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Der Barbier von Ludwigshafen Hannover
Staatsoper
05/17/2026 - & May 22, June 3, 9*, 24, 2026
Gioachino Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L’inutile precauzione
SeungJick Kim (Il Conte Almaviva), Matteo Guerzè (Figaro), Beatriz Miranda (Rosina), Frank Schneiders (Don Bartolo), Serhii Moskalchuk*/Yannick Spanier (Don Basilio), Carmen Fuggiss (Berta), Juhyeon Kim (Fiorello)
Herren des Chors der Staatsoper Hannover, Lorenzo Da Rio (chorus master), Niedersäschsisches Staatsorchester Hannover, Stephan Zilias*/Piotr Jaworski (conductor)
Nicola Hümpel (stage director), Oliver Proske (sets), Esther Bialas (costumes), Holger Klede (lighting), Julia Huebner (dramaturgy)
B. Miranda, M. Guerzè (© Bettina Stoess)
In stark contrast to most settings, where Don Bartolo is wealthy and living in splendour, here Il barbiere di Siviglia is set in an ugly location, as seen by the hideous sets. In the libretto, Count Almaviva tells Figaro he noticed a lovely girl in the Spanish capital and is there to pursue her (“Al Prado vidi un fior di bellezza, una fanciulla figlia d’un certo medico barbogio”). To be invited to Court, Rosina would have to be from an affluent background, lower nobility or more likely grande bourgeoisie. But in the present modern production, there is no trace of Seville. In fact, the drab sets bring to mind Ludwigshafen, widely acknowledged to be the ugliest city in Germany. Frankly, a concerted effort is required to create sets as appalling as these.
In order to compensate for this ugliness, German director Nicola Hümpel chose to fill the stage with amplified video projections of the onstage action. To be certain, the attractive members of the mostly young cast are more pleasant to gaze upon than these sets. However, there are several issues with this sad situation. Firstly, opera is theatre, not cinema. Secondly, presenting the singers and their magnified images simultaneously is both distracting and dizzying. Thirdly, if this ridiculous idea must be imposed, it should at least be technically perfected. Alas, there was an ongoing synchronization problem, a several-second delay that made it seem the singers were lip‑syncing.
The tempo of the opening scene of the finale of Act I was excessively slow to emulate the walk and mannerisms of the (fake) drunk Almaviva feigns to be. The humour never took off. By filling the scene with all players, including an entire regiment, the director no doubt hoped the crowding and its cinematic amplification would lend an air of Rossini‑like pandemonium to the proceedings. It did not.
The lesson scene in Act II was marred by an absurd sofa that became an ersatz piano. Supposedly, Don Alonso arrives with the black keys to add to the white ones. Possibly, this alludes to Don Bartolo’s severity, not allowing unsupervised music in his home, but this is a stretch; I doubt anyone grasped the allusion.
Il barbiere di Siviglia is among the most‑performed of comedic operas, often suffering from mauvais goût. This is usually achieved using slapstick, shaking posteriors and overall buffoonery. Alas, other than the ineffective staging by cinematic video magnification, here we also had failed humour. Despite the presence of two great comic actors among the cast, this was one of the dullest productions of this work I’ve ever seen. On a pleasant note, as far as the singers were concerned, the mostly young cast (composed of members of the Staatsoper Hannover Ensemble) was close to ideal.
Portugal’s Beatriz Miranda was a brilliant Rosina, blessed with a ravishing light mezzo. As an actor, she’s feminine, charming and mischievous. However, she didn’t convey the character’s relative inexperience and vulnerability, traits necessary to explain her volte‑face when tricked into believing her beau Lindoro was seducing her on the behalf of another, Count Almaviva. Most likely, this choice was the director’s. Her first aria, the Act I “Una voce poco fa,” was an exercise in charm and coquettishness, elegantly conveyed without a trace of vulgarity. Her Act II lesson aria, “Contro un cor,” was more electrifying, both for vocal virtuosity and theatricality.
South Korean tenor SeungJick Kim was miscast as Count Almaviva. His is a beautiful lyric tenor, but by no means an agile Rossini tenor. He was at his best in the arias that didn’t require too high a tessitura or vocal acrobatics, such as Act I’s “Ecco ridente in Cielo” and “Se il mio nome saper bramate”. Scenically, he wasn’t helped by the costume department. Despite his good looks, he looked nowhere like a Count–even in disguise–due to his ugly attire and plebeian deportment. Alas, given his vocal limitations, his final aria, “Cessa di più resistere,” the opera’s high point, was omitted. Traditionally cut from productions up to forty years ago, the segment has recently been restored by legendary American tenor Rockwell Blake and is now de rigueur in present day productions.
Italian baritone Matteo Guerzè is just twenty-nine-years-old, and I can easily say he’s the most charismatic Rossini Figaro I’ve ever seen. Heard two years ago in a small role in Don Carlo in Düsseldorf, and last season as Lorenzo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi in Cremona, this talented young singer will soon be a leading baritone. Anyone experiencing him onstage can only be mesmerized by this true bête de scene, endowed with magnetic stage presence and a rare comedic verve. His high baritone is ideally suited to the role. From his first appearance, he was in a resplendent voice. His impeccably sung “Largo al factotum” was fortunately devoid of excess, a recurring problem with most Figaros. He used this signature aria to convey who Figaro is, an astute jack‑of‑all‑trades. His chemistry with Rosina was palpable, but less so with Almaviva.
It often happens that some baritones mistakenly think that as it’s the title role, Figaro is the most important character, yet nothing could be further from the truth. When Figaro takes too much space, the comedic verve feels forced, and the dramatic tension inevitably fails. The dramatic success of Rossini’s masterpiece is dependent on the equilibrium of the triangle of Almaviva-Rosina-Figaro. Rosina and Count Almaviva are the lovers, and hence the heroes of the story. Figaro is the astute facilitator. Guerzè could have easily hogged the stage and eclipsed the entire cast, but he did not, which is truly admirable. His signature aria, “Largo al factotum”, was flawlessly sung, technically brilliant and lighthearted, with no attempt to make a circus of it.
Don Bartolo, Rosina’s guardian who schemes to marry her for her dowry, is often the most amusing character onstage. German baritone Frank Schneiders impressed with his Italian diction. Schneiders, whose brand of comedy is old school in the mold of French actor Louis de Funès (1914‑1983), replete with exaggerated facial expressions and nervous tics, elicited laughter through much of his performance. Though not my favourite brand of humour, Schneiders’ sense of timing is bang on. His close to perfect Italian also helped in making the humour flow naturally.
Ukrainian bass-baritone Serhii Moskalchuk was not ideally-suited for the role of Don Basilio. Moskalchuk was an unusually jolly Don Basilio rather than the usual slimy cleric. The role requires a lower voice and Don Basilio is an unpleasant old cleric, not a handsome young man. No sane guardian, especially one planning to marry his ward, would hire such a tutor. It is unclear why no make up was used to render Moskalchuk elderly. His Act I aria “La calunnia” was well interpreted, but lacked punch due to the absence of a deep basso profondo.
German conductor Stephan Zilias was a competent conductor with an affinity for Rossini. Mercifully, he eschewed excessively fast tempi. Though some conductors feel that speed augments the frenzy of Rossini’s comedies, it’s in fact the variation in tempi (as opposed to sheer velocity) that enhances the action. Thankfully, Zilias grasped this concept.
Despite the dreadful staging, I’ll long remember Matteo Guezè’s Figaro and I look forward to his future appearances. It’s always delightful to discover a promising new talent on the cusp of a stellar career.
Ossama el Naggar
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