Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!
The famous aria from the 'Barber of Seville' - Figaro - is perhaps the most famous opera aria there is. At the age of 24, Rossini wrote the comic opera 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia'. The Barber is a story full of half-wits and silly twists. Whereas Verdi or Mozart in their comic operas also always show a darker shadow side, sometimes even verging on the tragic, Rossini brings comic opera back to its essence. The pure form thus created lets humour shamelessly reign supreme. But then Rossini was first and foremost an entertainer, a theatre man at heart and not a philosopher. The music of the Barber of Seville dances and excites and has lost nothing of its power. With just a tiny bit of imagination, you can hear Rossini chuckling in the background, sometimes even laughing exuberantly. If, after more than 200 years, music can still captivate and entertain people worldwide, that is a special quality in itself.
The infatuated Count of Almaviva enlists the help of the Barber of Seville (Figaro) to bring him into contact with the beautiful Rosina without betraying his origins and without arousing the suspicion of the old doctor Bartolo, who also has a crush on Rosina. All schemer Figaro's plans backfire and in the end they decide to play chess on Rosina. At the last minute, Figaro manages to seal the marriage between the count and Rosina, leaving Dr Bartolo in the lurch.
The performance is in the hands of the National Opera of Moldova, a small country on the outer border of Europe, but with an impressive opera tradition. Situated in the old town of Chisinau, the company has built up a large repertoire of beautiful, traditionally styled opera productions. 'The Barber of Sevillia' is a fine example.
