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Il Barbiere di Siviglia is Gioachino Rossini’s most famous work – a comic opera in two acts, with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini, based on the French comedy of the same name by Pierre Beaumarchais written in 1775.
This new production is directed by Denise Mulholland and features Leonardo Ferrando as the Count of Almaviva, Felipe Oliveira as Don Bartolo, Heather Lowe as Rosina, and Andre Morsch as Figaro the barber. Pavlo Barakin plays Basilio, James Agius plays Fiorello and Alexandra Camilleri Gambin plays Berta. Musical direction is by Mro Michael Laus who conducts the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. A 14-strong male choir from KorMalta participates under the direction of Riccardo Bianchi.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia was commissioned by the impresario of the Teatro Argentina at the end of 1815, when Rossini was nearly 24 years old.
Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo, is kept locked in her room by Bartolo because he plans to marry her, though she despises him. Young Count Almaviva loves her from afar and uses various disguises, including one as Alonzo, a substitute music teacher, in his attempts to win her. Bartolo’s roguish barber Figaro is part of the plot against him. Indeed, it is Figaro who steals the key to Rosina’s room for Almaviva. Unfortunately, Almaviva is in his disguise as Alonzo when he meets Rosina. Though in love with “Alonzo,” Rosina is convinced by the suspicious Bartolo that Alonzo intends to steal her away and sell her to a wicked count. Disappointed, she agrees to wed Bartolo that very night. All of Figaro’s ingenuity is required to substitute Count Almaviva for Bartolo at the wedding ceremony.
