A Barber veers to male bonding
OperaThis week’s free Opera of the Week on slippedisc.com courtesy of OperaVision,is Il barbiere di Siviglia from Stockholm. Inspired by commedia dell’arte, this production of Rossini’s comic masterpiece from Royal Swedish Opera is not only a work of sublime farce, but also a story of male friendship, class, the confrontations of generations and a young woman’s struggle for freedom.
Friday 30.08.2024 1900 CET, 1800 London, 1300 New York
Nice orchestra, no affectations. The director is a clown, so everyone may be dressed as one, very subtle. Starting with Fiorillo and continuing with Figaro, they bark rather than sing — never heard of legato. The mezzo is so vulgar she can only be Russian. Amusing impersonation of a bass by the Bartolo. I felt sympathy for the tenor.