After the success of
Tancredi (Feb. 6th
1813) and L’Italiana in Algeri (May
22nd 1813), both premiered
in Venice, Rossini’s position at the
forefront of his profession was assured.
You can read about this in my review
of the re-issue of Rossini’s La Cenerentola
(Warner). Rossini was summoned to Naples
and offered the musical directorship
of the two royal Theatres of that city,
the San Carlo and the Fondo. Under the
terms of his contract, he was to provide
two operas each year for Naples whilst
being permitted to compose occasional
works for other cities. Rossini spent
eight years in Naples composing nine
of his opera serie containing some of
his greatest music. In the first two
years of his contract he also composed
no fewer than five for other cities,
including four for Rome.
The first of the Rome
operas was Torvaldo e Dorliska.
It opened the Carnival Season at the
Teatro Valle on 26th December
1815. Previously, on 15th
December, Rossini signed a contract
with the rival Teatro de Torre Argentina
for a comic opera to be presented during
its Carnival Season. This was to be
delivered by mid-January! It was decided
that the opera would be based on Beaumarchais’s
play ‘Le Barbier de Séville’.
For Rossini this posed a difficulty
in that Paisiello had set an opera by
the same name in 1782 and both it, and
the composer, were greatly respected.
Rossini moved to ensure Paisiello took
no offence and the opera was presented
as Almaviva, ossia L’inutile precauzione
(the useless precaution). Despite Rossini’s
efforts Paisiello’s supporters created
a disturbance on the first night and
turned it into a fiasco. On the second
night Rossini was tactfully ill and
did not attend, breaking a stipulation
in his contract. The performance was
an unprecedented success and the cast
and supporters walked to Rossini’s lodgings
carrying candles and singing tunes from
the opera. After its initial seven performances
in Rome the opera began to be called
Il Barbiere di Siviglia. It was
performed in London on 10th
March 1818 and in New York the following
year as well as elsewhere in Italy and
around the world. It is the only opera
by Rossini to have maintained its place
in the repertoire throughout its life.
Under a sympathetic
conductor Il Barbiere di Siviglia’s
tunes flow from one aria or duet or
ensemble to the next; there is scarcely
a dull moment. Given that the libretto,
music and production, were put together
in little over a month it is hardly
surprising that Rossini indulged in
some self-borrowings. Certainly, the
overture was that used for Aureliano
in Palmira in 1813, and re-used
with heavier orchestration for Rossini’s
first Naples opera, Elisabetta.
Similarly the storm scene of act 2 (CH.
33) was first heard in La Pietra
del paragone (1812) (review)
and subsequently in L’Occassione
fe il ladro ( see The five One Act
Farsa composed for the Teatro San Moise,
Venice. 1810-1813. Brilliant Classics.
8CD Box. 92399 review).
Elsewhere in Il Barbiere
Rossini developed and extended tuneful
lines from earlier works into full-blown
arias and duets. I do not know whether
the cerebral Claudio Abbado had reservations
in these respects but his conducting
here lacks the familiar flair and brio
found on his audio recordings of L’Italiana
in Algeri and Il viaggio a Reims.
I at first wondered if this was connected
to the filming being in small sections,
but of course the singing is dubbed
onto the film; this also reflects in
the singers’ visual portrayal of their
roles. Among the downsides of the filming
of a staged production pure and simple
are the chances of the odd fluffed entrance
or note. These may be correctable if
more than one performance is recorded.
Less easily overcome is the intrusion
of applause, often at inappropriate
moments, with consequent damage to dramatic
cohesion. Here there are no such intrusions
or fluffed notes but the results are
curiously wooden. Just occasionally,
as when Paolo Montarasolo sings his
slander aria (CH. 16) or the slimy way
he accepts Almaviva’s bribe of his ring
in the finale (CH. 36) there is a touch
of the natural stage actor that he is.
This is even more evident in the manner
that Enzo Dara’s portrayal of Bartolo
comes over. The consummate buffa of
his day, Dara’s portrayal is marred
by too many close-ups of his painted
moustache and quivering jowls. Caught
in his prime years, Dara’s singing is
full of sap and nuance; it is a pity
that too much fussy cinematic business
mars appreciation of a consummate portrayal.
As with the DG audio recording, made
in London with the same cast and conductor,
Teresa Berganza’s Rosina is rather lacking
in character although all the notes
are well sung. Surely Almaviva would
have been more likely to be besotted
by a more sexy and sparky woman. Technically
her Una voce poco fa (CH.12)
is fine but Berganza comes over as too
virginally bland to have entered into
the goings-on to lever her out of Bartolo’s
house to run off with a young student.
Likewise the manipulation of Almaviva
by Figaro fails to come over as it might,
because, I suggest, of too much film
business. We see too many close-ups
and not enough of the larger picture
with the finer detail highlighted when
relevant. It really is an issue of whether
it’s a film of an opera or an opera
on film. Along the way we lose Hermann
Prey’s lithe acting and movement and
his well-articulated and tasteful singing.
As Almaviva Luigi Alva is wholly dependable
in his singing with well articulated
runs. He does his best to convey the
Count’s ardour and his manoeuvrings
as the substitute singing master are
well played.
Based on the La Scala
production, the sets are very realistic.
The fountains in the square cascade
with water and the rain during the thunderstorm
pours down realistically on the proliferation
of umbrellas. The opening scene is very
dark; elsewhere colours often look somewhat
anaemic. The stereo sound is somewhat
flat and harsh. There is no clearly
defined placing of voices on the sound-stage.
Whilst I welcome the opportunity to
watch an opera on DVD without the intrusion
of applause, I feel the benefits of
a filmed and dubbed performance as found
here is not sufficient compensation.
Overall this Il Barbiere lacks
the fizz that is within the music and
which I would normally expect to be
present with this conductor and singing
cast, all versed in their roles. I suspect
many of my reservations in this latter
respect arise from the fussiness of
the film producer although I recognise
he was well respected on the operatic
scene and had many commendable stage
productions to his name.
Robert J Farr
Details
of the new DVD releases of the Deutsche
Grammophon Unitel range
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan/Claudio
Abbado 
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON DVD VIDEO 000440 073 4039 GH [140:00]
