Sydney Festival’s The Barber of Seville Is Filled With Musical Joie De Vivre

Sydney Festival’s The Barber of Seville Is Filled With Musical Joie De Vivre
Image: Photo: Keith Saunders via Opera Australia.

‘Sydney Festival’s The Barber of Seville Is Filled With Musical Joie De Vivre’ is a review of The Barber of Seville by Irina Dunn.


This 2025 revival of Elijah Moshinsky’s production of Rossini’s opera buffa delighted a full house on opening night. This perennial favourite, so full of musical joie de vivre, is the perfect choice to entertain opera audiences during the 2025 Sydney Festival.

Moshinsky’s inspiration for The Barber of Seville arose from 1920s silent films, and this was reflected in many aspects of the production.

For a start, the cutaway two storey house with its three spaces upstairs (including Rosina’s bedroom and the upper staircase landing) and downstairs (including the critical music/lounge room and the entrance foyer) gives the impression of frames in a film.

Singers in this production were frequently required to vocalise while frenetically running, jumping, climbing or falling over each other, another directorial nod to silent films.

Add to this the stylised make-up and period costumes and the silent film resemblance was achieved with the huge exception of Rossini’s exciting score.

The Barber of Seville
Photo: Keith Saunders via Opera Australia.

The heart of this play is carried by the mischievous barber Figaro who, as the matchmaker in service of Count Almaviva, is sung with great vitality and dash by Australian tenor Samuel Dale Johnson.

Serena Malfi is an outstanding Rosina, her beautifully controlled soprano at its finest during her solo aria: “I’m obedient, sweet and loving, I can be ruled, I can be guided, but if I’m crossed in love I can be a viper”.

Photo: Keith Saunders via Opera Australia.

The object of her desires is the young student Lindoro, who finally reveals himself to be the wealthy Count Almaviva (sung by John Longmuir).

Longmuir, who has been described as having “truly powerful pipes,” retains his dynamic vocal style even as he fulfils the side-splittingly comic potential of his disguise as Rosina’s substitute music teacher.

Poor Rosina is the ward of the creepy old lecher Dr Bartolo (sung by the wonderfully humorous Andrew Moran), who wishes to marry her himself.

Photo: Keith Saunders via Opera Australia.

Conductor Daniel Smith almost flew off his podium as he conjured up the wit and joy of Rossini’s opera, which the well-disciplined orchestra fully realised.

The audience did not know when to laugh or when to applaud and often ended up doing both during the performance.

No wonder they walked away smiling as the final curtain fell, obviously pleased with the evening’s charming musical fare.

The Barber of Seville
Photo: Keith Saunders via Opera Australia.

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