The first two decades
of the 19th century were a period of transition in
Italian opera. The works of Paisiello, Cimarosa and their contemporaries,
whilst still admired, were considered passé in some circles.
Opera continued as the major art form across all social groups
with division amongst them being more by theatre affordability
than operatic type. That affordability reflected the size of
the theatre, its perceived social position in the hierarchy,
the complexity of its productions and the professionalism, or
otherwise, of its orchestra. Each major city in the then separate
provinces that now constitute Italy, some under foreign occupation,
boasted two or three theatres presenting opera. The impresarios
of these theatres were always seeking new works. Once a composer
got known and had even a moderate success there were plenty
of openings as well as many composers to fill the demand. There
were, however, problems for both aspiring and established composers.
They were often required to find a suitable subject, one that
did not offend the susceptibilities of the local censor, get
a poet to transcribe it into verse, write the music and rehearse
the singers, all often at great speed. With his five one act
farsa for Venice’s Teatro San Moise (see review)
Rossini had shown the necessary skills as well as his ability
to write tunefully in a manner that had public appeal. In his
melodramatic Tancredi, premiered on 6 February 1813 in Venice’s
main theatre, the Fenice, one month after the last of the one
act farsa, Rossini thrust his name to the forefront of the list
of contemporary composers working in Italy. He quickly consolidated
his position with L’Italiana in Algeri, presented at Venice’s
Teatro San Benedetto on 22 May 1813, and was offered the post
of Musical Director of the Royal Theatres, the San Carlo and
Fondo, in Naples. It was for the San Carlo, with its professional
orchestra and superb stage facilities, that Rossini composed
his great opera seria starting with Elisabetta Regina d’Inghilterra
premiered on 4 October 1815. A clause in his contract at Naples
allowed Rossini to accept odd commissions from other theatres.
It was a clause that Rossini took much advantage of, certainly
stretching it beyond the limits the impresario Barbarja had
intended when he brought the composer to Naples. In the first
two years of this contract Rossini composed no fewer than five
operas for other cities, including four for Rome.
The first of the
Rome operas was Torvaldo e Dorliska. It opened the Carnival
Season at the Teatro Valle on 26 December 1815. Previously,
on 15 December, Rossini signed a contract with the rival Teatro
de Torre Argentina in Rome for a comic opera to be presented
during its Carnival Season and to be delivered by mid January!
It was decided that the opera would be based on Beaumarchais’s
play Le Barbier de Séville. For Rossini this posed a difficulty
in that Paisiello had set an opera by the same name in 1782
and both it, and the composer, were greatly respected. Rossini
moved to ensure Paisiello took no personal offence with his
younger colleague and the opera was presented as Almaviva,
ossia L’inutile precauzione (the useless precaution) with
the sequence of scenes distinctly different. Despite Rossini’s
efforts Paisiello’s supporters created a disturbance on the
first night and turned it into a fiasco. On the second night
Rossini was tactfully ill and did not attend the theatre, as
stipulated in his contract. The performance was an unprecedented
success after which the cast and supporters walked to Rossini’s
lodgings carrying candles and singing tunes from the opera.
After its initial seven performances in Rome the opera began
to be called Il Barbiere di Siviglia. It was soon performed
as such around Italy and reached London on the 10 March 1818
and New York the following year. It is the only opera by Rossini
to have maintained its place in the repertoire in the theatres
of Italy, and elsewhere around the world, throughout its life.
As noted, the libretto
and music were written and the opera produced in little over
a month. It is hardly surprising that Rossini indulged in some
self-borrowings, a not unusual practice among composers in that
period when even a successful work might receive only a few
performances in one city and never travel elsewhere. The overture
was that used for Aureliano in Palmira in 1813, and re-used
with heavier orchestration for Rossini’s first Naples opera,
Elisabetta. Similarly the storm scene of act 2 (CD 3 tr. 16)
was first heard in La Pietra del paragone (1812) (see review)
and subsequently in L’Occasione fe il ladro one of the five
one act farsa referred to. Elsewhere in Il Barbiere
Rossini developed and extended tuneful lines from earlier works
into full-blown arias and duets.
This 1992 Naxos
recording is graced by a number of singers in their early careers
and who have gone on to be welcome at the best addresses. Ramon
Vargas (b. 1960) is a lyric tenor Almaviva. His tone is stronger,
has more metal in it, with less heady honey, than a tenore di
grazia such as Florez or Gimenez who commonly essay this and
other florid Rossini tenor roles. His youthful voice is even
and true over its extended range and his phrasing is delicate
and graceful when called for (CD 1 tr. 3). He characterises
well and doesn’t overdo the comic business as he seeks to convince
Dr. Bartolo of his status as Rosina’s replacement singing teacher
for the supposedly ill Don Basilio (CD 3 tr.2). As Bartolo,
Angelo Romero, who has sung the role at La Scala, has a well-covered
tone. He acts well with his voice, and if not erasing memories
of Enzo Dara’s inestimable portrayal (see review),
he is at least the match of contemporaries on other versions
(CD 2 tr.11). Similar strengths are to be heard in the portrayal
by Franco de Grandis (b. 1960) of the sleazy and easily bribed
Basilio. He has sung under Karajan at Salzburg, Vienna under
Abbado as well as appearing at La Scala and the Met. His voice
is steady and true and his La calunnia (CD 2 tr. 6) is
well sung. In the ultimate analysis he doesn’t quite portray
Basilio’s two-faced standard, but nor does he let the side down.
The Rosina of Sonia
Ganassi and Figaro of Roberto Serville are both full-toned portrayals.
She has a wide vocal register that is particularly strong in
the lower part of her voice. Whilst her Una voce poco fa
(CD 2 tr. 1) is sung rather carefully, and lacks a little viperish
sparkle, her overall portrayal and characterisation has many
strengths and is underpinned by her, even legato, creamy tone
and sense of style. As the somewhat egocentric barber of the
story, Roberto Serville doesn’t over-use the strengths of his
big voice although he cannot fine it down in his self-advertising
cavatina Largo al factotum (CD 1 tr. 6) as Gobbi does
(EMI GROC with Callas) and which is integral to Prey’s vocal
quality (Abbado on DG). The result is a little heavy. In the
reality of the social relationship between himself and Count
Almaviva I always think that Figaro should cajole and manoeuvre
rather than boss his aristocratic paymaster. Perhaps Will Homburg
could have lightened the textures for his baritone with more
lively sprung rhythms. By that I do not wish to imply a too
strait-laced approach by the conductor in what is after all
an opera buffa. However, his is a rather square interpretation
compared with Marriner (Philips), Chailly (Decca with Bartoli
as Rosina) and above all the scintillating, but heavily cut,
Galliera (EMI GROC with Callas and Gobbi). He paces the extended
recitatives included here, and the abundant ensembles, with
more flair. Although no performing edition is credited this
very full version extends the opera onto three discs, as does
the Chailly version on Decca. The virtue in this well recorded
and balanced Naxos issue, with appropriate added sound-effects
such as the knocking on doors, is that it is only one third
the price of the starrier cast Decca.
The Naxos booklet
has a brief essay on the background to the work’s composition,
an excellent track-related synopsis and also artist profiles,
all given in English, German and French. A full libretto in
Italian, without any translation is also provided. The large
number of recordings in the catalogue reflects the popularity
of Il barbiere di Siviglia. In terms of value for money,
as well as completeness, this well sung Naxos issue is in a
league of its own. It is a perfect complement to other less
complete, but starrier cast recorded performances and is worthy
of a place in any opera lover’s collection.
Robert J Farr
