Met’s terrific “Barber” cast serves up a riotous evening of Rossini
Opera companies simply do not stage enough comic operas. The fact that comedy is much harder to pull off than tragedy accounts for some of that relative neglect—even though the comedies in the repertoire contain some of the greatest opera scores ever written.
One of those is, of course, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, which is not just one of the greatest comic operas but one of the greatest operas. The Metropolitan Opera has a terrific production from Bartlett Sher in its rotation, and returned it to the stage Tuesday night. It’s superb all around, an evening that’s not just a fine performance but an ideal opera experience for audiences and singers alike.
This run is getting a generous dozen performances, so there are plenty of chances to catch it, and the Met is using two different casts. Onstage opening night, and performing through May 8, were baritone Davide Luciano as Figaro, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Rosina, tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva, baritone Nicola Alaimo as Doctor Bartolo, and bass Alexander Vinogradov as Don Basilio. Giacomo Sagripanti, making his Met debut, conducts the entire run.
This is an excellent cast and everyone was having a good time, hamming it up just enough while delivering outstanding vocal performances.
Luciano is a terrific Figaro, with a rich, penetrating voice that combines with his stage manner to project the confident, good-natured virility that is the character. His “Largo al factotum della città,” the first of several highlights of the night, was full of swagger and style, and he struck a knowing pose and took a charming bow during the applause that followed—an old-school opera experience in the best sense.
That engaging informality extends to the staging, as the production has a platform that extends from the stage and rims the pit, with footlights. The singers frequently stroll out onto it and address the audience—not the other characters—directly and from an exciting proximity.
Leonard is always a Met favorite, and her performance Tuesday showed why. There is such easy beauty to her voice and to her stage manner. She has a light touch with her tone and phrasing that is just right for comedy while also displaying substantial feeling. Every ensemble and aria was at a high level all night, “Contro un cor” stood out for her articulation and gracefulness, switching between the mercurial moods and thoughts in the music.
Brownlee was perhaps the star of the show. This part can be done in many different ways, and a kind of silliness is common. Brownlee was sheer, boyish enthusiasm, which grew infectious. The Count not only has a lot of music to sing, but it’s often very, very difficult, with long passages that require sustained breath support of virtuosic articulation of fast arpeggiations. He not only handled it all technically, with a warm, piping sound in “Ecco, ridente in cielo,” but seemed to get more relaxed and funnier—as the mustachioed pretend-drunk soldier in Act I, then a mini-me version of Don Basilio in Act II—and an even stronger and smoother singer as the night went along. He was light-footed and good-natured all night, moving quickly from broad comedy to sincerity.
Alaimo came close to stealing the show as Bartolo. His imposing presence and size of his voice contained tremendous vocal agility, it was thrilling to hear the velocity of his articulation coming through such a low range. The bass Vinogradov was a relaxed, goofy Basilio, unburdened by conscience and upfront about going with whoever paid him the most. His great comic aria, “La calunnia è un venticello,” was wonderful, as he sang about the virtues of slander.
Even the small role of the governess Berta gets an aria, and it’s one of the best in the opera. Soprano Kathleen O’Mara made her debut at the Met Tuesday, and her “Il vecchiotto cerca moglie” in Act II had a brilliant sound and energy. Everything was strong all the way down to bass Jonghyun Park’s officer, shaking with nerves every time he realized he was facing someone with a superior rank.
Sagripanti made an impressive debut. He showed his approach immediately in the Overture, taking the flow of the music and underlining its strengths, relaxed and warm, and then taking the fast music and letting it fly. Energy and direction felt just right all night, and there was the feeling that the orchestra was making music along with the singers, especially in the quick passages with overflowing staccato vocal articulation.
Sher’s staging pushes the slapstick possibilities of the opera, and it’s great fun. Jay Dunn as Ambrogio (in his Met debut), Bartolo’s manservant, is alternately creeping around, suffering mishaps, or asleep and serving as a human prop. The set is mostly made up of a bunch of doorways that are wheeled around in various configurations for the dashing in and out, like in a Depression- era comedy. The excellent costumes by Catherine Zuber feature some incredible hats for the men.
In a fantastic conceptual joke, Act I ends with a giant anvil dropping onto the stage as the characters sing about how their heads are pounding from all the frantic confusion. It also connects Il Barbiere back to Looney Tunes and Chuck Jones’ classic opera cartoon adaptation, Rabbit of Seville. Differences in eras and mediums don’t matter, comedy is eternal.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia continues through June 5. metopera.org
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