The Barber of Seville at the Met

The main reason to see the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Rossini's beloved "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" can be boiled down to three words: Figaro, Figaro, Figaro. The electrifying Peter Mattei sings the titular barber in Barlett Sher's ("The Light in the Piazza") elegant if evanescent staging. The Swedish baritone brought heft, brilliant colorings and gravity to a light, breezy atmosphere of farce and folly. From the show-stopping entrance aria "Largo al factorum" to his more removed position in the final scene, Mattei was pitch-perfect and dramatically exciting. He cut a dashing figure as the clever barber and his charisma seemed to hold both his audience and costars spellbound. As he presided over the orchestrated chaos that his character sets into motion, Mattei's presence was so magnetic that he seemed to dominate the show even while silently observing from upstage.

There are many other first raters surrounding Mattei, including the much-lauded Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez as the amorous Count Almaviva. Diego Flórez's crisp, flexible voice and good looks have made him a recent favorite at the Met and around the world. The Met's website has him billed as "the greatest Rossini tenor of out time." To be sure, his supple, agile voice makes him an ideal choice for Rossini's dizzying coloratura fireworks. However, his voice often lacks the requisite power for filling up a house like the Met. And while he can command emotional force at key moments, too often his technically flawless singing sounds breezy and bubbly. He made a strong first impression with his opening love serenade "Ecco ridente" but was upstaged by Mattei's Figaro. His performance also often fell victim to exaggeration and overacting. Throughout the second act, Diego Flórez seemed to be holding back, saving it all for the final scene, where his ludicrously ornate "Cessa di piu resistere" was rewarded with a well-deserved (if over-long) ovation. I would just warn Diego Flórez against thinking he's reached the top of his game. The tenor still has a lot to learn, if he ever wants to sing beyond light Rossini and Donizetti roles.

As the love interest Rosina, Diana Damrau was a constant delight. She was very in control of her big and boisterous voice and sang with dynamic consistency and dramatic prowess. Her quicksilver "Una voce poco fa" was one of the evening's high points, and she coupled magnificently (and suggestively) with Mattei in "Dunque io son."

John Del Carlo was her guardian/captor, the ridiculous Dr. Bartolo. A booming bass, he turned out a sympathetic performance of this particularly challenging role. While he had the vocal strength to last the entire evening, he was wanting in flexibility and often had difficulty in his tongue-twisting rapid runs. Rounding out the impressive cast were the estimable Samuel Ramey and Wendy White as Don Basilio and Berta respectively. Ramey resembled Fu Manchu in his flowing robe and preposterously broad hat (imagine a wearable writing desk), while his gripping voice helped make his character less preposterous. White took a break from sneezing and blowing her nose for her poignant "Il vechiotto certa moglie," which sounded suitable melancholy.

The singers were hardly aided by the minimal yet chaotic production, which featured plenty of orange trees, a donkey to pull Figaro's factotum, backless sets, and an anvil crushing a cart of Styrofoam pumpkins that contributed to the totally incoherent act one finale. More successful was the springy account of the tuneful bel canto score led by Maurizio Benini. Maestro Benini's enthusiasm helps ensure that the catchy yet irritating songs will stay with you for days on end.