[Met Performance] CID:267850



Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, March 13, 1982 Matinee Broadcast
Broadcast Matinee Broadcast





Il Barbiere di Siviglia (378)
Gioachino Rossini | Cesare Sterbini
Figaro
William Workman

Rosina
Kathleen Battle

Count Almaviva
Rockwell Blake

Dr. Bartolo
Renato Capecchi

Don Basilio
Paolo Montarsolo

Berta
Loretta Di Franco

Fiorello
James Courtney

Sergeant
Charles Anthony

Ambrogio
Peter Sliker


Conductor
Andrew Davis





Rebroadcast on Sirius Metropolitan Opera Radio

Review 1:

Michael Fleming in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
?Barber of Seville? More Showcase Than Slapstick

NEW YORK ? Few operas in the standard repertoire have been as ill-treated as Rossini's ?Barber of Seville.? For much of the 20th century, ?Barber? provided an excuse for singers to indulge in slapstick stage business, with the connivance of directors. But as the art of bel canto singing has been revived in our own generation, The ?Barber of Seville? has been lifted on the rising tide that has borne Rossini's other operas out of obscurity.


Clearly, the Metropolitan Opera's new production of the opera, which I saw on March 13, was conceived as a showcase for one of the veterans of the Rossini revival, Marilyn Horne.


It would be difficult to find fault with Miss Horne's singing. Her voice has an evenness that was sometimes lacking in years past, and in the coloratura sweepstakes, she wins by several lengths. But there is no denying that her figure is more matronly than girlish, or that her acting is sometimes bland, if always dignified. She rippled through the coloratura cascades Rossini provided for Rosina without a hitch, and added a good many of her own, which were brilliant and tasteful. But she caught little of Rosina's coquettishness, either in her voice or her bearing. As a display of vocal prowess, her performance was impressive; as a portrayal of character, it left much to be desired.


Rockwell Blake, who sang the role of Count Almaviva, has a voice that is more penetrating than beautiful. But he can cope with the technical demands of the part ? no small accomplishment ? and he cuts a handsome figure. After hearing the roulades in "Ecco ridente" smeared and faked by other tenors, it was a pleasure to hear it sung for once without bluff.


Pablo Elvira was an intelligent and lively Figaro, who used a small voice with finesse. He did not try to attract attention with the usual hammy gestures, but there was no doubt that he was the schemer whose machinations set the wheels spinning. Enzo Dara as Doctor Bartolo and Ara Berberian as Don Basilio were competent but unexciting.


The conductor, Andrew Davis, is a rapidly rising star on the orchestral scene, but in ?The Barber of Seville,? he showed little theatrical flair or knack for dramatic pacing in the opera house. What should be an effervescent comedy with a stinging aftertaste turned out flat and bland, thanks to Davis's uneventful conducting.


The ever-present co-star, which constantly vied for star status, was Robin Wagner's set, a Moorish palace which could be spun around on a turntable to provide an ever-changing view of Dr. Bartolo's dwelling. The first few times it was set in motion, it provoked outbursts of applause from the delighted audience. But the trick soon grew old, and the very elaborateness of the set became a distraction rather than an asset.


Stage director John Cox kept the production from lapsing into buffoonery, but the characters were not drawn with sufficient sharpness, and a feeling of reverential ponderousness hung over the entire opera. Patricia Zipprodt's costumes and Gil Wechsler's lighting were tastefully planned and executed.



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