The Barber of Seville Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

The Barber of Seville

Rossini's opera buffa, The Barber of Seville, has a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Rossini's opera was performed for the first time on February 20, 1816, at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. It was called Almaviva, or L'inutile precautions, and Angelo Toselli was in charge of the stage designs.

The story was based on a French comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais with the same title (1775). Rossini's "Barber of Seville" has been called ‘’the opera buffa’’ of all "opere buffe." It is one of the best comedic pieces of music ever written.

In the story, we follow the adventures of Figaro, a barber, as he helps Count Almaviva get Rosina away from her sleazy guardian, Dr. Bartolo.

History and Past Shows

Rossini was known for being a very productive composer. He wrote an average of two operas every year for 19 years straight. Music experts think he made the music for "The Barber of Seville" in about three weeks. On the other hand, the famous prelude was taken from two of his earlier pieces: "Elisabetta" and "Aureliano in Palmira."

The first performance in Rome was a disaster because the audience laughed and jeered the whole time. Also, most audience members cheered for Rossini's opponents, making people hate him. On the other hand, the second performance was praised by critics and was a success.

On March 10, 1818, the opera was shown for the first time at London's King's Theater. After it was put on May 3, 1819, at the Park Theater in New York City, shows were put on in French and Italian at the "Theatre d'Orléans" in New Orleans and the "Park Theater" in Chicago, respectively.

A Brief Look at Music

People have often sung that "The Barber of Seville" is the best Comic Opera. The first act is fantastic, with timeless classics such as Figaro's "Largo al factotum" and Rosina's "Una voce poco fa." Although there isn't much in the way of musical accompaniment during Act II, the plot twists and turns do a great job of keeping the audience engaged. A beautiful musical quartet provides both dramatic strain and lots of comedic relief in the third act.

Questions can be raised about the lack of music, but Rossini's music is good enough to be easily avoided. Overall, from a musical point of view, it is a joy to listen to and is the "Alpha" among Rossini's works.

Rossini's music sounds very familiar; even the overture is immediately recognizable. The blazing music performances will make everyone a fan.