Stars: Cecilia Bartoli, David Kubler, Gino Quilico, Stuttgart Radio SO, Doris Soffel

Summary: Rossini's 'Barber Of Seville' performed at the Schwetzinger Festpiele in 1988 under the musical direction of Gabrielle Ferro. Rossini's 'The Italian In Algiers', which was premiered when he was only 21 in 1813, is performed at the Zurich Opera House.

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Il Barbiere di Siviglia:The point of a good production of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Sivigliais to have a Rosina and a Figaro who will knock your socks off in their respective arias, while holding back enough in all those crescendo ensembles in which the farce plot reaches its several culminations that the other stars get a chance to shine too. Cecilia Bartoli and Gino Quilico give full-blooded enough performances when on stage by themselves that self-effacement seems far from imminent, yet both are capable of less, and give it when it is needed. Of the others, David Kuebler is an attractively raffish Almaviva, while Robert Lloyd turns Basilio into a memorable cameo. Gabriele Ferro is one of the most intelligent of Rossini conductors--he understands the relationship between the pulse of the music and its dramatic function, and he is also outstanding in the delicacy of phrasing, even in climaxes, that ensures that every voice, every instrument, gets the moment of glory Rossini intended. Michael Hampe's solid reliable unfussy production keeps everything moving without drawing attention to itself.

L'Italiana in Algeri:Rossini's first real hit as a writer of comic opera, L'Italiana in Algeriis one of those almost unsinkable works difficult to get entirely right. Michael Hampe's production for the 1987 Schwetzinger festival captures both its charm and its sense of menace--the court of the Bey is both a setting for farce and a place in which the Italian characters are at the mercy of a despot who will not necessarily find things funny. Gunther von Kannen's Mustafa is a convincing Bey of Algiers, with all the arrogance of power and the vulnerability to mockery that goes with it. His adversary, the tough witty proto-feminist Isabella, is given real presence in Doris Soffel's performance--it is entirely credible, listening to her throaty mezzo, that everyone else should be more-than-a-little in love with her. The slightly effete tenor of Robert Gambill as her lover Lindoro makes him a perfect partner in intrigue for her. Conducting Rossini is not just a matter of winding the crescendos up and letting them go; Ralf Weikert is particularly fine in the complicated finale of Act 1 with its imitations ofbells and drums and its complicated vocal lines. --Roz Kaveney

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Subtitles:	English, French, German
Year:	1988
Release Date:	February 3, 2003
Runtime:	274 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	100 932
Keywords:	Music, Girl, Barber, Seville, Barbiere, Siviglia, Opera, Two, Works, Italian, Stage, Algiers, Di, Classical, Rossini, Performing, Operetta, Discs, Il, Arts, L'italiana, Algeri
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts