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EspañolTHE BARBER OF SEVILLE
'''The Barber of Seville''' ('''Il barbiere di Siviglia''') is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto (based on Beaumarchais's comedy ''Le Barbier de Séville'') by Cesare Sterbini.
The première (under the title ''Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution'') took place on February 20, 1816, at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
An opera based on the play had previously been composed by Giovanni Paisiello, and another was composed in 1796 by Nicholas Isouard. Though the work of Paisiello triumphed for a time, Rossini's later version alone has stood the test of time and continues to be a mainstay of operatic repertoire.
Rossini's opera follows the first of the plays from the Figaro trilogy, by French playwright Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, while Mozart's opera Le nozze di Figaro composed 30 years earlier in 1786 is based on the second part of the Beaumarchais' trilogy. The original Beaumarchais version was first performed in 1775, in Paris at the Comédie Française at the Tuileries Palace.
Rossini is well known for his fast work at composition, and true to his style, all the music for ''Il Barbiere di Siviglia'' was completed in under three weeks; though the famous overture was actually borrowed from a prior Rossini opera, Aureliano in Palmira. ''Barbiere'' was first performed on February 20, 1816, to disastrous failure: The audience hissed and jeered throughout, and several on-stage accidents occurred. The second performance, however, met with quite a different fate, becoming a roaring success. It is curious to note that the original French play of Le Barbier de Seville endured a similar story, hated at first only to become a hit within a week.
As a staple of the operatic repertoire, ''Barber'' appears on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America[1], where it appears as Number 5.
★ Rosina, Bartolo's ward (originally written for coloratura mezzo soprano or contralto but later adapted for coloratura soprano by certain arias being transposed or replaced, and parts swapped during ensembles)
★ Doctor Bartolo, Rosina's guardian (bass)
★ Count Almaviva, a local nobleman. He uses the alias Lindoro (tenor)
★ Figaro, the Barber of Seville (baritone)
★ Fiorello, the Count's servant (bass)
★ Basilio, Bartolo's accomplice, a music teacher (bass)
★ Berta (Marcellina), servant to Doctor Bartolo (soprano)
★ Ambrogio, servant to Doctor Bartolo (silent)
★ A notary (silent)
:Place, Seville, Spain.
:Time, the seventeenth century.
''The square in front of 'Dr. Bartolo's' house''
In a public square outside Dr. Bartolo's house a band of musicians and a poor student named 'Lindoro' are serenading, to no avail, the window of 'Rosina' ("Ecco ridente in cielo"/"There laughing in the sky"). Lindoro, who is really 'Count Almaviva' in disguise, hopes to make the beautiful Rosina love him for himself - not his money. Almaviva pays off the musicians who then depart, leaving him to brood alone.
'Figaro' approaches singing (Aria: "Largo al factotum della città"/"Make way for the factotum of the city"). Since Figaro used to be a servant of the Count, the Count asks him for assistance in helping him meet Rosina, offering him money should he be successful in arranging this. (Duet: "All'idea di quel metallo"/"At the idea of that metal"). Figaro advises the Count to disguise himself as a soldier and to feign drunkenness in order to gain entrance to the house and, for this suggestion, he is richly rewarded.
''Dr. Bartolo's house''
(Rosina's cavatina: "Una voce poco fa"/"A voice just now")
Knowing the Count only by the name of Lindoro, Rosina writes to him. As she is leaving the room, Bartolo and Basilio enter. Bartolo is suspicious of the Count, and Basilio advises that he be put out of the way by creating false rumours about him. (Aria: "La calunnia è un venticello"/"Calumny is a little breeze").
When the two have gone, Rosina and Figaro enter. The latter asks Rosina to write a few encouraging words to Lindoro, which she has actually already written. (Duet: "Dunque io son...tu non m'inganni?"/"Then I'm the one...you're not fooling me?").
Although surprised by Bartolo, Rosina manages to fool him, but he remains suspicious. (Aria: "A un dottor della mia sorte"/"To a doctor of my class").
As Berta attempts to leave the house, she is met by the Count disguised as an intoxicated soldier. In fear of the drunken man, she rushes to Bartolo for protection and he tries to remove the supposed soldier, but does not succeed. The Count manages to have a quick word with Rosina, whispering that he is Lindoro and passing her a letter. The watching Bartolo is suspicious and demands to know what is in the piece of paper in Rosina's hands, but she fools him by handing over her laundry list. Bartolo and the Count start arguing and, when Basilio, Figaro and Berta disappear, the noise attracts the attention of the Officer of the Watch and his men. Bartolo believes that the Count has been arrested, but Almaviva only has to mention his name to the officer to be released. Bartolo and Basilio are astounded, and Rosina makes sport of them. (Finale: "Fredda ed immobile"/"Cold and unmoving").
''Dr. Bartolo's house''
Almaviva again appears at the doctor's house, this time disguised as a singing tutor and pretending to act as substitute for the supposedly ailing Basilio, Rosina's regular singing teacher. Initially, Bartolo is suspicious, but does allow Almaviva to enter when the Count gives him Rosina's letter. He describes his plan to discredit Lindoro whom he believes to be one of the Count's servants, intent on pursuing women for his master. In order not to leave Lindoro alone with Rosina, the doctor has Figaro shave him. (Quintet: "What, Basilio! what do I see?").
When Basilio suddenly appears, he is bribed to feign sickness by a full purse from Almaviva. Finally Bartolo detects the trick, drives everybody out of the room, and rushes to a notary to draw up the marriage contract between himself and Rosina. He also shows Rosina the letter she wrote to "Lindoro," and convinces her that Lindoro is merely a flunky of Almaviva.
The stage remains empty while the music creates a thunder storm. The Count and Figaro climb up a ladder to the balcony and enter the room through a window. Rosina shows Almaviva the letter and expresses her feelings of betrayal and heartbreak. Almaviva reveals his identity and the two reconcile. While Almaviva and Rosina are enraptured by one another, Figaro keeps urging them to leave. Two people are heard approaching the front door, and attempting to leave by way of the ladder, they realize it has been removed. The two are Basilio and the notary and Basilio is given the choice of accepting a bribe and being a witness or receiving two bullets in the head (an easy choice, he says). He and Figaro witness the signatures to a marriage contract between the Count and Rosina. Bartolo barges in, but is too late. The befuddled Bartolo (who was the one who had removed the ladder) is pacified by being allowed to retain Rosina's dowry.
★ Ecco ridente in cielo (Almaviva)
★ Largo al factotum (Figaro)
★ All'idea di quel metallo (duet, Almaviva & Figaro)
★ Una voce poco fa (Rosina)
★ La calunnia è un venticello (Basilio)
★ A un dottor della mia sorte (Doctor Bartolo)
★ Dunque io son (duet, Figaro & Rosina)
★ Contro un cor che accende amor (Rosina, with brief recit duet passages with Almaviva)
★ Cessa di più resistere (Almaviva)
The overture and "Largo al factotum" have been famously parodied in animated cartoons starring Woody Woodpecker (''The Barber of Seville'') , Bugs Bunny (''Rabbit of Seville'' and ''Long-Haired Hare''), and Porky Pig & Daffy Duck (''You Ought to Be in Pictures''), and Tom and Jerry (''Kitty Foiled'' and ''The Cat Above and the Mouse Below''), as well as Tex Avery's ''Magical Maestro'' and Warner Bros' ''One Froggy Evening''. "Largo al factotum" is sung by a moustached baritone, a stop-motion animated clay figure, in the opening credits of the 1991 comedy ''Oscar'' starring Sylvester Stallone, and is also used in the end credits sequence from The Beatles' movie ''Help!''.
1. OPERA America's "The Top 20" list of most-performed operas
The plot is taken from ''The Opera Goer's Complete Guide'' by Leo Melitz, 1921 version, with updates, clarifications, and modifications to its often out-of-date language.
★ Bilingual Libretto (English and Italian)
★ Libretto
★ Excerpts by Cincinnati Opera
★ IMDB search on keywords "Largo Al Factotum By Rossini"
The première (under the title ''Almaviva, or the Useless Precaution'') took place on February 20, 1816, at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
| Contents |
| History |
| Roles |
| Plot |
| Act I |
| Act II |
| Noted arias and duets |
| Selected Recordings |
| In popular culture |
| References |
| External links |
History
An opera based on the play had previously been composed by Giovanni Paisiello, and another was composed in 1796 by Nicholas Isouard. Though the work of Paisiello triumphed for a time, Rossini's later version alone has stood the test of time and continues to be a mainstay of operatic repertoire.
Rossini's opera follows the first of the plays from the Figaro trilogy, by French playwright Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, while Mozart's opera Le nozze di Figaro composed 30 years earlier in 1786 is based on the second part of the Beaumarchais' trilogy. The original Beaumarchais version was first performed in 1775, in Paris at the Comédie Française at the Tuileries Palace.
Rossini is well known for his fast work at composition, and true to his style, all the music for ''Il Barbiere di Siviglia'' was completed in under three weeks; though the famous overture was actually borrowed from a prior Rossini opera, Aureliano in Palmira. ''Barbiere'' was first performed on February 20, 1816, to disastrous failure: The audience hissed and jeered throughout, and several on-stage accidents occurred. The second performance, however, met with quite a different fate, becoming a roaring success. It is curious to note that the original French play of Le Barbier de Seville endured a similar story, hated at first only to become a hit within a week.
As a staple of the operatic repertoire, ''Barber'' appears on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America[1], where it appears as Number 5.
Roles
★ Rosina, Bartolo's ward (originally written for coloratura mezzo soprano or contralto but later adapted for coloratura soprano by certain arias being transposed or replaced, and parts swapped during ensembles)
★ Doctor Bartolo, Rosina's guardian (bass)
★ Count Almaviva, a local nobleman. He uses the alias Lindoro (tenor)
★ Figaro, the Barber of Seville (baritone)
★ Fiorello, the Count's servant (bass)
★ Basilio, Bartolo's accomplice, a music teacher (bass)
★ Berta (Marcellina), servant to Doctor Bartolo (soprano)
★ Ambrogio, servant to Doctor Bartolo (silent)
★ A notary (silent)
Plot
:Place, Seville, Spain.
:Time, the seventeenth century.
Act I
''The square in front of 'Dr. Bartolo's' house''
In a public square outside Dr. Bartolo's house a band of musicians and a poor student named 'Lindoro' are serenading, to no avail, the window of 'Rosina' ("Ecco ridente in cielo"/"There laughing in the sky"). Lindoro, who is really 'Count Almaviva' in disguise, hopes to make the beautiful Rosina love him for himself - not his money. Almaviva pays off the musicians who then depart, leaving him to brood alone.
'Figaro' approaches singing (Aria: "Largo al factotum della città"/"Make way for the factotum of the city"). Since Figaro used to be a servant of the Count, the Count asks him for assistance in helping him meet Rosina, offering him money should he be successful in arranging this. (Duet: "All'idea di quel metallo"/"At the idea of that metal"). Figaro advises the Count to disguise himself as a soldier and to feign drunkenness in order to gain entrance to the house and, for this suggestion, he is richly rewarded.
''Dr. Bartolo's house''
(Rosina's cavatina: "Una voce poco fa"/"A voice just now")
Knowing the Count only by the name of Lindoro, Rosina writes to him. As she is leaving the room, Bartolo and Basilio enter. Bartolo is suspicious of the Count, and Basilio advises that he be put out of the way by creating false rumours about him. (Aria: "La calunnia è un venticello"/"Calumny is a little breeze").
When the two have gone, Rosina and Figaro enter. The latter asks Rosina to write a few encouraging words to Lindoro, which she has actually already written. (Duet: "Dunque io son...tu non m'inganni?"/"Then I'm the one...you're not fooling me?").
Although surprised by Bartolo, Rosina manages to fool him, but he remains suspicious. (Aria: "A un dottor della mia sorte"/"To a doctor of my class").
As Berta attempts to leave the house, she is met by the Count disguised as an intoxicated soldier. In fear of the drunken man, she rushes to Bartolo for protection and he tries to remove the supposed soldier, but does not succeed. The Count manages to have a quick word with Rosina, whispering that he is Lindoro and passing her a letter. The watching Bartolo is suspicious and demands to know what is in the piece of paper in Rosina's hands, but she fools him by handing over her laundry list. Bartolo and the Count start arguing and, when Basilio, Figaro and Berta disappear, the noise attracts the attention of the Officer of the Watch and his men. Bartolo believes that the Count has been arrested, but Almaviva only has to mention his name to the officer to be released. Bartolo and Basilio are astounded, and Rosina makes sport of them. (Finale: "Fredda ed immobile"/"Cold and unmoving").
Act II
''Dr. Bartolo's house''
Almaviva again appears at the doctor's house, this time disguised as a singing tutor and pretending to act as substitute for the supposedly ailing Basilio, Rosina's regular singing teacher. Initially, Bartolo is suspicious, but does allow Almaviva to enter when the Count gives him Rosina's letter. He describes his plan to discredit Lindoro whom he believes to be one of the Count's servants, intent on pursuing women for his master. In order not to leave Lindoro alone with Rosina, the doctor has Figaro shave him. (Quintet: "What, Basilio! what do I see?").
When Basilio suddenly appears, he is bribed to feign sickness by a full purse from Almaviva. Finally Bartolo detects the trick, drives everybody out of the room, and rushes to a notary to draw up the marriage contract between himself and Rosina. He also shows Rosina the letter she wrote to "Lindoro," and convinces her that Lindoro is merely a flunky of Almaviva.
The stage remains empty while the music creates a thunder storm. The Count and Figaro climb up a ladder to the balcony and enter the room through a window. Rosina shows Almaviva the letter and expresses her feelings of betrayal and heartbreak. Almaviva reveals his identity and the two reconcile. While Almaviva and Rosina are enraptured by one another, Figaro keeps urging them to leave. Two people are heard approaching the front door, and attempting to leave by way of the ladder, they realize it has been removed. The two are Basilio and the notary and Basilio is given the choice of accepting a bribe and being a witness or receiving two bullets in the head (an easy choice, he says). He and Figaro witness the signatures to a marriage contract between the Count and Rosina. Bartolo barges in, but is too late. The befuddled Bartolo (who was the one who had removed the ladder) is pacified by being allowed to retain Rosina's dowry.
Noted arias and duets
★ Ecco ridente in cielo (Almaviva)
★ Largo al factotum (Figaro)
★ All'idea di quel metallo (duet, Almaviva & Figaro)
★ Una voce poco fa (Rosina)
★ La calunnia è un venticello (Basilio)
★ A un dottor della mia sorte (Doctor Bartolo)
★ Dunque io son (duet, Figaro & Rosina)
★ Contro un cor che accende amor (Rosina, with brief recit duet passages with Almaviva)
★ Cessa di più resistere (Almaviva)
Selected Recordings
| Year | Cast: Rosina, Almaviva, Figaro | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Maria Callas, Luigi Alva, Tito Gobbi | Alceo Galliera, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus | Audio CD: EMI Classics |
| 1959 or 1960 | Kathleen Battle, Frank Lopardo, Plácido Domingo | Claudio Abbado, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Chorus | Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon ASIN: B000001GGH |
| 1987 | Luciana Serra, Rockwell Blake, Bruno Pola | Bruno Campanella, Teatro Regio di Torino Orchestra and Chorus | Audio CD: Nuova Era |
| 1972 | Teresa Berganza, Luigi Alva, Hermann Prey | Claudio Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus | Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon |
In popular culture
The overture and "Largo al factotum" have been famously parodied in animated cartoons starring Woody Woodpecker (''The Barber of Seville'') , Bugs Bunny (''Rabbit of Seville'' and ''Long-Haired Hare''), and Porky Pig & Daffy Duck (''You Ought to Be in Pictures''), and Tom and Jerry (''Kitty Foiled'' and ''The Cat Above and the Mouse Below''), as well as Tex Avery's ''Magical Maestro'' and Warner Bros' ''One Froggy Evening''. "Largo al factotum" is sung by a moustached baritone, a stop-motion animated clay figure, in the opening credits of the 1991 comedy ''Oscar'' starring Sylvester Stallone, and is also used in the end credits sequence from The Beatles' movie ''Help!''.
References
1. OPERA America's "The Top 20" list of most-performed operas
The plot is taken from ''The Opera Goer's Complete Guide'' by Leo Melitz, 1921 version, with updates, clarifications, and modifications to its often out-of-date language.
External links
★ Bilingual Libretto (English and Italian)
★ Libretto
★ Excerpts by Cincinnati Opera
★ IMDB search on keywords "Largo Al Factotum By Rossini"
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