Arts

A first look at Miami Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville

By Raffaele Cardone, Miami Lyric Opera

The production of Madama Butterfly recently performed at Olympia Theater and Colony Theatre has resulted in a genuine success in both houses. Lots of emotions, great attendance and beautiful reviews from all paper and electronic media. Daniella Carvalho in the role of Cio Cio San, moved the hearts of of the public with the drama of the young girl from Nagasaki. The rest of the cast complemented with art and dignity the evolvement of Puccini’s masterwork.

Now we are pleased to announce the presentation of The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) to be performed in two different dates starting at Oympia Theater in Gusman Center and Colony Theatre on the Beach. For the occasion we have combined a wonderful cast headed by Nelson Martinez (Figaro) whom you have most recently seen in Tosca’s Baron Scarpia, the excellent Italian Bass Baritone Stefano de Peppo with an extense International career in character roles, our Mezzo Lissette Jimenez as Rosina, Tenor David Pereira as Almaviva, Bass Baritone Carlos Conde  as Basilio and other fine artists in supporting roles.

The Barber of Seville, (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L’inutile precauzione) is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais’s comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775) The opera was first presented at (under the title Almaviva, or the Futile Precaution) took place on 20 February 1816, at the Teatro Argentina, Rome. The opera has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all “opere buffe”. Even after two hundred years, its popularity on the modern opera stage attests to that greatness.