The Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Rossini’s masterpiece “Il Baribiere di Siviglia” is refreshing and features an exciting cast directed with near perfection.
Most notably, Mr. Sher’s production reinterprets the character of Figaro to a new and exciting level. This Figaro wasn’t the happy-go-lucky charmer found in the original libretto. Instead, this was a shrewd businessman thriving in an age of secrets. He made his entrance on an eccentric and elaborate wagon that was curiously drawn by a live mule and surrounded by a platoon of besotted women. The oversized and versatile wagon was aptly symbolic of Figaro’s keen and opportunistic business sense. Rodion Pogossov, who is sharing the role with Peter Mattei delivers the performance in a powerful baritone befitting this version of the barber.
Isabel Leonard’s performance as Rosina was inspired and aroused sympathy for the poor, young girl locked up by her guardian. The softer Rosina was unconvincing as the viper during “Una voce poca fa” but the rest of the opera was served well by this interpretation of the character. Ms. Leonard’s soft, less than powerful voice was perfect for the emotional parts like the aria she sings during her fake music lesson with the Count.
Tenor Javier Camarena was charming and pleasant as Count Almaviva. Mr. Camanera’s Count was no swashbuckling rake seducing innocent Rosina with his smooth confidence. Instead, he was quietly portrayed as a frustrated young man in love. Beaumarchais’ play and the original libretto give the sense that the Count is a suave player. This production’s slightly different interpretation wasn’t disconcerting and in fact complimented Isabel Leonard’s cool and composed presence as Rosina.
The real show stealer however were bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro, who played Dr. Bartolo. His powerful voice projected well and he captured the pompous and ignorant nature of Dr. Bartolo to perfection. Dr. Bartolo and his servant, Abramagio drew the most laughs of the evening. The bass Paata Burchuladze, who played Don Basilio, added just the right touch of slyness to the character. His duet with Muraro’s Dr. Bartolo glorifying slander was one of the better parts of the evening.
The set, designed by Michael Yeargan was mostly composed of an ensemble of intriguing, movable doors that weren’t so innovative in their design as in the way they were utilized. The doors were combined and separated several times to create different impressions – a street one moment or Dr. Bartholo’s house the next. The characters moved around these doors and some potted trees placed strategically to facilitate the plot. The minimalistic design style augmented well the light and tight tone of this revival. Costume Designer Catherine Zuber stayed true to the period in costume design and Christopher Akerlind complimented the set design with his innovative lighting.
The only discordant note in the cast came from Jennifer Check, who played the maid Berta. Ms. Check was too strong a performer to play the role of the relatively unimportant maid and the consequent emphasis placed on Berta as a bow to Ms. Check’s caliber made the character seem contrived. Her aria, “Il vecchiotto cerca moglie,” while brilliantly performed, was disproportionately long and distracted from the otherwise tightly paced plot.
The orchestra took a backseat to the cast as conductor Maurizio Benini’s ensemble failed to add anything to the experience. It became necessary at certain points to consciously remind oneself of the music. The situation wasn’t helped by the added walkway in front of the pit where a lot of action occurred. Especially in these scenes when the actors sang from the area in front of the pit, the music became a nonentity. The lackluster music from the pit seemed to completely disappear at times and if it weren’t for the impressive singing, the production would have fallen flat.
In all, it was an elegant evening of Opera as the cast brought to life a refreshing and polished Barber of Seville.
Bartlett Sher’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia will be performed at the Matropolitan Opera through February 18th. For tickets call (212) 362-6000 or visit metopera.org
