It’s been nearly a decade since Arizona Opera mounted Rossini’s masterpiece “The Barber of Seville,” a piece you find on the company’s lineup every eight to 10 years.
And it’s not just that the work is fantastic and beloved; it is both of those things.
“Barber” is on virtually everyone’s Top 10 most popular/most performed operas worldwide alongside Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
But Arizona Opera has history with “Barber” that goes back literally to the company’s beginnings. In the inaugural 1972-73 season, the then Tucson Opera Company introduced itself with two performances of “Barber of Seville.” And almost like clockwork, it’s brought the work back every decade since.
The last time we saw “Barber” on the Tucson Music Hall stage was in 2009, so here are three things to remind us why it’s worth three hours of our Saturday night/Sunday afternoon.
- The story: It’s often been called the prequel to Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” (Marriage of Figaro). In Rossini’s opera buffa, Figaro is the barber caught in the middle of a plot to win the heart of the young maiden Rosina for the handsome Count Almaviva by ridiculing her guardian Dr. Bartolo. (Ironically the premise of this story — an older man with authority over a younger woman betrays her trust — wouldn’t pass the smell test in today’s #metoo climate.)
- Figaro is the grand plot master, weaving a hilarious plan that involves mistaken identity and all its incumbent twists and turns and complications to the backdrop of Rossini’s wonderful music.
- It’s funny: If you want to know the original inspiration/template for modern day sitcoms going back to Lucille Ball, check out “Barber of Seville” — and “Marriage of Figaro,” for that matter. Both involve these ridiculously silly and simple ideas — mistaken identity and deceit all in the name of love — that get totally tangled.
- The music: Rossini’s overture is one of the most recognized works in classical music and opera thanks in large part to the numerous ways in which it has been co-opted by everyone from Bugs Bunny to Pampers. Feel free to hum along, courtesy a capella duo Mirko Conti and Julie Gaulke: “Dm dm dm dm dm / Doo doo doo doo / Dm dm dm dm / Doo dlee doodlee doodleee doo / Bah bah bah bah bah bah / Bah yah bah yah bah yah bah / Did dlee bm dm dm dm / Bah dah pah pah bah dah / Bid-l-id l up pah pah / Mmn mmn mmn / Doo doo doo / Tid dlee poo / Dang dang dang..... Bllllll.” (Check out tucson.com/music to see the pair’s video; it’ll make more sense.)
