Rossini - Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Cambreling, Ewing, Rawnsley, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Amazon.com

All the ingredients for Rossini's prime comedy are present and expertly mixed in this 1987 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production: a Figaro (John Rawnsley) extroverted, ingenious, energetic, and vocally resplendent; a Rosina (Maria Ewing) fresh and sweet but steel-sinewed in her determination to have her own way; a Count Almaviva (Max-Rene Cosotti) who has not only the vocal lightness and agility his bel canto music requires, but a fine sense of humor and the ability to perform a good drunk scene. Ferruccio Furlanetto and Claudio Desderi are equally adept in their supporting buffo roles.

This production is a joy to the eye as well as the ear. Everybody looks right for his or her part; the costumes are elegant and evocative of the story's time and place; the scenery, indoors and out, will evoke Seville for anyone who has seen that unique city. It is all brought together and given point and perspective by Sylvain Cambreling's idiomatic conducting and John Cox's deft staging. --Joe McLellan

Description

Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Rossini's classic opera. Starring Robert Dean, Max-René Cosotti, John Rawnsley, and Maria Ewing. London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.

Customer Reviews:

The worst Barbiere I've heard.......2007-05-08

I checked the reviews before I bought this DVD and am wondering if we're talking about the same item. I've seen this opera live several times as well as on VHS, and this is the worst version. Even with an excellent sound system, the sound of this DVD is awful and the staging and costumes annoying. Once the lovely overture was over, my husband and I could stand to watch it for about 15-20 more minutes and gave up. What a waste of money.

Vivace et con spirito! .......2007-04-09

Firstly, I can understand that some people may not like this production. It is "live", raw and different. But I love it because of the energy and verve of the singers, the sheer exurberance of the acting and the obvious enjoyment of the whole cast (even when they have to work very hard).

Technicaly this may not be the best production on disk, but in the end it doesn't matter. If you let-go and just roll with the punches you will enjoy it as much as I.

For me, the highligh of the work is Claudio Desderi's "A un dottore della mia sorte", an incredibly difficult piece to sing well (and he does!). I am also quite biased by Maria Ewing, who is one of the joys of our times in whatever role she choses to appear in

unbearable.......2007-01-24

I had to sell my copy for one dollar on Ebay - I couldn't stand to own it. The Marriage of Figaro DVD from the same production company/Glyndebourne Festival is wonderful so I hoped this production would be as well but it wasn't.

Great actors.......2007-01-22

I can only agree with all the other positive reviews of this work.

The singing is excellent, the set likewise and John Rawnsley is the Figaro I have always had in my mind's eye.

But what I liked best about this production is that not only are the singers excellent (which is what one expects anyway) but that they are (by and large) excellent actors as well. Contrary to many operatic productions where the acting is wooden at best, here the acting is expressive (without being excessive) and suits the music and the situation. Perhaps my favorite is the Buena sera scene where Basilio is being chivied out of the room by Bartolo, Figaro, Rossina and Almaviva. The expressions of resignation and exasperation on Basilio's face are superb.

My only quibble is about Maria Ewing as Rossina. Somehow I just couldn't warm up to her. She sings very well, but as a tempestous Spanish maiden who will attract the dashing Count Almaviva she just isn't convincing.

If you like Rossini and Figaro, this is for you.

Rossini's Il Barbiere d Siviglia.......2006-11-04

Thak yo very much

Your service is all right! Amazon is serious.
For me that is "amazing" because I live in a non serious country.It is a pleasure to know there is serious people outside my country

Best regards

André Schwarz ,

from Sao Paulo / Brazil

Rossini - Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Dario Fo, Zedda, Larmore, Croft, Netherlands Opera

Average customer rating:

Just Great!
Hack work
Marvelously Sung - a Little Busy: A lot of fun!
Bad VHS Sound Quality Ruins an Excellent Production
Excellent performance and production

Rossini - Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Dario Fo, Zedda, Larmore, Croft, Netherlands Opera
Starring: Richard Croft (II) , Renato Capecchi , Jennifer Larmore , David Malis , and Simone Alaimo
Director: Hans Hulscher
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00001O2G9
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Amazon.com

In an audio recording, the distinctive quality of this Netherlands Opera production would go unnoticed, and a lot of people might like it better without pictures. The singing is first-class, with a pert, smart, visually appealing Rosina (Jennifer Larmore), a Count Almaviva who can spin out bel canto melodies and also do a good drunk scene (Richard Croft), a Figaro with lots of personality (David Malis). And conductor Alberto Zedda is an expert in the music of Rossini. But video brings out the fact that, for better or for worse, this Barber of Seville differs radically from other treatments of Rossini's comic masterpiece.

Usually The Barber of Seville is an intimate little comedy with a half-dozen solo roles and a small, all-male chorus. Except for a few ensemble numbers, there are usually only two or three people on stage at any given moment, often conversing in stage whispers. Sometimes, in a plot full of secrets and deceptions, supernumeraries are out of place.

Dario Fo's staging ignores this stylistic tradition. He gives the solo singers a crowd of artfully choreographed silent partners (including acrobats, dancers, and two men rigged to imitate a donkey), who scamper around the stage carrying ladders and sheets, pushing platforms, waving banners, and making sure that there is always something to amuse the eyes as well as the ears. This staging gives a solid visual embodiment to the comic spirit of the words and music, but it wipes out any pretense of dramatic realism. The Barber of Seville does not pretend to be "a slice of life" and many patrons will find that the energy of these added participants is its own justification. But those who treasure traditional staging and the conventions of realism should be ready for a lively but unconventional production. Perhaps they can listen with their eyes closed and enjoy a first-class sound recording. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Just Great!.......2006-06-09

The singers in this production are not only wonderful but they are miracle-workers as well, with all the perpetual "Comedia del Arte" action going on as they overcome the frenzy and deliver top-notch performances in spite of it. The constant manipulation of drapery in every scene was a bit distracting, but the singing and acting were so good that I still thoroughly enjoyed the opera. The orchestra is great, too, and the filming is excellent. Buy this DVD. It's worth the price.

Hack work.......2005-02-23

This production very disappointing -- vastly inferior to to the Nucci-Battle-Dara performance!
Bring in a "famous director" and you ruin the work.

Marvelously Sung - a Little Busy: A lot of fun!.......2004-09-25

While Dario Fo has gone overboard - populating every square inch of the set with extras and stage business - this remains, overall, a "fun" Barbiere.

Richard Croft should win an award for execution of all his stage pranks and physical demands while having to sing Almaviva's difficult music. "All'idea di quel metall" is one of the most eye-popping messes I've seen a tenor have to go through; racing up and down a flight of steps that is being wheeled around the stage in constant motion as houses appear and disappear around him, it really is a bit much. Croft never misses a beat and looks to enjoy the athletic aspects of the role Fo has laid out for him. This Almaviva is a perfect blend of arrogant machismo, comic timing, physical agility - like Errol Flynn with high notes.

Beautiful Jennifer Larmore is not given particularly exciting costuming here, but she too exercises all of the business Fo foists on her as well. Una voce poca fa is thrilling singing but the sideshow with her ladies in waiting is a bit much.

I wanted to like David Malis more as Figaro: a terrific actor, lithe and willing to risk life and limb, but the voice isn't quite right for Figaro: his coloratura work is all delivered in an aspirated manner, most noticeable in the Rosina/Figaro "Dunque il son" where Larmore's ability to sing it smoothly makes his aspirated runs sound choppy and out of tune.

After repeated viewings I've found fewer problems with this production and the Act I finale is absolutely mind boggling - impossible to top and produces a riotous ovation from the audience who have all been lathered up into a frenzy. Great fun!!!

Bad VHS Sound Quality Ruins an Excellent Production.......2004-07-14

The visually stunning and aurally magnificent production of this classic opera is impeded horrendously by the sound quality on this video, due, I suppose, to poor microphone placement and bad editing. Footsteps (and especially leaps or backflips or other acrobatics) on stage become massive, booming cannon blasts that jar the music. The orchestra often drowns out the singers, especially during the second act. I would recommend purchasing this production if you can find a good price, and especially if you have a predilection for good stage direction and excellent singing.

Excellent performance and production.......2004-04-04

This is the fifth opera I've seen on DVD, all of which I rented. This one, however, is the first to so enthrall me that I immediately purchased a copy of my own. I, like other reviewers, found the simple set but constant activity exciting, greatly entertaining, and a wonderful addition to the opera itself. The Barber of Seville is a comic opera, and Dario Fo emphasizes this with action, costumes, and even subtle slapstick. I agree it's not a traditional opera production, but the magnificent performaces by all make it wonderfully entertaining and worth seeing many times.

Average customer rating:

Rossini:II Barbiere Di Siviglia
Starring: Maurizio Barbacini
Manufacturer: Video Artists Intern
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Studio description

HCD 4023 Raul Gimenez, Leo Nucci, Anna Bonitatibus, Paola Barbacini Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Parma, Maurizio Barbacini, cond.Live 2005, Color; Stereo, Subtitles in Italian, English, French, Spanish; All regions.

Rossini - II Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Abbado, Prey, Berganza, Alva [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

I never get tired of it!
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro...
Pleasing, pleasant, but dull Ponnelle film
Excellent!!!
I love it

Rossini - II Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Abbado, Prey, Berganza, Alva [Region 2]
Starring: Hermann Prey , Teresa Berganza , Luigi Alva , Enzo Dara , and Paolo Montarsolo
Director: Ernst Wild
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005RCD7
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Amazon.com

Like all successfully filmed operas, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's 1974 film of his 1972 La Scala production of The Barber of Seville weaves its magic on multiple levels: naturalistic lighting and camera work that take the viewer to the heart of the action; wonderful casting and magnificent singing; singers who can act; and conducting (by Claudio Abbado) that simply revels in the richness of an extraordinarily vibrant and much-loved score.

Rossini's 1816 work, based on Beaumarchais's Figaro characters, is one of the great joys of comic opera, crammed with familiar arias and duets, all of which drive the galloping pace of the book without ever interrupting the plot. At the heart of the tale is Figaro (Hermann Prey, making the most of his trademark theme "Largo al factotum") and the love triangle of Count Almaviva (a lusty Luigi Alva), the willful Rosina (Teresa Berganza at the peak of her mezzo-soprano powers), and her guardian with an ulterior motive Bartolo (Enzo Dara). --Piers Ford

Description

Claudio Abbado gives a commanding performance in this production of Rossini's comic opera The Barber of Seville. Hermann Prey brings to life Rossini's character of Figaro and his hectic life with a terrific supporting cast of Teresa Berganza, Luigi Alva, Enzo Dara, and Paolo Montarsolo. Directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, the film is visually stunning and one can see why this production is destined to be a classic.

Hermann Prey: Figaro
Teresa Berganza: Rosina
Luigi Alva: Count Almaviva
Enzo Dara: Bartolo
Paolo Montarsolo: Don Basilio
Renato Cesari: Fiorello
Stefania Malagu: Berta
Luigi Roni: Officer
Hans Kraemer: Ambrogio
Karl Schaidler: Notary
Bruno Bartoletti conducting New Philharmonia Orchestra and Ambrosian Singers

Customer Reviews:

I never get tired of it!.......2007-02-13

I had it on VHS, I have it on DVD, it's mandatory! And of course I have the same version in CD (some slight differences, some singers are not the same).

I find the overture, with Abbado conducting, absolutely mesmerizing. You can actually see his eyes guiding the orchestra.

The singers? Well, Hermann Prey is my favourite Figaro ever, and it's really a pitty there isn't any film of his wonderful Papageno in Mozart's Magic Flute. Teresa Berganza and her voice are perfect for the role. Enzo Dara is hilarious. I just love Luigi Alva's voice (he's Don Ottavio in the most amazing Don Giovanni ever recorded, the one by Giulini - how I wish we could have it on film!), I could go on forever.

Figaro, Figaro, Figaro..........2006-09-10

Okay, I am biased. I adore this opera, and it this production is my second favorite ever. That may sound like a backhanded compliment since I refer, of course, to the marvelous RCA recording made in the late 1950's with Fernando Corelli as the definative Bartolo and many other superb portrayals that left so much to the imagination and was like being treated to a Chuck Jones cartoon in Italian. But then, that production was never made into a movie on DVD or otherwise.

This film is fun, funny, clever, and oozing with the accurate look and feel of Spain somewhere at the turn of the 18th century, rather than the pre-French revolution era of Beaumarchais original story. Figaro's resemblance to Zorro at the end of the film seems more than coincidental, and that gave it an even greater charm. It works because despite the fact that it was conceived by a Frenchman, written as an opera by an Italian a generation later, and a German (Mozart) did the sequel long before rossini came onto the scene, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle never forgot that this is essentially has a Spanish setting, and as a grand touch, the portrait of Dr.Bartolo (featured prominently in the comedy business of Act I) bears more than a striking resemblance to Salvador Dali's self-portrait, adding a further touch of lunacy to the proceedings.

Production values aside, the singing was wonderful. I found myself singing along through many of the scenes, and the two-plus hours seemed to merrily dance away.

This is a great "Barber of Seville", better than even the sequel film, which is also worth getting. They compliment each other beautifully, and are a must-have for the collections of opera lovers, Mozart/Rossini lovers, or fans of the Beaumarchais comedies. Worth every penny.

Pleasing, pleasant, but dull Ponnelle film.......2006-05-03

In today's age, when almost every operatic director has a mind-boggling "concept" for an opera, there's something comforting about popping this Ponnelle film. It's unambitious, inoffensive, aesthetically pleasing, and generally well-sung. Although there are some quirky touches (like Figaro sings "Largo al factotum" with Ponnelle panning to various mannequins and wigs in his shop), mostly this is your good old-fashioned Barber of Seville, with the good old-fashioned stage business and even the good old-fashioned musical cuts. Too bad this good old-fashioned Barber of Seville is also so dreadfully dull.

Despite Ponnelle's attempt to "open up" the opera, the film remains essentially stagey. The sets are both realistic and artificial-looking -- Seville being pretty terra-cotta land that only the characters of the opera seem to inhabit. Even the casting is predictable. Luigi Alva sings essentially the same performance as his studio recordings of the 1950's. He can't really hold a candle to Juan Diego Florez of today and Fritz Wunderlich of yesteryear (in that magical stage telecast of 1959). Ditto Teresa Berganza, whose pretty mezzo voice almost makes up for the fact that she's the most predictable of Rosinas, without a trace of either musical or thespian originality. Her "Una voce poco fa" actually made me yawn. Would it kill her to embellish Rossini's musical line just a little bit? She sings the whole opera almost absolutely "come scritto" which kind of kills half the fun of a Rossini opera -- hearing the unique embellishments of every singer. Would it kill her to seem like she's having a bit of fun? Ponnelle's fondness of closeups only reveal Berganza's advanced age and her facial dullness -- you can practically hear Ponnelle shouting "Smile! Frown! Smile again!" Most of the time she just looks sullen though.

As is often the case with this opera, it's up to the supporting characters to provide the fun. They sort of do, with the emphasis on the sort of. Hermann Prey makes a charmingly conceited Figaro. Enzo Dara, ridiculously coiffed in a long curly brown wig is a hammy, funny Bartolo. There's nothing original about his performance either, but Bartolo's antics are so engraved in stone, that it's fun to see those same old antics performed with relish. Paolo Montosarlo is Basilio, and Ponnelle underlines "La calunnia" with loud bursts of thunder. Bertha constantly sneezes, so much so that you want to shove her some Claritin. Basically they are fun, but this is the same kind of fun you'd see basically at any Barber performance.

I would be more satisfied with this film, if I didn't have another Ponnelle film to compare this with -- his 1981 film of Cenerentola. That film is more stylized, but it has a warmth, charm and beauty that is sorely absent here. I cared about the characters in the Cenerentola film, even the screechy stepsisters, because Ponnelle seemed to care about them. It also is a truly unique experience, employing special effects that turned Rossini's earthy opera into a real fairy tale. I watched that film and thought that it provided something special, something a staged performance could not achieve. However, with this Barbiere film, I think that essentially, I could go to any opera house and have the same experience, except with maybe less detailed costumes, scenery, and less closeups (which usually don't flatter the singers anyway).

If an operatic film doesn't provide any original ideas, then I expect it to preserve a special, memorable operatic portrayal. For instance, I happily sat through a grainy RAI film of Madama Butterfly because of the tenderness and beauty of Anna Moffo's Cio Cio San. I sat through a grainy B&W film of Otello because Mario del Monaco's Otello was a force of nature. But I don't get that feeling here. None of the performances are so note-worthy that they needed to be preserved permanently on celluloid. Certainly not Teresa Berganza, whose Rosina was dull the first time around and only got duller through the years. Or Luigi Alva. Hermann Prey, Enzo Dara, and Paolo Montosarli are the only performers who are trying. But still, they aren't so special that they *need* to be preserved for posterity in a lavish opera-film. Plus, Hermann Prey could be seen in better form in the German-language telecast that's now on dvd.

So my conclusion? Buy the German Barber of Seville with Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Prey, Hans Hotter, and Erika Koth, if you want a fun, beautiful performance. Buy the recent dvd from Madrid with Juan Diego Florez if you want a more note-complete, vocally dazzling show. This is an inoffensive, fairly pleasant film, but I personally don't think it's anything special.

Excellent!!!.......2006-03-21

The opera is made of singers from high quality and very hillarious
Teresa berganza is excellent artist!

I love it.......2006-02-06

I love everything about this production. It is really very funny and very enjoyable.

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