beaumarchais. Il Barbiere di Siviglia premiered in Rome in 1816: an innovative work, full of sophistication and finesse that first intrigued the Italian public, before winning over the entire peninsula and the rest of the world.

The opera displays with great clarity the essence of the Rossinian revolution: situation comedy, sharp criticism of social hypocrisy, together with a witty musical style, the glory of belcanto, and the contagious energy of assertive melodic lines. With the adventures of the factotum Figaro and his master Almaviva, looking to seduce the beautiful Rosina and steal her away from the old Bartolo ; through the endless criss-crossing of this lover’s chase, Rossini was to begin a new chapter in Italian opera, and forge a new brand that shaped the musical landscape of the 19th century.

For this reprisal of Hugo de Ana’s famous staging at the Arena di Verona, Rossini’s masterpiece is conducted by Maestro Daniel Oren. Italian baritone Leo Nucci, a true connoisseur of the part, is a boastful and virtuoso Figaro, while soprano Nino Machaidze and tenor Dmitry Korchak are perfect as the not-so-candid lovers around whom the opera revolves. And who better than Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, who shines in the «Calunnia» aria, for the part of Basilio ?

Opera buffa in two acts

Music: Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
Libretto : Cesare Sterbini after Pierre-Augustin Caron De Beaumarchais

Il Conte d’Almaviva: Dmitry Korchak
Bartolo: Carlo Lepore
Rosina: Nino Machaidze
Figaro: Leo Nucci
Basilio: Ferruccio Furlanetto
Berta: Manuela Custer
Fiorello/Ambrogio: Nicolò Ceriani
Un Ufficiale: Gocha Abuladze

Arena di Verona Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet
Conductor: Daniel Oren

Stage direction, costumes, sets and lighting design : Hugo De Ana

Choreography : Leda Lojodice
Chorus master : Vito Lombardi
Harpsichord : Patrizia Quarta
Director of Technical Operations and Stage Design : Michele Olcese