With a flourish of zest and buoyancy, the orchestra of the Rockland Opera, under the direction of conductor Haim Elisha, a music professor on campus, ushered in the brilliantly comical music of Giacchino Rossini's masterwork, "the Barber of Seville," last month. The overture, beginning with those familiar and Rossini-esque rumblings, graced the antecedent excitement of the audience with a sublime balm, making the enthusiasm for this production well deserved. The stage was set for a very uniquely inventive production of a well known work of art-the premise was to identify the antics of Figaro, the famed "Barber of Seville" in a thoroughly contemporary setting, with the orchestra playing behind the action, instead of in the orchestra pit. An episode invented by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, in a trilogy of plays,-the first from which this opera is derived-it inspired many a musing from great composers, including "le Nozze di Figaro" of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, nothing in the operatic catalogue of popular pieces comes close to a particular aria in this work by Rossini, toward the beginning of the opera, the "Largo Afactotum," that so famously ushers in the "Barber"-the jack-of-all-trades and master buttinsky-Figaro. The mastery and polish of our Figaro on that rainy Saturday night was immense. Jesse Blumberg put forth a performance of great, stunning, and often side-splitting humor. A possessor of a most remarkable voice, he sang as the opera ought to be sung- with clarity of the aesthetic of Opera-Buffa, and beautiful Italian diction. The story goes that Rossina (Elise Quagliata), the ward of one doctor, Dr. Bartolo (Peter Ludwig), grabs the fancy of a young Romeo, Count Almaviva (Alvaro Vallejo). The doctor, trying with all his might to retain his authority of Rossina, who has in turn fallen in love with the count, hires his close friend, Count Basilio (Landon Bowie), the music teacher to devise a plan to keep Count Almaviva away. Almaviva on the other hand, green to the town of Seville, hires the Barber… to hilarious results… Quagliata, who played the constant prey in the tug-of-war of love in the opera, Rossina, gave a most brilliant account of her misfortunes and love, and convinced us of her misery in the hands of the doctor. Bartolo was played by a long time favorite of the Rockland Opera, Peter Ludwig. He has shown us once again what he is made of-genius, depth, jollity, and a unique knack for comical phrasing. He made sure the line of the music meshed with his role exquisitely, thereby eliciting much laughter from the novice opera-goers as well as from the seasoned ones. Landon Bowie, an astounding and awesome baritone of the finest caliber, came on-stage dressed cleverly like a disheveled James Levine-the famous conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City-and did a fine rendition of Count Basilio. His slouch made for a spectacle of immeasurable amusement, but his voice is nothing to laugh at. He rounded out the main cast well with that breathtaking voice. In a minor, but well performed role, was Leslie Middlebrook, a good mezzo-soprano, who played the maid in the doctor's house. Although her role was short, she made sure she was noticed when she was silent and when she sang. A nice ringing voice with a darting pair of eyes made her character take on a personality which would otherwise fall out of memory in another performance. With a long and well respected standing in the community of Rockland County, the Rockland Opera closed its 20th season amid big heartfelt applause, hopes and wishes, that the company continues to grace the county with its fair amount of culture in many years to come under the leadership of Elisha, his wife, director Rina Elisha and the guidance of Erwin Elkins, the president.
A night at the opera
The 'Barber' comes to campus
Published: Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 02:08
Be the first to comment on this article!