The barber
of Seville
Photo: Agnete Brun
The ultimate feel-good opera on the Main Stage!
When Rossini’s masterpiece premiered during the pandemic year, the audience was made up solely of critics – and they loved it.
When The Barber of Seville had its digital premiere last season, the newspaper Vårt Land wrote: “Such a good version of The Barber of Seville by the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet in the ungodly year of 2020 is an impressive accomplishment.”
German magazine Opernglas described it as a “hairdresser to fall in love with”. This performance is ever so ready to enchant you!
Captivating comedy and ingenious disguises
The young girl Rosina is living against her will in the home of the old doctor Bartolo, who dreams of marrying her. When the handsome Count Almaviva arrives in Seville, he falls head over heels in love with the girl with the difficult living situation. But how will Rosina escape the clammy clutches of the doctor?
The town trickster – the barber Figaro – comes to the rescue! This leads to bribes, betrayal and comic complications. Will Figaro succeed in unravelling all the knots to save the day – and love?
Comedy and tragedy go hand in hand
The characters all have their unpleasant sides, from selfishness and desire to greed. Director Jetske Mijnssen takes this seriously and shows how comedy is never far from tragedy.
The Barber of Seville is one of three plays by Pierre Beaumarchais and is a prequel to the Marriage of Figaro. In that play, Count Almaviva has won his Rosina, but it is not a happy marriage. Knowing this gives a different tone to Rossini’s comic opera about the young love between Rosina and Count Almaviva.
Fainting women
Gioachino Rossini was enormously productive and left behind an impressive 39 operas when he died in 1868. The Barber of Seville is his best known and most frequently performed opera.
In France, Rossini was nicknamed ‘Monsieur Crescendo’ because his music increases gradually in intensity. It is said that several women had to be carried out of opera houses after fainting due to the intense power of Rossini’s music.
So, break out the smelling salts, make your way to the Oslo Opera House and get ready for a classic feel-good opera of the highest calibre!
The production makes this evergreen repertoire interesting in a way I never thought possible.
– Hild Borchgrevink, Dagsavisen