‘Barber of Seville’ to get Flamenco flavor

Gloria Opera Company is bringing a Spanish touch to its production of “The Barber of Seville” at the Seoul Art Center Opera House from Oct. 18 through 21.

Flamenco dancers will create an exotic atmosphere alongside singers from Palazzo La Scala in the leading roles, including soprano Patrizia Cigna as Rosina and Alessandro Luciano as Count Almaviva.

Rossini’s comic opera, which mixes sarcasm and satire alongside slapstick comedy, tells the story of young Count Almaviva and his attempt to win the heart of the young and beautiful Rosina against elderly and greedy Dr. Bartolo with the help of garrulous barber Figaro.

The opera, widely considered the best of all comic operas, was so popular that it had its own spin-off, Mozart’s “Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro).”

Arias such as “Largo al Factorum della Citta,” “Una Voce Poco Fa,” or “Con Troun cor Cheac Cendea” are loved for their sophisticated yet vibrant use of melody.

Internationally acclaimed conductor Stefano Seghedoni will lead the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and director Antonio Petris is jointly producing the piece with Gloria Opera Company chief director Yang Soo-wha.

“We thought light-hearted Figaro would be the perfect answer to the rather gloomy social atmosphere in the country,” Yang told The Korea Herald.

“The adventure, commotion and errors the duo ― Figaro and Count Almaviva ― face give us two good hours of laughter, which is just what we all need,” she added.

“The Barber of Seville” is an unusual choice for the company, which is famous for being a risk taker: In 1994 it staged Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” and Rossini’s “Moses” in 2001. Gloria Opera Company has also performed original Korean pieces such as “Weonsullang,” “Chunhyangjeon” and “Weonhyo,” in Korea, Japan, Europe and the United States.

“I love trying something new. It must be the adrenalin rush. The pieces that I have introduced were beautiful but yet foreign to either Koreans or foreigners. I wanted to break that barrier. While I presented unfamiliar pieces to Koreans, I took the very Korean titles to Paris, Tokyo and other cities. They loved it,” Yang said.

“I don’t think people should take opera as a luxury but rather enjoy it as they enjoy any other performance. ‘The Barber of Seville’ will be the perfect choice to start with,” she added.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)