Il barbiere di Siviglia

Anyone who needs help in Seville goes to Figaro — the hairdresser has a solution for every problem, because he knows all the heads in the city, is well informed about gossip, and quite a few owe him a favor. This time, he is supposed to help Count Almaviva free Rosina, who was imprisoned by her guardian, and win it over. Gioachino Rossini, who was only 23 years old, is said to have composed Il Barbiere di Siviglia in just three weeks — an opera full of enthralling bel canto arias, fast-paced ensembles and dizzying situational comedy. Director Katharina Thalbach skilfully picks up on the joke of the original: She moves the action to a seaside resort, where a theatre cart arrives one morning, carrying characters from the Commedia dell'Arte in its luggage. Tourists become the audience of a spectacle that blurs the lines between big and small stages, offers many surprising twists and turns and, through the costumes by Guido Maria Kretschmer, not only spoils their laughing muscles but also their eyes. Our young Italian bandmaster Giovanni Conti performs, with him numerous new virtuoso ensemble members.

Melodrama buffo in two acts by Gioachino Rossini Libretto by Cesare Sterbini based on the drama Le barbiere de Séville by Pierre de Beaumarchai's premiere on February 20, 1816 in Rome Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on November 29, 2009