World Opera Day gets a haircut

Rossini’s joyously inventive music makes   Il barbiere di Siviglia   a deftly-paced triumph of comic timing. But woe betide anyone taking too many liberties. Adelina Patti, the great 19th century diva, once sang the aria ‘Una voce poco fa’ to Rossini, adding numerous florid embellishments. The composer responded: ‘Very nice, my dear, and who wrote the piece you have just performed?’ Garsington Opera’s production is directed by Christopher Luscombe, who sets the action in a 1929 Seville, and conducted by Douglas Boyd with The English Concert playing on period instruments. Simon Higlett’s stunning set shows a Seville that is booming; first, in an exuberantly coloured street scene and then, as the exterior of the Bartolo residence rotates, we see the treasures inside – a riot of gold and marble, an ode to luxury and fashion.  Count Almaviva is sung by Andrew Stenson, Figaro by Johannes Kammler, Rosina by Katie Bray and Doctor Bartolo by Richard Burkhard.

A feast for the eyes and ears, streamed by Slippedisc courtesy of  OperaVision, to mark World Opera Day.  On the birthday of Georges Bizet and Johann Strauss, World Opera Day celebrates the contributions of opera to society every year on 25 October.

The Plot:  a passionate count enlists a local barber and jack-of-all-trades to help him woo and wed a quick-witted woman. But it will take all their cunning – as well as some disguises and bribes – to ensure love wins the day.

Sung in Italian. subtitle in English and Italian

 Available on 24 October 2023 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 NY