[Met Performance] CID:176150



Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, November 14, 1957




Il Barbiere di Siviglia (271)
Gioachino Rossini | Cesare Sterbini
Figaro
Frank Guarrera

Rosina
Roberta Peters

Count Almaviva
Cesare Valletti

Dr. Bartolo
Fernando Corena

Don Basilio
Cesare Siepi

Berta
Margaret Roggero

Fiorello
George Cehanovsky

Sergeant
Alessio De Paolis

Ambrogio
Rudolf Mayreder


Conductor
Max Rudolf


Director
Cyril Ritchard

Designer
Eugene Berman





From February 19, 1954 until 1/23/71, the selection sung by Rosina in the Lesson Scene was Contro un cor, the aria originally written by Rossini for this episode.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia received fifteen performances this season.

Review 1:

Douglas Watt in the Daily News
?Barber? Is Back; Was Away Much Too Long

It's a little surprising to realize that prior to last night's performance ?The Barber of Seville" hadn't been presented at the Met in over two years. The fact is that the attractive Eugene Berman-Cyril Ritchard production was put in mothballs in March of 1955.

I suppose all hands get tired of the chuckling Rossini work from time to time, begin to overdo the comedy and require a rest. Now that the rest is over, it's a pleasure to report that everybody is in good form and lining out the upbeat tunes most engagingly.

Even Fernando Corena, wrestling so hard with-some kind of buggy that Gerhard Pechner was kept standing at ready all evening, appeared to be enjoying himself on stage in the part Dr. Bartolo. Aside from some cuts in his music, he gave his familiar, expert comedy interpretation.

A Fine Figaro

Frank Guarerra was a dandy Figaro, full of attractive fun and easy in his music. As Rosina, Roberta Peters was captivating to see and hear. Cesare Valletti handled the role of the Count well. Cesare Siepi was a splendid idiot in the part of Don Basilio. Singing her first Berta, Margaret Roggero did well and Max Rudolf, conducting "The Barber? for the first time, managed to overcome my first impression of a heavy beat by leading a dancing and precise orchestral performance.

Last night's was an exceedingly well-knit reading of the gay work and it brought out what looked to be a capacity crowd.



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