Not Entirely New

Two very different productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Gioacchino Rossini, on a libretto by Cesare Sterbini, are being presented in Rome by the Teatro dell'Opera. Actually, this Summer there are almost half a dozen productions in Rome and small towns nearby, mostly by semi-professional companies travelling all over Italy. The remarkable aspect is that two different Barbiere are being produced and staged by the same opera house, which, furthermore, last February, staged a brand new Barbiere to celebrate the second centenary of the opera's debut in Rome's Teatro Argentina. ('Rossini's Revenge', 18 February 2016)

The two 'Summer' Barbiere differ from one another and from the much discussed version presented in the opera house last Winter...