FGO Makes an Old Classic New Again

Florida Grand Opera is bringing back another fan favorite – “The Barber of Seville.” The comedic opera in two acts is composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini based on a 1775 French play set in Spain by the same name.

According to Anthony Barrese, the conductor of FGO’s upcoming production, “The Barber of Seville” is the first opera in history to retain its popularity since its premiere. That’s more than 200 years of cheering audiences.

So, what makes it so beloved? A few reasons. The basic storyline is classic: A wealthy aristocrat with title and position (Count Almaviva) falls in love with a young lady of lesser stature (Rosina). He sets out to woo her but doesn’t want her to know up front that he has money, in case she’s a gold digger.

Ah, but the plot thickens. She, of course, is not immediately available, as she’s the ward of an older man who’s intent on marrying her when she becomes of age, seeing that she’s worth some money herself. For Almaviva to get around this obstacle and proceed with his plan to romance the girl under her guardian’s nose, he recruits a scheming intermediary from his past, Figaro the barber. The machinations required to provide the disguised count with access to Rosina results in a perfect comedic romp that makes this opera endure. It can range from being just funny to purely slapstick.

“It’s very funny, really, really funny. It’s not just funny situationally, but even the music is funny. A lot of this goes back to Rossini’s sense of rhythm,” said Barrese. “It gets more and more frenzied and hysterical. You’re almost being assaulted by the music. It’s like a roller coaster. It’s very thrilling but very exhausting in a very satisfying way.”

Barrese told the Biscayne Times he saw “Barber of Seville” as a teenager at a time when all he knew was pop music and rock and roll.

“It completely captivated me. There is a sense of urgency in Rossini’s music that I’ve not found in any composer,” said Barrese. “[Barber] has this rhythmic driving force that is so infectious and blankets [Rossini’s] entire opera and all his music.”

Despite the opera’s title, the real protagonist of this story isn’t the barber at all, but Almaviva. FGO’s Almaviva is star tenor Michele Angelini, who’s been cast in the role at least a dozen times.

“The most fun that I have is when I get to overdo the silly things,” said Angelini.

Sometimes the count is portrayed as naïve and completely dependent on Figaro, while other times the count is hyper aware that the barber is just a con man who he’s using for his own devices.

“I think I prefer [Almaviva] as more hyper intelligent and hype aware,” Angelini said. “He’s so above it all because even if he gets caught, nothing will happen to him because he’s so privileged … It’s just a game.”

What kind of direction Angelini receives regarding the portrayal of his character in this FGO production is anyone’s guess. When the Times caught up with him, the cast was only on day two of rehearsals.

What we do know is that the production will include an aria near the end of the production that was frequently cut for decades because the tenors of the day couldn’t do it justice.

“It’s definitely a challenging piece, not vocally for me personally … The challenge is when it happens. Everything suddenly stops and you have to deliver an eight-minute-long scene,” said Angelini, a bel canto specialist who asserts it’s all about pacing yourself for that big finish, which can get tricky the more physical a production becomes.

Other surprises include two short substitute arias: from Tancredi, “Di tanti palpiti,” and another by a composer and singer named Manuel García. He premiered Almaviva, and FGO is using an aria he wrote for his one-person Spanish opera “El poeta calculista” called “Yo que soy contrabandista.” Stage director Matt Cooksey thought it made sense to bring more Spanish into the show for a South Florida audience so it could be a little bit more authentic to Seville.

Keeping it Fresh

For opera fans who have seen “Barber of Seville” before, if not repeatedly, keeping it fresh can be an arduous task. Barrese says reinventing “Barber” is difficult because musicians and singers frequently stick to or copy what he calls “traditions” that have been developed over the decades by repeatedly listening to recordings of past performances, although Rossini wrote no such direction in the original score.

“There are traditions everybody does that you don’t have to do. I call them barnacles,” said Barrese. “The challenge is scraping off these barnacles to keep it fresh. I question every inherited tradition. It’s hard to do that … hard to unlearn them.”

So, when you come to see this “Barber of Seville,” don’t expect it to be like a performance you may have experienced before.

“It will be different. I want it unique to this cast. I want to bring fresh improvisation to the piece,” Barrese said. “Rossini changed things based on the singers he had. He never wanted his score to be a sacred text, but a blueprint for an interpretation.”

The production runs April 29-30 and May 2 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and May 18 and 20 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range between $21-$230 depending on venue and seat location and may be purchased at FGO.org or by calling the box office at 800.741.1010.