The Dallas Opera 2021-2022 - The Barber of Seville/The Pearl Fishers

8 FROM THE DIRECTOR Ten Things You May Not Know About The Barber of Seville By Tara Faircloth The Barber of Seville is one of the most popular operas of all time. Here are a few things you might not know about the opera and its creator: 1. Rossini composed The Barber of Seville in less than three weeks at age 23. It is considered his finest work. 2. The Barber of Seville is based on the first of three plays by Pierre Beaumarchais that revolve around the life of its title character, Figaro. It is the “prequel” to The Marriage of Figaro and the rarely performed The Guilty Mother . Figaro, the Count, and Rosina (later, the Countess...spoiler alert!) appear in all three plays. 3. The characters in this opera buffa are drawn straight from the commedia dell’arte tradition, an early form of professional theater popular in Italy (and spreading throughout Europe) from the 16th to the 18th century. The characters of the commedia usually represent particular social types and stock characters, such as foolish old men, devious servants, and passionate lovers. 4. The opera was booed (actually hissed) at the premiere in Rome on May 1, 1786, likely due to some composer rivalry, but perhaps because one of the singers had a prolonged nosebleed and at one point a cat wandered on stage. 5. As a young man, Rossini was an opera-writing machine. He composed 39 operas, mostly over a ten-year period (1812-1822). His final opera ( William Tell ) premiered in 1829, after which he retired from opera composition at age 37. He continued to write smaller pieces (and notably a few large sacred works) until his death at age 76. 6. The Barber of Seville was the first Italian language opera performed in New York City in 1825, when famous singer/performer/voice teacher Manuel Garcia brought his troupe to America. 7. While much of the music already has quite decorative passages, singers are expected to offer their own ornamentations on solo arias. Soprano Adelina Patti once sang a particularly flowery rendition of Rosina’s aria, “Una voce poco fa,” after which Rossini remarked: “Very nice, my dear, and who wrote the piece you have just performed?” 8. The Count, disguised as a soldier, brings a “notice of billeting” to the home of Dr. Bartolo. “Billeting” was a practice in which military officers took lodging in the homes of affluent citizens in the cities where they were stationed. It was not always a welcomed event! 9. Rossini enjoyed great financial success as a composer. After his death, his wealth was used to set up a conservatory of music in Pesaro, Italy (his birthplace) and a retirement home for opera singers in Paris. 10. Rossini lived life to the fullest! “Eating, loving, singing, and digesting are, in truth, the four acts of the comic opera known as life,” he once said, “and they pass like bubbles of a bottle of champagne. Whoever lets them break without having enjoyed them is a complete fool.” • THE DALLAS OPERA | 2021/2022 SEASON