In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.
Carlo Maria Giulini (1914–2005) was without question, along with fellow Italians Arturo Toscanini, Victor de Sabata and Guido Cantelli, one of the greatest conductors of his generation. His opera performances at Covent Garden were landmarks for the Company, notably Verdi's Don Carlos, Falstaff, Il trovatore and La Traviata.
This 1960 performance of Rossini's sparkling Il barbiere di Siviglia features a stellar cast consisting of a youthful Teresa Berganza as Rosina and Luigi Alva as The Count, who had been asked by Giulini immediately after his 1955 debut at La Scala, Milan, to sing the Count in a legendary La Scala production headed by Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. This was his Covent Garden debut. The baritone Rolando Panerai as Figaro had been a stalwart of La Scala since 1951, while Fernando Corena as Dr Bartolo was making his Covent Garden debut but was already a major international figure. He had sung regularly at the Metropolitan Opera since 1954.
The critic of The Times said of Berganza’s Rosina, ‘She is young, vivacious and Spanish. What more can anyone ask of Rosina?’ Equally excellent was his report on Alva’s Count, which he described as being ‘acted with gusto and resource and without a rough note in his voice’. The result was once again brilliant: ‘…this too was an ideal characterisation in music’. Panerai’s Figaro was notable for ‘a fine voice of ample power and easy delivery, versatile in inflection and infectious in comedy’. Corena was also felt to be in ‘commanding voice’, and Vinco’s singing was ‘sardonic enough for anything’.
This is a very rare recording which has never appeared commercially before.
Gioachino Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)
Overture
Act I Scene 1: Introduction: Piano, pianissimo, senza parlar (Fiorello, Conte d'Almaviva, Chorus)
Act I Scene 1: Cavatina: Ecco, ridente in cielo (Conte d'Almaviva)
Act I Scene 1: Introduction: Ehi, Fiorello? (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Chorus)
Act I Scene 1: Mille grazie, mio signore (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Chorus)
Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Gente indiscreta! (Conte d'Almaviva, Fiorello, Figaro)
Act I Scene 1: Cavatina: La ran la le ra, la ran la la … Largo al factotum della citta (Figaro)
Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Ah, ah! che bella vita! (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act I Scene 1: Canzone: Se il mio nome saper voi bramate (Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Figaro)
Act I Scene 1: Recitative: Oh cielo! (Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro)
Act I Scene 1: Duet: All'idea di quel metallo (Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro)
Act I Scene 2: Cavatina: Una voce poco fa (Rosina)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Si, si, la vincero (Rosina, Figaro)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah, disgraziato Figaro! (Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Ambrogio)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah! Barbiere d'inferno (Bartolo, Basilio)
Act I Scene 2: Aria: La calunnia e un venticello (Basilio)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ah! Che ne dite? (Bartolo, Basilio)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ma bravi! Ma benone! (Figaro, Rosina)
Act I Scene 2: Duet: Dunque io son (Figaro, Rosina)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Ora mi sento meglio (Rosina, Bartolo)
Act I Scene 2: Aria: A un dottor della mia sorte (Bartolo)
Act I Scene 2: Recitative: Finora in questa camera (Berta, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Ehi, di casa, buona gente (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Basilio)
Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Che cosa accadde (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo, Rosina, Berta, Basilio, Figaro, Official, Chorus)
Act I Scene 2: Finale I: Freddo ed immobile (Rosina, Conte, Bartolo, Figaro, Basilio, Berta)
Act I Scene 2: Ma signor … ma un dottor (Bartolo, Rosina, Basilio, Berta, Conte, Figaro, Chorus)
Act II Scene 2: Recitative: Ma vedi mio destino! (Bartolo)
Act II Scene 2: Duet: Pace e gioia sia con voi (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo)
Act II Scene 2: Recitative: Insomma, mio signore (Conte d'Almaviva, Bartolo)
Act II Scene 3: Recitative: Venite, signorina (Bartolo, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act II Scene 3: Aria: Contro un cor che accende amore (Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act II Scene 3: Recitative: Bella voce! Bravissima! (Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Bartolo)
Act II Scene 3: Aria: Quando mi sei vicina (Bartolo)
Act II Scene 4: Recitative: Bravo, signor barbiere, ma bravo! (Bartolo, Figaro, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act II Scene 5: Quintet: Don Basilio! … Cosa veggo! (Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva, Figaro, Bartolo, Basilio)
Act II Scene 8: Che vecchio sospettoso! (Berta)
Act II Scene 8: Aria: Il vecchiotto cerca moglie (Berta)
Act II: Temporale - Thunderstorm Musique d'orage - Gewittermusik
Act II Scene 11: Recitative: Alfine, eccoci qua (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina)
Act II Scene 11: Ah! qual colpo inaspettato! (Rosina, Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva)
Act II Scene 11: Recitative: Ah disgraziati noi! (Figaro, Conte d'Almaviva, Rosina, Basilio, Official)
Act II Scene 13: Recitative: Insomma, io no tutti i torti! (Bartolo, Figaro, Conte, Rosina)
Act II Scene 13: Di si felice innesto serbiam memoria eterna? (Figaro, Bartolo, Basilio, Berta, Rosina, Conte d'Almaviva, Chorus)
Click here for alternative recordings of this work.
Overture