Juan Diego Florèz and Joyce DiDonato have being going round the world appearing in productions of the Barber of Seville for several years. I have seen, on film, Joyce DiDonato's Rosinas from London and from Paris. Also on film I have seen Juan Diego Florez's Count Almaviva from Madrid. So how do they get on together when they finally meet in this production for the New York Met in 2007? It is not really a head to head because, quite clearly, Florèz, as the outstanding bel canto tenor of our generation, is the star of this show. At the end, he inserts the spectacular number that is better known as a soprano aria from the end of La Cenerentola. No-one does it better, the audience goes wild and Miss DiDonato's role is to stand there and listen in amazement.
In London, Joyce DiDonato had her own insertion aria, a mad scene where she trashed the set before the scena di tempesta. She does not get to trash the set here and has to be content with a subordinate role. Likewise with Peter Mattei's Figaro and John Relyea's Don Basilio, they are reliable but not memorable performances.
There is an attractive set consisting mainly of doors. These can quickly be rearranged for the different internal and external scenes in the opera. And a recurring theme of this production is people listening at doors. I also liked Figaro's removing a customer's tooth while singing Largo al Factotum and I enjoyed Rosina's singing her Una Voce Poco Fa to a sleeping Don Basilio rather than to herself. The stage features a catwalk in front of the orchestra which seems de rigeur in opera houses this year. It is onto this catwalk, at the end, that Juan Diego Florèz steps to deliver his devastating tour de force.
If you only see one Barbiere in your life, you would be very well satisfied with this one. However, if you get the chance, go for the 2005 version from Madrid. It is a more original production and there is more strength in depth in the casting. The delectable Maria Bayo is Rosina and Juan Diego Florèz is in even more blistering form. I give this Met production nine stars and the Madrid production 10, but I mark on a logarithmic scale so the Madrid production is really 10 times better.
In London, Joyce DiDonato had her own insertion aria, a mad scene where she trashed the set before the scena di tempesta. She does not get to trash the set here and has to be content with a subordinate role. Likewise with Peter Mattei's Figaro and John Relyea's Don Basilio, they are reliable but not memorable performances.
There is an attractive set consisting mainly of doors. These can quickly be rearranged for the different internal and external scenes in the opera. And a recurring theme of this production is people listening at doors. I also liked Figaro's removing a customer's tooth while singing Largo al Factotum and I enjoyed Rosina's singing her Una Voce Poco Fa to a sleeping Don Basilio rather than to herself. The stage features a catwalk in front of the orchestra which seems de rigeur in opera houses this year. It is onto this catwalk, at the end, that Juan Diego Florèz steps to deliver his devastating tour de force.
If you only see one Barbiere in your life, you would be very well satisfied with this one. However, if you get the chance, go for the 2005 version from Madrid. It is a more original production and there is more strength in depth in the casting. The delectable Maria Bayo is Rosina and Juan Diego Florèz is in even more blistering form. I give this Met production nine stars and the Madrid production 10, but I mark on a logarithmic scale so the Madrid production is really 10 times better.