Skip to main content

Il barbiere di Siviglia at Gran Teatre del Liceu and Royal Opera

I saw Il barbiere di Siviglia within the space of a fortnight. And for me it was really interesting to compare and contrast.

The set design: Joan Guillén (Liceu) used big props to dwarf the performers thus creating a comic effect on stage. Christian Fenouillat (Royal Opera) used a tilting sound box to thrust the performers forward, thus leaving the singers to deliver the comic drama. I think the latter work better - as the focus remain on the people, rather than the set.


Set for Act One Scene One, Royal Opera 



Set for Act Two, Gran Teatre del Liceu

The direction: Direction from Patrice Caurier (Royal Opera) was superb - the interplay of the comic characters was wonderful. Joan Font's (Liceu) approach was more straightjacket comedy - though one cannot help there was over reliance on the super-sized props.

The singers: Annalisa Stroppa as Rosina came up top at Liceu with strong acting and an agile voice while Mario Cassi was a passable Figaro: the rest of the cast was ok but not memorable. Michele Angelini as Lindoro / Almaviva (Royal Opera) delivered some pretty good vocal pyrotechnic while Serena Malfi's role as Rosina was playful, feisty and dramatic.

The conductor: Giuseppe Finzi (Liceu) maintained the momentum but there were times when I thought the singers were taking the lead and he merely followed. Sir Mark Elder was at ease in the Covent Garden pit keeping the orchestral playing light (the lack of vibrato in the upper strings during the overture revealed some maltuning) and agile.

Overall? It's good to experience a familiar work in an unfamiliar house, just to see how others do it. But I have to say the Royal Opera's current production wins on so many levels.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hearing the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie

Those of us London-centric folks easily forget there are great concert halls in other parts of the world. I remember as a young kid buying DG LPs with von Karajan on the front cover conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. So as my first visit to the city, a visit to the Philharmonie to listen to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was a must. Ivan Fisher started the evening's concert with Haydn Symphony 88. A light and delightful work. As I'd expected, the acoustic of the hall was amazing - probably a good 2.5 second of reverberation - and much more generous than the Royal Festival Hall in London. The strings sounded sweet and the timpani came through clearly with definition. The audience was then treated to Béla Bartók's Seven Pieces for Choir and Chamber Orchestra: the Berlin Phil reduced in size occupying only half of the stage while the Netherlands Youth Choir took the other half. These young performers (all female) sang in Hungarian from memory - not easy at all - and rea...

Król Roger, Royal Opera

The Polish barihunk Mariusz Kwiecień sang the title role on the first performance of Król Roger at the Royal Opera. Kwiecień's portrayal of Król Roger was subtle and involved (might have helped with him having a head cold as Kasper Holten came and told us after the interval). Pappano did full justice to Szymanowski's lush score.

Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

One can certainly Over Do art in Vienna. The beauty of the Liechtenstein Museum is its fine collection of paintings and architectural features within a manageable space. The building had been lovingly refurbished while the art works and exhibits were beautifully presented. Like Galleria Borghese in Rome, one can spend a leisurely morning strolling through the library and rooms without feeling pressured (unlike Musée du Louvre ). If you have time, enjoy a cup of cafe melange in the court yard.