Hello Gentlemen,
It's Asian Nicole. TORONTO - It's not so much a case of "a little off the top" as it is "a little over the top," but there is nonetheless, a good comedic clip to the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Barber of Seville. Last night, I was so delighted to accompany my French ballet instructor to the Four Seasons to see this brilliant opera which I had been longing for.
The Barber of Seville is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Beaumarchais's French comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775). The première of Rossini's opera took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
Rossini's Barber has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe". Even after two hundred years, its popularity on the modern opera stage attests to that greatness. Rossini was well known for being remarkably productive, completing an average of two operas per year for 19 years. Musicologists believe that, true to form, the music for Barber of Seville was composed in just under three weeks, although the famous overture was actually recycled from two earlier Rossini operas, nevertheless, we must admit that Rossini was a genius.
What is my thing, however, is full-bodied charm and great comedy timing, both of which the opera’s two leads, Alek Shrader as Count Almaviva and Joshua Hopkins as Figaro who are the best comedic male pairing. The two guys have a kind of Seth Rogen-James Franco buddy-buddy thing going, which makes a lot of the comic plotting on which the opera is based come to refreshing life. Also, both men sing their roles with superb clarity and attack makes them even more valuable.
Renato Girolami actually succeeds in making Doctor Bartolo, a wealthy old man who is determined to increase that wealth by marrying his young ward -- the lovely orphan Rosina, thus claiming her substantial dowry. But Rosina, it turns out, has other plans, having fallen for an ardent young swain, who just happens to be the wealthy Count Almaviva in student disguise. Utterly smitten by the virginal Rosina and unable to breach the defences erected around her by her hide-bound guardian, the love-struck Count engages the services of the utterly amoral Figaro -- the barber of title-- to help in the wooing and the subsequent wedding of the young damsel in distress.
Acting as Rosina, Cecelia Hall, is lovely to look at, delightful to hear and possessed of a wicked twinkle that makes it all hang together beautifully. If the evening went up and down visually and comedically, it never faltered musically, with the promise of that bright, crunchy, overture fulfilled by conductor Macdonald for the rest of the evening.
All in all, this is an entertaining and enjoyable version of The Barber of Seville, and it is one of the COC’s greatest evenings. I enjoyed it a lot! Thank you so much for taking me...as I know my ballet instructor sometimes likes to give me a surprise besides the ballet classes.
It's Asian Nicole. TORONTO - It's not so much a case of "a little off the top" as it is "a little over the top," but there is nonetheless, a good comedic clip to the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Barber of Seville. Last night, I was so delighted to accompany my French ballet instructor to the Four Seasons to see this brilliant opera which I had been longing for.
The Barber of Seville is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Beaumarchais's French comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775). The première of Rossini's opera took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
Rossini's Barber has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe". Even after two hundred years, its popularity on the modern opera stage attests to that greatness. Rossini was well known for being remarkably productive, completing an average of two operas per year for 19 years. Musicologists believe that, true to form, the music for Barber of Seville was composed in just under three weeks, although the famous overture was actually recycled from two earlier Rossini operas, nevertheless, we must admit that Rossini was a genius.
What is my thing, however, is full-bodied charm and great comedy timing, both of which the opera’s two leads, Alek Shrader as Count Almaviva and Joshua Hopkins as Figaro who are the best comedic male pairing. The two guys have a kind of Seth Rogen-James Franco buddy-buddy thing going, which makes a lot of the comic plotting on which the opera is based come to refreshing life. Also, both men sing their roles with superb clarity and attack makes them even more valuable.
Renato Girolami actually succeeds in making Doctor Bartolo, a wealthy old man who is determined to increase that wealth by marrying his young ward -- the lovely orphan Rosina, thus claiming her substantial dowry. But Rosina, it turns out, has other plans, having fallen for an ardent young swain, who just happens to be the wealthy Count Almaviva in student disguise. Utterly smitten by the virginal Rosina and unable to breach the defences erected around her by her hide-bound guardian, the love-struck Count engages the services of the utterly amoral Figaro -- the barber of title-- to help in the wooing and the subsequent wedding of the young damsel in distress.
Acting as Rosina, Cecelia Hall, is lovely to look at, delightful to hear and possessed of a wicked twinkle that makes it all hang together beautifully. If the evening went up and down visually and comedically, it never faltered musically, with the promise of that bright, crunchy, overture fulfilled by conductor Macdonald for the rest of the evening.
All in all, this is an entertaining and enjoyable version of The Barber of Seville, and it is one of the COC’s greatest evenings. I enjoyed it a lot! Thank you so much for taking me...as I know my ballet instructor sometimes likes to give me a surprise besides the ballet classes.
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