Gioacchino Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia - The Barber Of Seville

The Netherlands Opera

For his first opera production, Dario Fo, the theater director known for his brilliant wit, chose to stage Rossini's comedy The Barber of Seville as a joyful carnival for the Netherlands Opera.First mounted in 1987, it was a huge success, and a live recording of its revival in May 1992, the 200th anniversary of Rossini's birth, has been made.

Fo has said that "Rossini is the musician of eating and love.He composes music rich in herbs and aromas, in which you find olives, tomatoes, fish, grapes, roses and rosemary, sheets and tablecloths, dry wine and the laughter of girls."His Barbiere is a joyful carnival.During the overture, he fills the stage with carnival revellers, and immediately the commedia dell'arte origins of opera buffa are restored.Visual theatrics abound, never at the expense of the music, but high-lighting it, engaging the eye as well as the ear.Fo addresses the heart more than the intellect, and Rossini's comedy comes up dazzling and vital.