Art & Authenticy

The Barber of Seville was actually funny.

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Without much of a plot, Barber of Seville was not a very interesting story to follow. However, the comedic scenes throughout kept some of us awake. Filled with weird acts and an elongated and ridiculous plot, this opera seemed to be the most random play I had ever seen.But it didn’t seem to make sense to me how all the characters were all high class adults in the 18th century yet they all acted like children. All of them seemed to be making fun of each other as Figaro and the Count kept playing jokes on Bartholo. I realized that this provided some of the laughter throughout the rather long opera, but it didn’t fit in for me. it seemed as though the “love” between Rosina and the Count was won from a child’s game that the characters played. It didn’t seem like they fit into the high class costume that they dressed up in. I guess it doesn’t really matter since nothing seemed to make sense in this opera anyways.

The title makes no sense.  It’s okay, because neither does the actual play.

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The Cat Above and The Mouse Below

An opera, in particular The Barber of Seville, seemed like something that I wouldn’t be able to connect with, but little did I know I knew most of the songs before I had ever heard of the Opera. The Barber of Seville was a good choice to introduce us to the opera because so many of its songs are so well known, appearing in cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, and the Simpsons. Another thing that stood out about it was its bawdy and low humor comedy, which was unexpected for “The Met,” a place whose very name carries weight and prestige. The only inconvenience was the (ridiculously) overpriced food, and having to stay out so late on a school night. Overall it was interesting, but it could have been better planned.

Barber of Serville

Rating: 3 stars

Reasons:

I love Italian food, Italian scenery, and Italian language, but I’m not sure if Italian Opera can go under my definition of love. My policy in deciding whether I like or dislike something is to give it a chance, so I went to the the MET and gave Barber of Serville our first chance at love. Continue Reading »

On the magical evening of October 27th, I saw a performance of “The Barber of Seville,” an opera, or rather, a fairy tale, that was too good to be true. The story line was unreal to me, a 21st Century audience, as it was composed in the 18th Century. The setting is Seville, a “beautiful city and something of a mythical Neverland,” which seems very dreamy to me. The way Figaro manages to keep entering the house despite its security makes me chuckle because it is too fictitious. It even reminds me of Disney productions where there is one evil character, Bartolo, who in the end succumbs to the protagonist, Count Almaviva, and a wise man, Figaro, who seems to know everything and anything. The huge female behinds created by the costumes produces a comical effect but is very “Disney;” they reminded me of the fairy grandma in Cinderella.

Seville

I must admit, I was dreading attending an opera, it has been something I have never aspired to do. In fact, it is something I have sort of avoided; it held no appeal to me. Unfortunately based on this experience I was not proved wrong. Count and Rosalina triumphed over all of Bartolos schemes, love at first sight, and the whole happily ever after theme was so very mundane and expected.
However the entire experience was not in vein, I did find much humor in the performance. I was also very impressed with the skill level, to sing and act as these talented performers did, is incredibly tantalizing. Also not to be cliché but it was just a nice experience, not everyone has an opportunity to go to an opera, and I was given one. Even though I may not have enjoyed it, it most certainly was not a waste. I can say that I went to see The Barber of Seville, and I can forever share my experience with others, whether it was a good or bad experience, as I am doing right now.

The whole idea of watching an opera wasn’t too exciting; it didn’t seem like the ideal way of spending my Tuesday evening. The Barber of Seville, composed by Gioacchino Rossini had a packed house. I would soon learn why. As an English speaker, I thought I would have some difficulty with managing the Italian with reading the English translations, but I was wrong. The actors’ expressions, dance moves, and tones of voice allowed for me to interpret what was going on without knowing a synch of Italian. Rather than fully relying on the English translation displayed on the screen in front of me, I focused on the stage, grasping every movement and every sound of breath I heard the actors take. Maurizio Benini, conductor of The Barber of Seville, knew exactly what he was aiming for when he conducted the opera. Using the semicircle stage, the pasarella, featured Italian theatre architecture. It’s like a catwalk, extending from both ends of stage over pit and arching over auditorium, allowing the actors and actresses to have intimate closeness with the audience. I wish we were closer to it because I felt Rosina and Figaro breathing from where we were sitting; one can only imagine what it would be like if we were to sit there. All in all, I enjoyed the opera, but I can’t say I would spend a Tuesday night at the MET Opera for fun!

For more about Benini, click here

If only I hadn’t gotten lost in the opera house. If only I wasn’t as tired that day. I might had enjoyed The Barber more. The exaggerated motions and the strange sense of humor made it feel like a cartoon. It was like watching a Saturday morning toon, the only difference is that this live action. There are live animals (the donkey), the cast moves the props, and there’s an orchestra pit. A really large orchestra pit.

It took a little bit of time to understand the narration through song, but the subtitles help… a little. Sometimes they scroll too fast, and sometimes they don’t appear at all because the singer would be repeating line. It would have be nice if they repeat the subtitles and timed it to the singing.

Besides that, the opera was a pretty nice experience overall. The opera house was covered in gold and velvet red; the ceiling was higher than I expected it to be. It was a little pretentious but not so much that I became intimidated.

Barry Banks’ high squeaky voice really fit the role of Count Almaviva. I didn’t really like Joyce DiDonato’s voice (she plays Rosina), but I can’t really compare her performance to Banks, because their vocals are so different.

Desperate love – that’s what all the characters of the play Barber Of Seville experience in one way or the other. It may be the notion of romantic love as in the case of Count Almaviva and Rosina, the love and desire of fame and success for Figaro and the love for money and wealth for both Bartolo and don Basilio. Throughout the play it seems as if these characters are puppets in the hands of their own respective desires and passion. It’s these desperate longings that govern the actions and thoughts of the characters and form the crux of the play.

Barber of Seville can be considered a rare masterpiece of it’s time as it presented the anxiousness of the characters to reach their goals through comic means, making the play attention-grabbing, compelling and entertaining in a carefree way. Instead of applying a grim and serious tone to present this desperation, the use of humor made me truly appreciate the challenging task of having achieved this feat. As a result of this at the end of the play I walked home not with a heavy heart with the optimistic and immensely satisfying feeling of happy ever after.