Opera Coeur d'Alene's 'Barbiere di Siviglia' today and Sunday
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 8 years, 4 months AGO
Considered Rossini’s most beloved opera, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” is performed around the world by every major opera house.
Opera Coeur d’Alene will perform “Barbiere” today at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at North Idaho College’s Schuler Performing Arts Center, located in Boswell Hall, Coeur d’Alene.
“We are so happy to bring this fun and family friendly opera to you with an all-star cast of national artists and Coeur d’Alene’s very own Madison Leonard as the young Rosina,” states an opera company press release. “Madison grew up and was directly impacted by Opera CDA’s productions and outreach. She is an award-winning Soprano and the 2010 America’s Distinguished Young Woman. She has gone on to accomplish some very impressive things as an artist and we are so happy to give her a professional debut as the beloved Rosina.”
Figaro is played by Andrew Wilkowske who is described as a warm and full-voiced baritone well-suited for the role. Widely recognized for his special gifts as a physical comic, he is also known for his ability to access a character’s pathos and humor to bring to life the layered complexity of the operatic world’s most endearing personas.
American tenor Victor Ryan Robertson will play Count Almaviva. He offers a versatile singing ability and style allowing him to cross seamlessly across genres. His recent critically acclaimed success with Carly Simon in the role of “Zoogie” for her debut opera Romulus Hunt has gathered much attention.
Opera Coeur d’Alene’s artistic director, Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, said this production of “Barbiere” is not typical.
“We have created a different time and place for our characters to inhabit, the ’70s, when disco was king and bell-bottoms the style,” he said.
Adding contemporary components to well-established works in different settings can bring the audience closer to the comedy of Rossini and Beaumarchais, Nicholson said. Pierre Beaumarchais is the French playwright whose work revolving around the character Figaro provides a basis for “Barbiere.”
“I hope you have as much fun watching this romp through time as we had creating it for you,” Nicholson said. “The wily Figaro is still the factotum of this town and will surely make you smile as he endeavors to help Almaviva beguile Rosina right out from under her guardian, Dr. Bartolo’s nose.”
Tickets are available online at www.operacda.com or by calling the box office at (800) 418-1485, ext. 1.