The Barber of Seville: by Rossini

Got to experience the brilliant Barber of Seville last night. It was funny and very well done. One thing I really enjoyed was the fact that the music was so incredibly recognizable. The above clip is a Bugs Bunny cartoon that uses the overture from the Barber of Seville as the backdrop. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to give opera a chance.

Pros: Very fast paced fun loving opera with lots going on. Visually you are never bored and the set design was wonderful. Vocally it was a very fun opera to listen to as well. The first act is an hour and a half long, which is quite lengthy by normal opera standards. But the time goes quickly because of the recognizable score and the abundance of action within the plot.

Cons: Sadly the overture, which is incredibly familiar, was not played super tight. I don't know if the strings were having an off night or if they just needed to have another rehearsal or two. The section that was very obviously off you can hear in the above video at about minute 3:30. It should be dead on but they seemed as though one or two players were off. Of course I still enjoyed it but my dear opera companion Penny was quite disappointed. And after she mentioned it then I recalled it too. But it is the difference between a musician and an non-musician listening for sure.

Must See Rating: *****