A trip to the hairdresser couldn’t be more charming or delightful than when your appointment is scheduled with “The Barber of Seville.” You will be pampered and powdered, thanks to the master composer Gioachino Rossini who first penned this two act opera buffa that premiered in Rome on February 20, 1816 and in America, in New York City, in 1825.
Rossini was especially prolific and is said to have composed two operas a year for almost two decades, and, astonishingly, is said to have written “The Barber of Seville” in a mere three weeks.
Opera Theater of Connecticut will perform this most beloved of comic operas at the air-conditioned Andrews Memorial Theater, 54 East main Street, Clinton on Tuesday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a reception by Vina Concha y Toro, Thursday, August 11 and Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m., with a final performance Sunday, August 14 at 6 p.m. Filled with comedy and wonderful music, “The Barber of Seville” is #9 on the most performed operas worldwide on Operabase’s list.
Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina, the ward of the overly suspicious and stingy Dr. Bartolo, who guards her ferociously. The Count, wanting to be loved for himself and not for his wealth, assumes a succession of disguises, first as a poor student Lindoro, later as a drunken soldier and finally as a singing tutor.
Enlisting the aid of his servant Figaro, the barber, the Count employs a series of machinations to win Rosina’s favor while the lady in question is writing him letters of affection, that her overprotective guardian tries to intercept.
“The Barber of Seville” features a wonderful blending of voices that include Meredith Ziegler, mezzo-oprano, as the sought after Rosina, Matt Morgan, tenor, as the inventive hero Count Almaviva, Laurentiu Rotaru, bass-baritone, as the stingy protector and David Pershall, baritone, as the clever barber, with the support of Stephanie Gilbert as Rosina’s faithful governess Berta and Daivd Olsen in a duet of comic roles as Fiorello and the officer.
For tickets ($40, seniors $38, students $34), call Opera Theater of Connecticut at 860-669-8999 or online at ww.operatheater-ct.org. Artistic director Alan Mann will give an informative Opera Talk one hour and a half before each performance ($5). Boxed suppers from Chips Pub III are available for $15 and must be reserved 48 hours in advance.
Watch and listen (in English with Supertitles) to how young love triumphs over delayed plans, thwarted plots, mistaken identities and daring disguises in this rollicking and sparkling operatice adventure.
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