Tom Tollett reviews Opera North’s The Barber of Seville, an established favourite, but clearly here performed a cut above the rest.
For a work believed to have been written in just two weeks in 1816, the enduring popularity of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville surely now guarantees that it will receive performances for as long as such things as opera singers and opera houses exist. Further, whilst some might begin to quibble about Opera North’s reliance on yet another revival of Giles Havergal’s 1986 production, it is a staging which manifestly stands the test of time, a proven audience favourite which the company understandably will eventually find difficult to surpass.
There is certainly no shortage of things to admire. The curtain is raised, by a period-clad on-stage audience, to reveal Russell Craig’s impressive wooden three-storey structure for Dr. Bartolo’s household, with a handy street-level niche for Figaro’s Barber’s Shop. All settle quickly to hear the Overture, played with customary élan by the Opera North Orchestra conducted by Stuart Stratford.
Gavan Ring’s Figaro brings off that most famous and remarkable of operatic introductions, his aria, “Make Way For The Handyman Of The City” (“Largo Al Factotum”), with dashing panache, here delivered with faultless diction and brimful with roguish charm, adept timing and engaging, comic inflection.
These qualities pervade his entire evening’s performance. Katie Bray’s Rosina sings her Act One cavatina, “A Voice Has Just Echoed Here In My Heart” (“Una Voce Poco Fa”) as one beautifully befitting the amorous attention of Nicholas Watts’ Count Almaviva. He brings off his Balcony Serenade “Here, Laughing In Heaven Emerges The Beautiful Dawn” and the charming “If You Wish To Know Who I Am”, both unbridled Rossini at his bel canto best, with suitably besotted heroism.
Overall, his lyricism is fetchingly memorable, though, occasionally, top notes thin out a little. Eric Roberts, renewing his role as Rosina’s other suitor, Doctor Bartolo, a classic, waspish Victor Meldrew on heat, struggles with his unforgiving patter song “To A Doctor Of My Class” (“A un dottor della mia sorte”), but compensates for this with impeccable bluster and an exquisite concertante line in rhythmically faithful, tremolo snoring.
Elsewhere, Alastair Miles’ Don Basilio, an amusing, engaging schemer who almost deserves to succeed, makes the most of his delicately worldly, “Let Me Teach You The Art Of Slander” and Victoria Sharp’s put-upon, yet indefatigable Berta has her crowning moment with, “The Old Man Seeks A Wife And The Maiden Wants A Husband”. The closing sextet to Act 1 shows off the principals’ astute musical acumen for blending together and grows into a formidable ensemble piece aided, as ever, by Opera North’s excellent Chorus.
Robert David MacDonald’s English translation freshens the recitatives – “This modern music! In my day, opera was opera and men were sopranos” – and enlivens the visuals – (pistol pointed at the face) “A bullet through the head?”; (pistol now pointed netherly) “Or something more brain-damaging?”
As Harold Wilson is attributed to have said a week was a long time in 1960s’ politics, but how wonderfully epoch-making has Rossini’s fortnight of creation turned out to be in the history of comic opera.
Reviewed by Tom Tollett on 7 October, Leeds Grand Theatre where it runs until 29 October, then touring until 19 November, see http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/the-barber-of-seville