The Barber of Seville, by Gioacchino Rossini

A summary of the plot

Gioacchino Rossini was born on 29th February 1792, and thus only had a birthday once every four years! He wrote 40 operas between 1810 and 1829, after which he retired from composing operas for the remaining 39 years of his life before his death on 13th November 1868.

The Barber of Seville is probably Rossini’s best-known and most often performed opera. It is also an early example of a “prequel” in that it tells of the events that preceded those of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”, which had been first performed almost exactly 30 years before Rossini’s masterpiece appeared in February 1816.

Not surprisingly, the two operas have the same source, namely the trilogy of “Figaro” plays by Pierre Beaumarchais (1732–1799). However, whereas Mozart based his opera on the second play, Rossini chose the first. Again not surprisingly, both operas are light pieces of comic nonsense, with brilliant music that captures the mood of romantic dalliance, farcical plot twists, and a happy ending for most of the characters.

Rossini took less than three weeks to write this opera, which is one reason why the music is so fresh and sparkling throughout. However, part of the speed is accounted for by the fact that he chose not to write a new overture, simply re-using one that he…