Scene of the tempest from Rossini's Barbiere di Siviglia in a 19th century print.Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution —http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8424458f. Public Domain.

On February 11, a new production of ‘Il Barberie di Siviglia’ by Davide Livermore and the orchestra directed by Donato Renzetti went on stage at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome in order to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first representation.

Rossini’s work was first performed at Teatro Argentina in the Italian capital in 1816. After Emma Dante’s ‘ Cinderella’. the opera house is thus continuing its celebration of Gioachino Rossini’s works to revive the spirit of his works and understand their historical significance and not only as an homage to the composer’s genius. A performance will be held on February 20 at 18:00, on the exact day of the debut. “Every opera is an extraordinary act of memory,” the conductor said last week in presenting his ‘The Barber of Seville’ to the media.

Livermore used all theatrical elements – not just lighting and set design, but also costumes by Gianluca Falaschi, illustrations by Francesco Calcagnini, videos by D-Wok and magical effects by Mago Alexander. The result will be a surprising production but one that is entirely faithful to the original, said Rome Opera Theater Superintendent Carlos Fuortes.


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