| Gioachino Rossini operas |
|
• Il turco in Italia (1814) • Il barbiere di Siviglia (1816) • Armida (1817) • Guillaume Tell (1829) |
“Il barbiere di Siviglia” by Gioachino Rossini
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Paperback libretto with side-by-side translation
Read Il barbiere di Siviglia with the original libretto and a clear English translation presented side by side.
See on Amazon – $14.99 →Premiere / date of written: 20 February 1816
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy Le Barbier de Séville (1775). The première of Rossini's opera (under the title Almaviva, o sia L'inutile precauzione) took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.
Rossini's Barber has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe". Even after two hundred years, it remains a popular work
Libretti
Italian–English side-by-side translation
| # | Language | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Italian
  |
Cesare Sterbini |
| 2 |
German
|
|
| 3 |
English
|
|
| 4 |
French
|
original libretto
side-by-side of the original libretto
History
| February 20, 1816 | Gioachino Rossini’s opera "Il barbiere di Siviglia" received its world premiere at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. |
| December 19, 2005 | On 2005-12-19, The Royal Opera (Covent Garden) premiered its Leiser & Caurier production of Rossini’s "Il barbiere di Siviglia". |
| April 15, 2025 | Performance of Rossini's 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. |
| May 4, 2025 | Performance of Rossini's 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' at Opéra Nice Côte d'Azur in Nice, France. |
| May 4, 2025 | Minnesota Opera performs Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. |
Images
Printed Editions
| Year | Edition | Publisher | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Il barbiere di Siviglia / The Barber of Seville: Opera Libretto with Italian–English Translation | DM’s Opera Series |
|
Audio recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Rosina — Giulietta Simionato, Count Almaviva — Luigi Infantino, Figaro — Giuseppe Taddei |
Fernando Previtali Coro e Orchestra della Rai di Milano |
CD: Warner Fonit Cat: 5046 71224-2 |
$8.99 |
| 1957 | Rosina — Maria Callas, Count Almaviva — Luigi Alva, Figaro — Tito Gobbi |
Alceo Galliera Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Classics Cat: 3920462 |
$14.83 |
| 1971 | Rosina — Teresa Berganza, Figaro — Hermann Prey, Count Almaviva — Luigi Alva, Paolo Montarsolo, Enzo Dara |
Claudio Abbado London Symphony Orchestra and Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 457 7332 |
$24.95 |
| 1974 | Rosina — Beverly Sills, Figaro — Sherrill Milnes, Count Almaviva — Nicolai Gedda |
James Levine London Symphony Orchestra and the John Alldis Choir |
Audio CD: EMI Classics Cat: 7243-5-85523 and EMI Classics for Pleasure Cat: 3932762 |
$11.16 |
| 1989 | Rosina — Cecilia Bartoli, Count Almaviva — William Matteuzzi, Figaro — Leo Nucci, Don Basilio — Paata Burchuladze, Doctor Bartolo — Enrico Fissore |
Giuseppe Patanè Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra and Chorus |
CD: Decca Cat: 425 520-2 |
$64.22 |
| 1992 | Rosina — Kathleen Battle, Count Almaviva — Frank Lopardo, Figaro — Plácido Domingo, Don Basilio — Ruggero Raimondi, Doctor Bartolo — Lucio Gallo |
Claudio Abbado Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Chorus |
CD: Deutsche Grammophon, Cat: 435 763-2GH2 |
$4.88 |
Books
| Year | Title | Description | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025
|
Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini: Side-by-side Italian-English libretto | A complete Italian libretto of Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) with side-by-side English translation, as presented on DM's opera site. |
$14.99 |
Video recordings
| Year | Cast | Conductor, Opera chorus and orchestra, Director |
Label, Comment |
Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972
|
Rosina — Teresa Berganza, Figaro — Hermann Prey, Count Almaviva — Luigi Alva, Paolo Montarsolo, Enzo Dara |
Claudio Abbado Teatro alla Scala orchestra and chorus Jean-Pierre Ponnelle |
Deutsche Grammophon VHS/DVD |
$47.02 |
| 1982 | Rosina — Maria Ewing, Count Almaviva — Max René Cossotti, Figaro — John Rawnsley, Claudio Desderi, Catherine McCord |
Sylvain Cambreling Glyndebourne Festival Chorus and Orchestra John Cox |
Castle VHS/Warner DVD |
$20.99 |
| 1989 | Rosina — Kathleen Battle, Count Almaviva — Rockwell Blake, Figaro — Leo Nucci, Don Basilio — Ferruccio Furlanetto, Doctor Bartolo — Enzo Dara |
Ralf Weikert Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus John Cox |
Deutsche Grammophon VHS/DVD |
|
| 2010 | Rosina — Joyce DiDonato, Count Almaviva — Juan Diego Florez, Figaro — Pietro Spagnoli, Don Basilio — Ferruccio Furlanetto, Doctor Bartolo — Alessandro Corbelli |
Sir Antonio Pappano Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Royal Opera Chorus |
Virgin Classics |
$65.46 |
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