If you just were out looking for some ordinary easy-to-take-in Barber of Sevilla this is nothing for you. When watching the The Barber of Sevilla it is easy to forget that the gigolo count about ten years later in the story of Beaumarchais's is going to cheat on his wife and try to exploit his right as a feudal landlord. When watching this staging of the opera you can sense all of that. But, you see a pro in action! Rockwell Blake (Count Almaviva) is the The Count of the 20th century, no one else have sung Rossini operas with the same success and done so much for the genre...OK, maybe Leo Nucci then (Figaro). They pair up nice, especially in the duetto "All'idea di quel metallo". The only weak thing with this staging is the primadonna of Metropolitan at that time, Kathleen Battle, who is both boring and sings badly. OK, maybe the director could have done something else with the count's ending cavatina "Cessa di più resistere". It is so rare to hear that piece (usually cut out of the opera because it is to hard to sing for most tenors) and at that stage Blake is really tired so it would have been good enough for him to sing it just standing, not running around and act as a silly divertimento singer with Battle overactingly hitting the piano! But in the end, this is as good as it can be when watching something from Metropolitan - but I recommend another staging with Blake from Turin with Luciana Serra as Rosina (unfortunately just available on CD).
Review of Il barbiere di Siviglia
