Il Barbiere Di Siviglia / The Italian Girl In Algiers

Starring: Cecilia Bartoli, David Kubler Original UK Premiere: 1988 Dvd Release: 3rd February, 2003 Number Of Discs: 2 Format: Box set, PAL, Region 0 Encoding Subtitled In: English, French, German

Article Index: [Background Info] [DVD Review] [Biographies] [Articles/Resources] [Link To This Article] Looking To Buy? Buy This DVD Here

Il Barbiere di Siviglia: The point of a good production of Rossinis Il Barbiere di Siviglia is to have a Rosina & a Figaro who will knock your socks off in their respective arias, while holding back enough in all those crescendo ensembles in which the farce plot reaches its several culminations that the other stars get a chance to shine too. Cecilia Bartoli & Gino Quilico give full-blooded enough performances when on stage by themselves that self-effacement seems far from imminent, yet both are capable of less, & give it when it is needed. Of the others, David Kuebler is an attractively raffish Almaviva, while Robert Lloyd turns Basilio into a memorable cameo. Gabriele Ferro is one of the most intelligent of Rossini conductors, he understands the relationship between the pulse of the music & its dramatic function, & he is also outstanding in the delicacy of phrasing, even in climaxes, that ensures that every voice, every instrument, gets the moment of glory Rossini intended. Michael Hampes solid reliable unfussy production keeps everything moving without drawing attention to itself.

LItaliana in Algeri: Rossinis first real hit as a writer of comic opera, LItaliana in Algeri is one of those almost unsinkable works difficult to get entirely right. Michael Hampes production for the 1987 Schwetzinger festival captures both its charm & its sense of menace, the court of the Bey is both a setting for farce & a place in which the Italian characters are at the mercy of a despot who will not necessarily find things funny. Gunther von Kannens Mustafa is a convincing Bey of Algiers, with all the arrogance of power & the vulnerability to mockery that goes with it. His adversary, the tough witty proto-feminist Isabella, is given real presence in Doris Soffels performance, it is entirely credible, listening to her throaty mezzo, that everyone else should be more-than-a-little in love with her. The slightly effete tenor of Robert Gambill as her lover Lindoro makes him a perfect partner in intrigue for her. Conducting Rossini is not just a matter of winding the crescendos up & letting them go; Ralf Weikert is particularly fine in the complicated finale of Act 1 with its imitations of bells & drums & its complicated vocal lines.

The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is a popular opera singer & recitalist. She is best-known for her Mozart & Rossini roles as well as for her performances of lesser-known baroque music. In contrast to most opera singers, Bartoli came to prominence at a very young age -- in her early twenties. Bartoli was born in Rome. Her parents were both professional singers & gave her her first music lessons. Her first public performance was at age nine as a shepherd boy in Tosca. Bartoli later studied at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia. In 1985, at age 19, Bartoli appeared in a talent show on Italian television; the conductor Riccardo Muti saw her performance & invited her to audition at La Scala. Several years later, Herbert von Karajan invited her to sing at the 1990 Salzburg Easter Festival. At this time, she also came to Daniel Barenboim s attention when he saw her performing on a French television tribute to Maria Callas. Working with the conductors Barenboim & Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bartoli focussed on Mozart roles & from then on her career developed internationally. Posters Of Mozart

Editors Choice: Cecilia Bartoli, Rossini, Haydn, Il Turco In Italia, Paisiello, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, Mozart, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, View DVDology

©2004-2008 DVDArk.co.uk