Customer Reviews

Rossini - Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This production is great. The concept is very interesting: it begings in black and white and, as the action develops, the color begins to be add act by act to end full of color and fiesta. This is a bel canto opera... it means all the characters must be able to deliver a pure singing line. Juan Diego Florez really does a great job: the voice is just what the rossini light tenor must be: flexible, beautiful with great coloratura and high notes. Ruggero Raimondi makes a great Don Basilio, even with a noticeable used voice, the singing and acting is, as always, first rank. Pietro Spagnoli, the Figaro of this production, does not make a big impression. His Figaro lacks vivacity wich is essential for the character. Bruno Pratico makes a very funny Bartolo and sings very fluent that difficult part... Maria Bayo is a dissapointing Rossina. I don't understand why she is still singing this part: The voice sounds old and effortful, the coloratura is heavy, and she has lost all the high notes... so, why you need a soprano singing Rossina if she cannot do something a good mezzo can do? Rossina IS a mezzosoprano roll, if a soprano attempt to sing the part there must be a reason for it: for exaple to express a more youthful and playful character... but when the voice shows age and trouble, what is the point if there are great mezzos and light sopranos around to do it? I recommend this DVD basically for two reasons: the production in itself, and Juan Diego Florez, who gives a wonderful show including the aria "cessa di piu resistere" which is regulary omitted in most productions.

Not surprisingly, the performance of Juan Diego Florez makes this "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" special. I think of the role of Count Almaviva as third in importance behind that of Figaro and Rosina. But Florez has such a compelling stage presence and is such a spectacular Rossini tenor, that, like me, you may find yourself just waiting for him to come back onstage. (We are rewarded for our patience when he performs the difficult and usually omitted aria, "Cessa di piu resistere," shortly before the curtain falls.) Throughout the opera, Florez's voice rings out with precision and crystal clarity. His vibrato gives the vocal lines an electric sound as if they're pulsating with energy. And he knows just how and when to embellish Rossini's score. It's simply bel canto and coloratura at its best.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I wasn't disappointed with any of the other performers, particularly because their voices blend so well in the ensemble pieces. Pietro Spagnoli as Figaro may not command the stage as we're used to (after all, the opera is named after him), but he has a rich, flexible baritone voice (flexible enough to match Rosina's fast running couplets in their famous duet, "Dunque io son," a feat few Figaro baritones can pull off). Yes, Maria Bayo as Rosina omits a high note here and there, but her soprano voice has a lovely lyrical flow to it and she gives a spirited performance. She is having a great time onstage and it's infectious. It mattered not a bit to me that she's somewhat older than Florez, her love interest. Why shouldn't she be?

I particularly enjoyed Bruno Practico's interpretation of Dr. Bartolo as a rather dim-witted buffa character rather than portraying him in the usual way as stuffy and pompous. Practico's approach integrates Dr. Bartolo into the stage action better and makes his "patter" music (the Act I aria, "A un dottor" and the Act II duet with Almavira, "Pace e gioia") more in line with the comic feel of the opera. He does a great job performing this difficult music. It's a treat to see the veteran Ruggero Raimondi as the amoral Don Basilio, booming out "La calunnia" in Act I and adding to the comic lunacy of Act II. Even Susana Cordon makes the most of her small role, giving us a wonderfully disheveled and quirky Berta but one who is shrewdly aware of exactly what's going on at every moment in Bartolo's household. Cordon gives an animated and funny rendition of her short Act II aria, a piece that often feels as if it's interrupting the action; but here it brings "bravas" from the audience.

The sets, lighting, and costumes are inventive and show up well on the TV screen (opera DVD's are often so dark). I love the black and white motif, made comic with stripes, polka dots, and other assorted odd designs. The lighting designer was able to make black and white look as vivid as if he'd worked with a full palette. Then, at just the right moment, the black and white sets, costumes, and lighting give way to vivid colors and carry us to the end of this sparkling production.

The bonus DVD contains informative interviews with the director, conductor, and performers. One example: Florez describes how he carefully writes out his "ornamentations" (as he calls them) ahead of time.

Juan Diego Florez as Count Almaviva is the main reason for my purchase of yet another "Il Barbiere Di Siviglia" by Rossini. Although he seemed to be slightly detached from his surroundings in this production, (I guess he's an Opera Super Star!) he does indeed deliver the vocal "goods". In possession of a very light flexible and sweet tenor, he very adequately meets all of the vocal challenges of his role. In addition, he is easy on the eye with a gleaming smile.

Figaro is sung by small voiced baritone Pietro Spagnoli. He is a very young and a very nimble Figaro--no standing and delivering but exhibiting much energy by bouncing and hoping around the stage a lot--it was fun to watch!

My only real "vocal disappoint" was the Rossina as sung by the extremely tiny voiced Maria Bayo; however, she was sadly without high notes. To me, if a high voiced (as opposed to a mezzo) is used in the role of Rossina that voice should possess loads of high notes otherwise give me a good flexible Mezzo Soprano as the role was originally written for. Otherwise, it's sleep inducing.

Bruno Pratico makes a rotund but lively Bartolo. Again his voice is on the light side but well able to negotiate the ornamentations. Ruggiero Raimondi is large voiced and very funny making for a very weird Basilio; however he was very amusing indeed.

The production was very busy with all of the characters moving around the stage a lot--very feisty! The basic colors that are used are black and white which were wonderful.

The sound and picture quality of the DVD is superb.

Buy this disc manly to see one of today's brightest operatic stars do his thing-- Juan Diego Florez as Count Almaviva.

This "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" from Madrid isn't perfect, but I think overall it's the best choice available on video. For one, it's fairly complete -- and then some. Recitatives are slightly abridged, but musically all the numbers are there, and there's an extra aria for Rosina in the second act, "Ah, se e ver che in tal momento".

The production is also pretty inoffensive. I don't like some things about it -- for instance, having everything onstage in black and white patterns except for the colorful finale seems too cute by half. Plus, Bartolo's house is way too grand -- it belongs more in Der Rosenkavalier. But overall, it's not at all "Eurotrashy."

The cast is also overall very strong. The main reason to get this dvd is of course Juan Diego Florez's Almaviva. Florez makes Barbiere *his* opera. His voice is clear, bell-like, with a fast vibrato that gives his singing an ardent "pulse." Florez is also very musical, decorating his arias tastefully, with wonderful use of appogiaturas. He also is blessed with a beautiful, secure high C. He brings down the house with Almaviva's extremely long, difficult aria at the very end of the opera, "Cessa di piu resistere." On top of all that, Florez also has an exuberant stage personality. His scene-stealing as the "music teacher' during the Lesson Scene is extremely amusing. AND he's very handsome. What more could one ask?

The rest of the cast is also generally strong. Pietro Spagnoli (Figaro) has a handsome, round baritone voice. I like how in this production during "Largo al factotum" he hands out "coupons" to his customers. It gives Figaro a chance to do *something* in an aria that is often stand-and-sing. But overall, Spagnoli doesn't make much of the role -- he's the title role, but he made the least impression on me. His Figaro is rather joyless, without any sense of mischief.

The comic relief is better. Bruno Practico is a delightfully foolish Bartolo, and does a good job with "A un dottor." Ruggiero Raimondi's basso voice has dried up quite a bit, and at times he sounds hoarse during "La calunnia." He's still a good actor, though, making Basilio delightfully megalomaniacal and amoral. He adds enormously to the fun in this production.

The real weak link in the cast is Maria Bayo as Rosina. Maria Bayo is actually blessed with a pretty, bell-like soprano voice. She ornaments her arias "Una voce poco fa" and "Contro un cor" tastefully and imaginatively. Her problem is that she simply doesn't have enough spunk and charm to be believable as Rosina. This Rosina is too "dolce" and not enough "vipera." It doesn't help that she's saddled with a frumpy, curly black wig that does her face no favors, and a frumpy polka-dot black dress.

Oh well. One can't ask for everything. There's a nice bonus disk with an hour-long documentary about the opera, with interviews with the cast. Florez has such a wonderful speaking voice, by the way.

I didn't understand the opera until I saw this version. Rossini's original title was "Almaviva, or The Useless Precaution." With "Cessa di piu resistere" restored to the score, it's suddenly clear that Rossinni's "Il Barbiere" was always intended to be more focused on Almaviva/Lindoro than anyone else. It isn't about Figaro; yes, he does have the famous aria, "Largo al factotum" in this opera, but the story is about Almaviva and Rosina.

I enjoyed this performance from the moment early morning workers wheeled sculpted white buildings onto the stage during the overture. I think Flórez' performance of "Cessa" here is even better than on his "Rossini Arias" musical CD. From beginning to end, he is a master of every bit of this role. If it weren't for the difference in time, you might think Rossini had written it for him.

I was delighted to see Ruggero Raimondi as Basilio. His role here is smaller here than when he rendered what has been, for me, a definitive performance of Escamillo. Despite that, he has put no less care into the singing or characterization of the old charlatan who changes sides in the middle of a plot.

Maria Bayo delivers a lovely performance as Rosina. Her voice is sweet, pure and strong, and her characterization is precisely what Rosina's should be: youthful, agile, a bit reckless, resourceful and loving.

My history with this opera has been interesting. I started with Maria Callas' recording, and listened to it happily for years. Later on, I acquired the Black Dog Opera Library (hardback librettos) version, which features Beverly Sills as Rosina, and I discovered that the Callas recording had left off the delightful finale, "Di si felice innesto" which Sills ornaments with lovely over the top trills in its closing choruses.

I had never heard of Almaviva's final aria "Cessa di piu resistere" until I was doing some research for a project of my own. Once I knew I was missing it, I wanted to hear it. I got my wish when Flórez recorded an album of Rossini Arias. I bought it and loved it.

When this DVD came out, I knew I had to buy it, and I'm glad I did. Whether Rossini chose to shift the focus from Figaro to Almaviva as a way of making it clear that he did not intend to insult Paisello or because he was writing to show off the voice of the tenor who would sing Almaviva is unimportant. What is important is that Rossini's is the definitive Il Barbiere, and if you want to hear Almaviva sung as Rossini must have imagined, you need to get this version.

Besides the need to hear Flórez, this DVD is a must have for opera lovers because every member of this cast acts. (As we know, that cannot be said of every singer, or even of every singer who is recorded on DVD. It's true that they're acting for the stage, but this is a stage production, so they should be acting for the stage. For us, since it's a broad comedy, the broad gestures used for the stage aren't distracting.)
A side note: It is a pity that those who decided to film the performance didn't think the makeup through. No, the audience in the theater wouldn't notice that the script calls for Bayo to be younger than her actual years, but the film audience will. It's even sadder because she's slender and agile. (She climbs up on a pedestal to sing "Un voce poco fa.") It would not have been hard to choose a more becoming hairstyle and makeup for her and a more mature style for Flórez. Yes, it's harder to add ten or fifteen years to the age of someone in his or her thirties, but it would not have been too hard for a single performance. Don't hesitate to buy the DVD for that reason, though. It's a great show!

On the whole, I'm thrilled with the disc, and would recommend it highly, whether as a first introduction to "Il Barbiere," to Rossini, or to opera.

This is a Madrid performance of Rossini's much performed opera.
I have been given to understand that this is the complete version. Credit goes to the stage production and to those singers who gave the 'completeness' to the production, especially Florez.
It could have been a perfect production if the Figaro and Rosina were not casted to singers who are much too mature for the role, compared with Juan's Count Almaviva.
Spagnoli's Figaro lacked the mischievous light-heartedness required of the role, while Bayo is a strain both on the ears and the eyes with her dry and gritty tone and slightly over-aged appearance.
Much more fun to watch the old DVD with Erika Koeth as Rosina, Hermann Prey as Figaro. Their duet at Act II were so funny and entertaining, as compared to what was presented here.
This production is otherwise recommended, especially for those beginning to watch operas.

As I already owned a number of versions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, including one I was extremely pleased with (see my review of the version by Zurich Opera), I was not considering buying another one, so soon, until I heard Juan-Diego Florez perform on Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. I agree wholeheartedly with the review by Toni Bernhard and can only add that apart from hearing Florez perform another role, the entire opera is a complete delight. From the assembly of the stage-set during the playing of the overture, through the ingenious use of black and white costumes and sets for most of the opera, the eccentric makeup of almost everyone except Count Almaviva and Figaro to the curtain dropping on the colorful set and crouching soldiers at the end of this performance from the Teatro Real, Madrid, this is a Barber of Seville that very successfully distances itself from all other versions available.

This is one of the best productions of this opera I have seen so far. I think that Spagnoli and Bayo are perfect in their roles. They are great singers too. They look more innocent and childish than witty though but I think that precisely that is the idea the stage director wants to convey. Praises appart for the "monster" Juan Diego Florez who, behind his rather skinny figure conceals one of the most beautiful and portentous tenor voices of the century. It is also great to see the legendary Ruggiero Raimondi in his cameo role of the music teacher Don Basilio. The idea of a modular black and white stage that goes from colorless at the beginning of the opera to colorfull by the end works perfectly well. At times you feel like watching a nicely staged childrens play. I particularly liked the effect of the waving white blanket in Raimondi's aria "La calumnia e un venticello" that is a simple but neat idea, bravo for Emilio Sagi!!! Since it was staged in Madrid it was a clever idea to introduce some real "sevillanas" dancing numbers all through the whole opera that worked perfectly well without being intrusive. However the main course is, definetely Florez final aria: "Cessa di piu resistere" that can be described by just breathtaking!!!

A stunning performance by Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez as Count Almaviva makes this DVD of "Il Barbiere Di Siviglia" well worth it. He has a smooth and nimble voice and makes the most of this good Rossini tenor role. The audience in Madrid really expresses its appreciation after his brilliant aria "Cessa di piu resistere" near the end of the opera. One cannot ask for a better Almaviva than Florez, who incidentally studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the mid-1990s before his career took off. I also liked Maria Bayo as Rosina, Pietro Spagnoli as Figaro and Bruno Pratico as Bartolo. There are some quirks in the stage presentation, which definitely has a European feel, but nothing that undermines the opera. But this one will be remembered for Juan Diego Florez's radiance.

For a day in which dark clouds envelope you, if any theatrical event can lift your spirits, this is it. Rossini is Rossini and I have nothing to add to that. The librettist gave him every opportunity to shine and he did so. The cast ranged from very good to excellent, making the most of their iconic numbers and handling the others with an aplomb which gave a full measure of pleasure. The production was right on target with sparkling colors, vivid action, and fitting sets. What made it all work was the creation of scenic and costume designs which were contemporary neither to Rossini's nor our times, but rather were pure theater. Presumably there are those to whom the vocal embellishments intrinsic to bel canto grate. They had better go elsewhere since that is the essence of song here.
For the rest of us, this is a version of one of the standard works which truly glitters, no moss, no dust, no age blemishes; simply joy.