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Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia / Giulini, Berganza, Alva, Corena, Vinco

Rossini / Panerai / Giulini
Release Date: 11/15/2011 
Label:  Ica Classics   Catalog #: 5046  
Composer:  Gioachino Rossini
Performer:  Ivo Vinco,  Josephine Veasey,  Luigi Alva,  Teresa Berganza,   ... 
Conductor:  Carlo Maria Giulini
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra,  Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus
Number of Discs: 2 
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Notes and Editorial Reviews

Pure gold; a performance that takes wing and which captures the listener in its spell whatever its sonic or other limitations.

The collector of “historic” live opera recordings needs to be equipped with almost inexhaustible optimism. The chances are that to poor recording quality, noises from on-and off-stage, and variable casts must be added the inevitable slips and inaccuracies that even the best artists are prone to in live performance, as well as the inevitable “off” nights. When you are listening live these may be of little importance, but they can add up to a major irritant on repetition. All too often the result is at best routine and at worst a deeply disappointing experience.

For the keen Read more collector however there is always the chance that even the most unpromising recording will turn out to be pure gold; a performance that takes wing and which captures the listener in its spell whatever its sonic or other limitations. The present discs offer just such a recording. Over fifty years old but with sound that, as restored by Paul Baily, is certainly tolerable if little more, it recalls what was obviously an immensely enjoyable evening. The audience at the time certainly enjoyed it – their applause and laughter is very obvious – and the performers clearly had them in the palm of their hands. Teresa Berganza and Luigi Alva made studio recordings of the work but here sound much freer and more communicative. The two basses were both experienced and justly praised performers in their roles and the young Josephine Veasey makes the most of Berta’s little aria. The only disappointing soloist is Rolando Panerai whose exaggerated and excessively free performance seems somewhat coarse in this company, but I have heard many worse and he is never less than lively and involved. What matters above all is the way in which the singers interact together and with the orchestra, and I suspect that this is largely due to the eloquent and sparkling conducting of Giulini. The deliciously pointed phrasing of the opening of the Overture alerts us to this and thereafter we are never disappointed.

There must be serious regret at the edition used, or rather, at the amount of the opera that is simply missing from the performance. The usual extensive theatre cuts made at that time are observed but they are added to. This would be disappointing at any time but even more so when the performance is so good.

This is unlikely to be anyone’s first choice for a recording of the opera, so that the lack of a libretto or even a synopsis is not as serious as it would be otherwise. My personal favourites remain the versions conducted by Galliera with Callas and Gobbi and that conducted by Gui with de los Angeles and Bruscantini. They share the use of Luigi Alva, as does the present version, but above all each of them manages to bring out the very special character of the opera. I would not be without any of them, but I suspect that from now on it will be the present recording that I will play when I want to experience that thrill that comes from being present at an evening at this most delightful opera when almost everything goes right.

-- John Sheppard, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording

1. Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini
Performer:  Ivo Vinco (Bass), Josephine Veasey (Mezzo Soprano), Luigi Alva (Tenor),
Teresa Berganza (Mezzo Soprano), Fernando Corena (Bass), Ronald Lewis (Baritone)
Conductor:  Carlo Maria Giulini
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra,  Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1816; Italy 

Sound Samples

Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Overture
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Introduction: Piano, pianissimo, senza parlar (Fiorello, Conte d'Almaviva, Chorus)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Cavatina: Ecco, ridente in cielo (Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Introduction: Ehi, Fiorello? (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Chorus)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Mille grazie, mio signore (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Chorus)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Gente indiscreta! (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Cavatina: La ran la le ra, la ran la la ... Largo al factotum della citta (Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Ah, ah! che bella vita! (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Canzone: Se il mio nome saper voi bramate (Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Oh cielo! (Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 1: Duet: All'idea di quel metallo (Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Cavatina: Una voce poco fa (Rosina)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Si, si, la vincero (Rosina, Figaro)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah, disgraziato Figaro! (Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Ambrogio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah! Barbiere d'inferno (Bartolo, Basilio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Aria: La calunnia e un venticello (Basilio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah! Che ne dite? (Bartolo, Basilio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ma bravi! Ma benone! (Figaro, Rosina)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Duet: Dunque io son (Figaro, Rosina)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ora mi sento meglio (Rosina, Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Aria: A un dottor della mia sorte (Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Finora in questa camera (Berta, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Ehi, di casa, buona gente (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Basilio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Che cosa accadde (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Basilio, Figaro, Official, Chorus)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Freddo ed immobile (Rosina, Conte, Bartolo, Figaro, Basilio, Berta)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I Scene 2: Ma signor ... ma un dottor (Bartolo, Rosina, Basilio, Berta, Conte, Figaro, Chorus)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 2: Recitative: Ma vedi mio destino! (Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 2: Duet: Pace e gioia sia con voi (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 2: Recitative: Insomma, mio signore (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 3: Recitative: Venite, signorina (Bartolo, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 3: Aria: Contro un cor che accende amore (Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 3: Recitative: Bella voce! Bravissima! (Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 3: Aria: Quando mi sei vicina (Bartolo)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 4: Recitative: Bravo, signor barbiere, ma bravo! (Bartolo, Figaro, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 5: Quintet: Don Basilio! ... Cosa veggo! (Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro, Bartolo, Basilio)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 8: Che vecchio sospettoso! (Berta)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 8: Aria: Il vecchiotto cerca moglie (Berta)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II: Temporale - Thunderstorm Musique d'orage - Gewittermusik
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 11: Recitative: Alfine, eccoci qua (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 11: Ah! qual colpo inaspettato! (Rosina, Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 11: Recitative: Ah disgraziati noi! (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Basilio, Official)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 13: Recitative: Insomma, io no tutti i torti! (Bartolo, Figaro, Conte, Rosina)
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act II Scene 13: Di si felice innesto serbiam memoria eterna? (Figaro, Bartolo, Basilio, Berta, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva, Chorus)

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