![]() ![]() ![]() In The Barber of Seville, Count Almaviva (tenor and former SFO apprentice Jack Swanson) sees a beautiful girl, Rosina (soprano and former SFO apprentice Emily Fons), disguises himself as a student (he wants to be loved for himself) and follows her to Seville. ![]() ![]() Widely regarded as one of the most popular operas of all time, Rossini’s opera buffa-comic opera-has been in near constant rotation since its rocky premiere in 1816.īut even those who have not seen The Barber of Seville before will recognize much of its music from popular culture, such as the aria “Largo al factotum” in a Tom & Jerry cartoon and the 1950s-era, “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II: ‘Rabbit of Seville.’” The overture appears in numerous films and even makes its way onto a Seinfeld episode ( “The Barber,” naturally).įor this production, to quote Prezant again, “fun is the watchword.” From start to finish, the inventive use of set and costumes the skill and energy of the ensemble cast and a high-octane orchestra under the direction of conductor Iván López-Reynoso, making a fantastic US debut, coalesce into three fast-moving hours of two acts filled with hilarity and extraordinary performances.Ī little back story: The Barber of Seville is the first of three plays written in 1775 by French author/watchmaker/spy Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais concerning Figaro, all of which were adopted into operas (SFO’s 2021 season included Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro the third, The Guilty Mother, by composer Darius Milhaud, from the late 1960s gets a lot less play). In his prelude talk for the July 2 opening night of The Barber of Seville, opera lecturer Oliver Prezant began by asking attendees how many times they had seen Gioachino Rossini’s opera: One? Two? Six? ![]()
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