[Met Performance] CID:267890



Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Metropolitan Opera House, Tue, March 16, 1982




Il Barbiere di Siviglia (379)
Gioachino Rossini | Cesare Sterbini
Figaro
William Workman

Rosina
Kathleen Battle

Count Almaviva
Dalmacio Gonzalez

Dr. Bartolo
Renato Capecchi

Don Basilio
Paolo Montarsolo

Berta
Loretta Di Franco

Fiorello
James Courtney

Sergeant
Charles Anthony

Ambrogio
Peter Sliker


Conductor
Andrew Davis







Review 1:

John Rockwell in The New York Times
Opera: New ?Il Barbiere,? Starring Kathleen Battle

When the Metropolitan Opera served up its new production of Rossini's "II Barbiere di Siviglia" on Feb. 15, Marilyn Horne?s admirers expressed enthusiasm for her performance of Rosina but had reservations elsewhere down the line. By Tuesday evening's performance, however, an entirely new cast had taken over. With some reservations; the evening was a model of what the Met should be doing with standard repertory ? a delightful mixture of fresh young voices and practiced veterans, all in a spanking new production, full of concern for both tradition and innovation.


The newcomers began with Kathleen Battle's Rosina. The company had intended to continue with a mezzo Rosina in its second cast, in the person of Maria Ewing, but her pregnancy precluded that. Miss Battle lacks that last iota of vivacity as an actress. And a soprano Rosina ? which in this case means the once-common half-step transposition of the two big arias and many upward interpolations throughout ? is against current musicological fashion.


But Miss Battle was a delight. Her acting is cheery enough, and she is a bright, young creature, just as the part requires. Moreover, she sang the music radiantly. Her soprano is not piping thin, as some Rosinas of the past have been. Instead, she brings a full, lyric richness to the music, right up to the very top of her interpolations, and a bell-clear agility in the coloratura, as well.


Her new Almaviva, Dalmacio Gonzalez; was also pleasing. Mr. Gonzalez sometimes sounds stiff. But for the most part this is as dulcet and graceful a Rossini tenor as we have had since Cesare Valletti, and he is a deft actor, as well.


The new Figaro is William Workman, who brings a healthy high baritone, agile figure, solid instincts and a slight deficiency of comic personality to the task. But his skills in this part were seen to unfair advantage, against the pair of Italian longtime funny-men: Renato Capecchi and Paolo Montarsolo, as Bartolo and Basilio, Both have seen better days vocally (although neither was ever primarily distinguished for vocal firepower, and Mr. Montarsolo has more left now than Mr. Capecchi). But both manage the considerable trick of combining broad humor with genuine character portrayal. And they are really funny, which is not something that comic-opera actors always manage to be.


According to those who saw the first cast, John Cox's production has been altered somewhat, especially as regards Mr. Capecchi and Mr. Montarsolo. But it still retains a fine blend of familiar routines, subtle underplaying and fresh twists. The Broadway team of Robin Wagner (sets) and Patricia Zipprodt (costumes) has done a handsome job, and Andrew Davis on the podium makes up for an occasional lack of idiomatic point with genuine lyricism and care.



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