2006/2007 Season Opera

Gioachino Rossini : IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA

OPERA HOUSE

Il Conte d'Almaviva	:	Lawrence Brownlee
Rosina	:	Daniela Barcellona
Bartolo	:	Maurizio Muraro
Figaro	:	Russell Braun
Don Basilio	:	Tsumaya Hidekazu
Berta	:	Yoda Asako
Fiorello	:	Hoshino Jun
Un Ufficiale	:	(TBA)
Chorus	:	New National Theatre Chorus
Orchestra	:	Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

December 2006	1	4	7	10
	Fri	Mon	Thu	Sun
2:00		X		X
6:30	X
7:00			X

Doors will open 45 minutes before the opening of the performance.
Approximate running time : 3 hours

	S	A	B	C	D	Z
Price(yen)	21,000	15,750	10,500	6,300	3,150	1,500

Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is the most popular of Rossini's operas and one of the greatest masterpieces in opera buffa. This comedy unfolds at a delightful tempo to buoyant music replete with a sense of speed. Familiar numbers, including the beautiful overture often included in concert programs, "Largo al factotum (Make way for the factotum)" in which Figaro talks boastfully in a fast voice, and "Una voce poco fa (The voice I heard a while ago)," Rosina's aria, which includes many coloratura passages, will be heard in succession. The performance promises to be entertaining in every sense of the word.

The setting is Seville, Spain under the Franco regime. Count Almaviva, a young dandy, falls in love at first sight with Rosina, the most beautiful girl in town. But he cannot easily approach her because her guardian, Dr. Bartolo, who is infatuated with her for her wealth, interferes with his courtship. So he seeks Figaro's help. Figaro is a barber and general factotum, who, if paid, undertakes everything from hairdressing to consultation about others' personal affairs, to acting as an intermediary for lovers, and as a hired scribe. The count tries every trick to sneak into Dr. Bartolo's house and successfully conveys his feelings to Rosina but gives rise to great confusion. Thanks to Figaro's quick wit, he manages to ride out a crisis, and after much ado, the opera comes to a happy ending.