This Saturday is Opera Day on WRTI — and as part of our celebration, we’re teaming up with the Academy of Vocal Arts to present Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville, the “opera buffa of all opere buffe.” The opera will broadcast in our usual Saturday opera slot on Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. on 90.1 FM, streaming at wrti.org and on the WRTI app.
Many people associate this opera’s most famous themes with Looney Tunes — and who could blame them? Rabbit of Seville is a famous send-up of the overture, which has been used time and again in film and television. For many casual listeners, the opera’s most iconic aria, “Largo al factotum,” practically defines the art form. It’s fundamental, with an emphasis on “fun.”
“This is not a serious work,” conductor Richard Raub tells WRTI. “Several people have come up to me specifically, saying things like, ‘Oh, I found myself smiling,’ or ‘I’m happier,’ or ‘I’m laughing,’ and that should be the effect.”
Indeed, Barber is full of love, laughs, and hilarity-producing confusion. The story is the first in the Figaro trilogy by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais. (The second, which Mozart set to music 30 years prior to Rossini’s Barber, is The Marriage of Figaro.) In this first episode, Figaro is the titular barber, pulling the strings behind the plot. Our hero, Count Almaviva, is Figaro’s old boss, and the Count enlists him to help win the affections of Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo, who just happens to be Figaro’s client for shaves and a laundry list of other services. This allows Figaro to observe the action as he advises the Count on how to get into Bartolo’s house, under a series of disguises that would make Bugs Bunny proud.
The Academy of Vocal Arts is just one part of a hotbed of developing vocal talent in Philadelphia, accepting the best of the best in the early stages of their opera careers. The singers get to work on their own skills and become better colleagues as well — Ethel Trujillo and Angel Raii Gomez, our Rosina and our Count, sang the praises of their cast/classmates when they visited WRTI back in April. “The rapport you need to have with your cast members needs to be at such a high level,” says Gomez. “This opera is a huge work, and it's an incredible opportunity to get to do it.”
CAST (original performance dates: April 25th and 27th, 2024)
Kevin Godínez, baritone (Figaro)
Ethel Trujillo, soprano (Rosina)
Angel Raii Gomez, tenor (Count Almaviva)
Yue Wu, bass-baritone (Bartolo)
Dylan Gregg, bass-baritone (Basilio)
Veronica Richer, soprano (Berta)
Ariana Maubach, mezzo-soprano (Ambrogio)
Geoffrey Schmelzer, baritone (Fiorello)
Shawn Roth, tenor (officer)
Luke Norvell, tenor (notary)
Chorus: Joshua Berg, tenor; Cumhur Görgün, bass
AVA Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Richard Raub, conductor
AVA presents Charles-François Gounod's Faust, featuring some members of the cast of Barber, on select dates from Nov. 16 through Dec. 3.
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