This year, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro is staging four operas instead of the usual three to celebrate the city being chosen as the Italian Capital of Culture for 2024. The fourth opera on the programme is none other than Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Master's most famous work. The festival is reviving the successful 2018 production by Pier Luigi Pizzi, who is responsible for the direction, sets and costumes.
This production is based on a specific aesthetic concept: all the scenery is white, the costumes are mostly black and white, and the lighting, designed by Massimo Gasparon, plays a crucial role in communicating this elegant aesthetic. The visuals are stunning. In the first scene – the square outside Don Bartolo’s palace at dawn – the characters are silhouetted against the white-lit backdrop, resembling Chinese shadows. Gasparon's lighting is consistently cool, creating a sense of magical distance from the story. The treatment of the plot and its characters is traditional and the comedic moments are genuinely funny.
Conductor Lorenzo Passerini and the Orchestra Sinfonica Gioachino Rossini delivered a sincere and engaging rendition of the famous overture, showcasing the various principals and carefully attending to every detail. The crescendo was smooth and exciting, with a special mention for percussionists Matteo Fratesi, Francesco Vichi and Lorenzo Borione. The overture was thankfully performed with the curtain closed and Passerini, perhaps aware of all the eyes in the Vitifrigo Arena on him, tended to exaggerate his gestures, adding a touch of theatricality. In the following opera, Passerini's tempi were at times too fast and the orchestra, trying to follow him, would lose some composure. Overall his interpretation was enjoyable.
Andrzej Filonczyk delivered an excellent rendition of Figaro’s cavatina “Largo al factotum” with a baritone both powerful and smooth, featuring strong, rounded high notes and the right amount of theatrical flair. Pizzi has him strip down to his breeches and wash in a public fountain during this scene, so some overacting was expected. However, as the evening progressed, this increased and sometimes overshadowed his performance, despite his pleasant and beautiful voice. Additionally, his coloratura was less than perfect, especially in the “Dunque io son” duet with Rosina and in his final intervention of the opera, “Di sì felice innesto”.
Jack Swanson portrayed Count Almaviva with a light, high tenor that at times seemed weak for the role, his voice occasionally losing projection and with a tendency to whiten the sound. However, his rendition of the final rondo, “Cessa di più resistere”, was remarkable. He skillfully navigated the incredible challenges of this famously difficult piece, demonstrating excellent breath control, convincing high notes and fearless coloratura, ultimately winning over the audience.
Maria Kataeva performed Rosina with a bronzed mezzo-soprano voice, beautifully centred in the middle-low register, demonstrating both style and excellent coloratura. She showcased brilliant, powerful high notes with only a hint of sharpness and incorporated them into every possible variation and cadenza. Her high register seemed to dominate her performance. Her acting was lively and committed and, although she may have overacted a bit in “Una voce poco fa”, her entire second act was strong and perfectly executed, especially the singing lesson.
The two standout performers were veterans of the buffo repertoire: Carlo Lepore as Don Bartolo and Michele Pertusi as Don Basilio. Lepore fully embraced the buffo character with solid technique and a great interpretation. He was amusing without overdoing it, always staying in character and perfectly embodying the arrogant, selfish guardian of Rosina. Bartolo has one of the most challenging arias in the entire repertoire, “A un dottor della mia sorte”, which Lepore approached with confidence, handling the rapid syllabic sections at the breakneck speed set by Passerini.
Pertusi was irresistible as Don Basilio, clearly enjoying himself in the role. He used a fake stutter judiciously, adding a simple, genuinely funny, old-fashioned gag. His facial expressions were spectacular. He performed “La calunnia” with a powerful bass voice that never lost its elegance, giving meaning to every word. His contributions to the furious concertati were strongly characterised and thoroughly enjoyable.
Patrizia Biccirè delivered a remarkable performance as Berta, with brilliant and clear high notes in the concertati. Her interpretation of “Il vecchiotto cerca moglie” featured original variations and elegant delivery, despite the director having her nearly sexually assault a reluctant Ambrogio (Armando de Ceccon), who barely managed to escape. The cast was rounded out by William Corrò, who gave a strong performance as Fiorello and Un uffiziale, demonstrating convincing acting and precision in ensembles.
The evening was a great success for everyone, particularly for Pier Luigi Pizzi, 94 years young, who led the cast in several curtain call runs to the front of the stage.
