Product Details

• Actors: Cecilia Bartoli, Carlos Feller, David Kuebler, Gino Quilco, Robert Lloyd
• Directors: Michael Hampe, Claus Viller
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Arthaus Musik
• DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
• Run Time: 157 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009MGK3
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,001 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Rossini was 24 years old when in 1816 he wrote his seventeenth opera and most renowned "buffa", The Barber of Seville, in barely three weeks. The accompanying recording is from the 1988 Schwetzinger Festspiele. The production by Michael Hampe, director of the Cologne Opera at that time, is distinguished by humorous direction of movement which never degenerated into slapstick. It aimed for a high tempo and abandoned the alienation effect to allow for an increasing exuberance in performance by the protagonists. Ezio Frigerios’s stage settings are equally as appealing to the eye as Mauro Pagano’s costumes, whose design consciously strengthens the comic impact of the characters. Resounding from the orchestra pit is an exceptionally defined, coherent and graceful performance of Rossini’s composition. Gabriele Ferro appreciates how to effect subtle differentiations and in so doing strikes an ideal balance between the orchestra and the stage. The choir ensemble is first class, led by an irresistible Cecilia Bartoli.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Virtually Perfect 'Barbiere di Siviglia', August 17, 2003

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)/ Bartoli, G. Quilico, Kuebler, Feller, R. Lloyd; Ferro/Schwetzingen Festival (DVD)

This DVD preserves the justly famous production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' done in the jewel-box theater of the Schwetzingen Festival in 1988. It features the adorable Rosina of Cecilia Bartoli at the beginning of her soon-to-be-huge international career. It is conducted sympathetically by the Sicilian Gabriele Ferro; he leads the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart and the chorus of the Cologne City Opera.

The staging by Michael Hampe, sets by Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Mauro Pagano are traditional and do not get in the way of a straightforward presentation of Rossini's still-funny farce.

David Kuebler's Almaviva is beautifully sung and his comic acting as the drunken soldier in Act I and as the false Don Alonso in Act II is expertly done. The lecherous but clueless Don Bartolo is sung and acted by the veteran Carlos Feller. His downfall in the finale is done with grace and good humor, unlike some Bartolos who huff and puff rather too much about it all. Don Basilio is taken by the wonderful Robert Lloyd whose cavernous black bass is perfect for 'La Calunnia' which is both sinister and funny. He has a comic bit that he does with making the sign of the cross that has the audience in stitches.

Gino Quilico deserves especial praise for his scheming charmer, the barber Figaro. Not only is his singing wonderful, his comic acting is spot on. I laughed out loud several times--as when he is shaving Don Bartolo in the second act.

This production follows hard on the heels of the wonderful Arthaus/Naxos DVD of the 1990 Schwetzingen production of Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw.' If these two productions are any indication of the level of artistry at Schwetzingen, one can certainly hope that we'll be getting more of these productions on DVD.

Recommended.

Scott Morrison

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joyous, Wonderful Barber, May 24, 2006

By 

Bill Blaise - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)/ Bartoli, G. Quilico, Kuebler, Feller, R. Lloyd; Ferro/Schwetzingen Festival (DVD)

I hate to sound arrogant myself by saying this, but I think you should ignore the arrogant comments of the previous reviewer. If this production is "pretty disappointing," then I'm Kirsten Flagstad. The previous reviewer's comments are a perfect illustration of why opera fans have the reputation of being the most staid, humorless fault-finders around: for being almost impossible to please. I agree that one can always quibble about a few things in any production. In this case, yes, Carlos Feller's performance is not flawless: his enunciation does slip a bit in "A un dottor." But he makes the number so enjoyable overall, overall he is so terrifically pompous and irascible, and he sings with such gusto (for an old man, I think his voice is deep and strong, hardly "hollow") that to call him the "horror" of the whole production is, in my opinion, puzzlingly spiteful. And the same goes for any major criticism of the rest of the cast.

In fact, I think this is one of the better casts I've seen in this opera. David Kuebler is a hilarious and wildly determined Count (his turn as the drunken soldier looking for lodgings is a riot); I don't see how anyone in their right mind could consider him a "dull, stern presence" and "charmless." True, it's fair to say that Bartoli has gone on to do even better work than she does here, but, after all, this "Barber" was filmed in 1988, early in her career, and one can at least see why her career took off after this. Her Rosina is spirited and absolutely irresistible, her voice is beautiful, and her big coloratura number ("Una voce poco fa") pretty spectacular. Gino Quilco is a great Figaro, very funny, sharp, and energetic, with an excellent rendition of "Largo al factotum." Also deserving praise is Robert Lloyd's wryly sinister Don Basilio. Lloyd earns the loudest applause in the whole performance, including many shouts of "Bravo," for a terrific "La calunnia."

And who could forget the conductor Gabriele Ferro, leaing the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart down in the pit. Just watching him conduct the overture is almost worth the price of the DVD. Talk about chewing the scenery! His intensity and wild shaking and gesturing (reminding one of a Middle American snake-handler feeling the spirit) will leave your jaw hanging open and may make you laugh more than anything in the opera. Ferro is so caught up in the music that his beat doesn't seem the most precise and his cues to the orchestra members don't look all that helpful, but you can't call him dull. Even if you can imagine why his career hasn't exactly skyrocketed, you have to like him here.

All in all, this is the best of the five versions of "The Barber of Seville" that I've seen on DVD. Any review that does not recommend this production ought to be dismissed. I just grabbed my copy of classical-music connoisseur Phil Goulding's book "Ticket to the Opera," and I was looking to see which video version of "Barber" Goulding recommends. Can you guess? This one.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Barber of Seville, October 12, 2004

By 

A student - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)/ Bartoli, G. Quilico, Kuebler, Feller, R. Lloyd; Ferro/Schwetzingen Festival (DVD)

This DVD contains some great singers, but sadly few are widly known. Cecilia Bartoli is a young, beautiful Rosina. Her highlight was "Una voce poco fa". One of my favorites was Count Almaviva, played by David Kuebler. His acting was as good as his singing. "Ecco ridente in cielo" is a must hear aria. My other favorite was Gino Quilico as Figaro. His comic acting was outstanding, espically in Act II. His best piece was, of course, "Largo al factotum". As Doctor Bartolo, Carlos Feller was excellent, espically toward the end in Act II. Robert Lloyd was a deep, powerful Don Basilio. The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra was conducted by a great conductor in Gabriele Ferro. I highly reccomended this DVD to anyone who likes The Barber of Seville.