"Il Barbiere Di Siviglia" at the Metropolitan Opera

Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is one of the most popular operas in the standard repertory. It is a perfect example of opera buffa, or comic opera. It contains some of Rossini's best music, and it is fast-paced and very funny. The Metropolitan Opera's current production of this opera was premiered in 2006.

I was originally disappointed when I opened my program and found an insert informing me that tenor Lawrence Brownlee was ill and would be replaced by Barry Banks. However, Mr. Banks proved to be a superb Count Almaviva. Although he got off to a bit of a nervous start in his first aria, Ecco ridente in cielo, he quickly warmed into his role and gave a genuine star turn.

Before the overture began, an announcement was made about soprano Diana Damrau, who was the evening's Rosina. Someone forgot to turn the microphone to an audible level, though, and it was hard to hear the words of the announcement. It sounded like Ms. Damrau had a cold and was begging our understanding, but I can't be sure. At any rate, if she did have a cold it didn't show. She sang and acted beautifully.

All of the principals gave outstanding performances.

Italian baritone Franco Vassallo sang the role of Figaro with great comic flair and with a beautiful, well modulated sound. As Dr. Bartolo, Italian bass Maurizio Muraro proved to be a worthy successor of the great buffo basses that have graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.

Although Samuel Ramey's voice is not as fresh as it used to be when he was in his prime, his Don Basilio was nonetheless remarkable. He received a well-deserved ovation from his fans during the curtain calls.

Claudia Waite acquitted herself very well in the role of Berta the maid.

A bonus for the audience was the performance of Rob Besserer in the non-singing role of Ambrogio, Dr. Bartolo's long-suffering servant. He was required to do some very physical comedy, and he was a real scene-stealer.

For the most part, the staging of Bartlett Sher was imaginative and innovative and very funny. For example, Figaro made his entrance in Act 1 riding on top of a very large wagon drawn by a "harem" of four women, with his donkey and driver walking behind the wagon. A platform had been built around the orchestra pit, enabling the performers to occasionally step in front of the orchestra. The sets, designed by Michael Yeargan, were spare, consisting mostly of large doorways and staircases which were moved around the stage to indicate various locations. The only time I found the staging distracting was when something was going on in the background while an aria was being sung. The donkey that entered with Figaro also got a great deal more attention from me than it should have. It would have been better if they had removed it from the stage right away.

This was a very delightful evening.