Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Okay, I am totally in love with the Barber of Seville. We have to watch an opera for Music 101 and I chose the aforementioned. I have watched it at least 4 times, I think. Since Tuesday. Or Wednesday; I forgot which day I checked it out. Anyway, it is freakin' hilarious. My favorite character is definitely Almaviva/Lindoro/Alonzo/etc. (played by Max-Rene Cosotti in this version); his voice is beautiful and his facial expressions hysterical. Figaro (John Rawnsley) and Rosina (Maria Ewing) are pretty awesome too.



Basic plot (in case you've forgotten or don't know):

Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina, a girl who isn't allowed outside of her home by her very old guardian Dr. Bartolo (who wants to marry her too, eww!). Almaviva, when Rosina asks who he is, tells her that he is Lindoro, some guy with no money or rank that is totally in love with her (he wants to test Rosina, of course). Almaviva runs into the barber, Figaro, who agrees to help him. Figaro has Almaviva enter the Bartolo household under the disguise of a drunken soldier who has to stay there. Bartolo is very frustrated with the "soldier" and tries to convince him that he is exempt from soldiers staying at his place. Rosina enters and is confused about the soldier until he quietly tells her that he is Lindoro and he smuggles a note to her that Dr. Bartolo nearly gets hold of. This entire time, "Lindoro" has been making a fool of himself (though the mustache is truly enough to do that) and making fun of Bartolo in order to stall as long as he can. He threatens to kill Bartolo when Rosina goes into a "woe-is-me" moment. The real soldiers soon show up and are about to arrest Almaviva when discretely he shows the officer that he is a count. Then a big long song about everyone being frozen stiff follows (I don't get what caused that--seriously, it comes out of nowhere).

In Act II, Dr. Bartolo decides that he can trust no one. Right at this moment, Almaviva shows up under the disguise of the music teacher, Alonzo, who came because Rosina's regular one was sick. What convinces the Dr. is a note to Lindoro that "Alonzo" plans to tell Rosina that a lady-friend of the count gave it to him (before he says this, though, he is just as annoying as he was as a soldier by singing "peace and joy" and "joy and peace" to him a bajillion times). When the "lesson" starts, Almaviva shows himself a pretty good musician: when he plays a keyboard a whole orchestra plays :). Rosina and "Lindoro" quietly make arrangements to elope while Figaro shaves Dr. Bartolo, who eventually finds out that "Alonzo" is in disguise. Bartolo, who still has Almaviva's note from Rosina, tells her that Lindoro and Figaro plot to take her to Count Almaviva. She believes him until Almaviva comes for her that night and reveals who he is to her. She and the count get married immediately.



The must-sees/hears for this movie:

Overture, originally from Rossini's Aureliano in Palmira

Almaviva's "I'm an idiot" smile

Figaro's solo song (you've probably heard it or parts of it before)

Almaviva's "soldier disguise" entrance and costume ("Hey!...Dr. Barbaro!")

Rosina's "What are you doing here? I'm confused..." look

Almaviva's "music teacher disguise" entrance ("pace e gioia...gioia e pace")

Basilio's (the real music teacher) solfeg amidst polyphony of other characters

Thunderstorm scene (instrumental)



So, yeah. I love this opera, done by these people (copyright 1982). I don't want to give it back to the library, but 1) I'll get a fine and 2) it'll steal too much time.