It was over to Opera Holland Park again, this time for Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In its time, this opera was a huge success and it remains popular to this day. I have seen it twice in the last few months, at English National Opera, and last Thursday at Opera Holland Park.

What makes this such an endlessly appealing opera? It’s puzzling quite frankly as it feeds on a very simple narrative: it is the story of Count Almaviva’s quest to marry Rosina. In the space of several hours he is required to jump through many hoops, take on different disguises, to bypass Rosina’s elderly guardian, Doctor Bartolo, who has designs on his young ward himself. 

The story, taken from Beaumarchais’s tale of the same title, seems anachronistic and unrelatable today, and yet it is well worth seeing, thanks to Beaumarchais’s anarchic comedy and Rossini’s rousing, witty arias which unveil the hypocrisy of the society of yesteryear, where clerics are bribed, guardians of young wards are not to be trusted, and gossip and money ruin many a reputation. 

The key role is of course Figaro. In addition to his profession as a barber, he serves as a Mr Fixit to everyone in the city, most importantly, the newly arrived, Count Almaviva, who has become intent on engineering a meeting with the beautiful, young Rosina. 

Figaro is a marvellously irreverent creation of Beaumarchais’s. In the OHP production, Paul Grant made a superb barber. His ‘Largo al factotum della città (Room for the city’s factotum), still makes me smile at my time of writing. His gleeful expression and break-neck speed delivery was a delight! He lit up the stage with his brightness at every turn.

But this was very much an ensemble piece too. Elgan Llŷr Thomas as Almaviva, had a pleasing tenor and good comedic ability especially disguised as the music teacher. He also was a good romantic lead. Heather Lowe’s Rosina was judiciously played and sung. There was an evolution in her character. too, her low, nearly inaudible low mezzo, at first subdued signifying her low mood brought about by a closeted life. When  Figaro entered her room however to tell her that she was loved, her bright higher register came through deliciously. Her ‘Una voce poco fa’ (The voice I have just heard has tuned my heart) an aria of vocal pyrotechnics, famously sung by Callas, was deftly sung and not overdone (Rossini would have approved!). Similarly, Stephen Gadd made a terrific gouty, self-important, Doctor Bartolo, without hamming it up. Most impressive were the basses in this piece, Jack Holton as Fiorello and Jihoon Kim as the crooked cleric, Don Basilio. The latter’s aria ‘La calunnia’ about gossip continues to be a classic.

Comic opera is very easy to get wrong. The Barber may be light in tone, but it is a fiendishly difficult sing. All artists not only sang well individually but together – this was wonderful casting. Some stage directions were a little silly, if not confusing as was the line- up of Napoleonic soldiers or police doing a cabaret act  – rather Monty Pythonesque – but otherwise this production was a joy.

KH

Performances left of The Barber of Seville June 8^th, 11^th, 13^th, 19^th, 21^st June at 7.30pm