I don't care what other great baritones performed this, but Peter Mattei is the best! He is just so RIGHT in everything - singing-wise, acting-wise, presence-wise. He is the ultimate Figaro! Light and fun as Figaro should be, and his perfect voice comes out so naturally, so effortlessly. I also love that he has absolutely no "I'm a big serious man singing serious music" aura about him. He is just naturally perfect. Oh, and Joyce di Donato is great and Florez is the best Almaviva/Lindoro!
It's fun to see him finally in some sort of a historic costume; most of his opera videos seem to be modern-dress productions, for some reason. And what a good singer, and what an entertainer! Beth p.s. Gotta love the double subtitles!
The way he just whizzes through the unwritten runs starting at 4:14 is astounding! Not even Merrill could do them that smooth!! Excellent excellent baritone, and really the only modern one besides Pablo Elvira who can keep up with the golden age era baritones. :)
Yeah! And the whole of this Met production is so lively and funny! I think this is really Rossini's spirit. Great music, great voices, great acting = wonderful entertainment. Rossini didn't wrote for musty and boring music critics. Opera was a popular form of entertainment then, and this Barbiere shows that it still can be.
I had a recording of his Radio Brodcast and used to listen to this version all the time! I actually like that he didn't go for the high A as most modern Baritones like Gunn don't sing the whole entire part anyway. But what a beautiful voice and a good interpretation.
This is one of more than a few really great operas to watch on the Met's Metplayer. I have to admit it's worth every bit of the 15 bucks a month. And if you can get your computer to broadcast HD, even better.
Lovely musicality. However, technically Mr. Mattei places the sound right in the nose beginning at 2:13. Loses so much clarity. Nonetheless, a very nice light baritone. Might even be a tenor.
Wish he hadn't skipped that next-to last "de la citta". Loses so much momentum going into the last one with the high sustained note. Otherwise totally awesome.
I have to say something about the subtitles (I'm italian)... but I think that translating this language with modern words it sounds like simplificate this opera... It's like translate Shakespeare with modern English or modern Italian... so "Barbiere" it's not hair stylist but "barber"
I half expected them to be feeding him grapes. what a bad ass entrance. Figaro is the shit and he knows it, especially Peter's interpretation. he should have ended up with Rosina instead of Lindoro. Peter and Joyce had much better chemistry anyway. PS: Even if I don't care for his voice, I can admit that JDF is a great singer. still, Peter is way more bad ass.
Does anybody know where can I find a CD, DVD, bluray or any type or recording of this specific perfomance (cast and video shown above), but of the whole opera? I just really LOVE this performance!! Where can I buy or get it!? Thank you so much!!! :)
Astounding & absurd that there is not a DVD of this production. Cannot understand why the Met offers so many others, of far less interest, than this one.
I love this Aria by Rossini form the II Barbiere di Seviglia. The "Italian Mozart" highly influenced my act ( check out my Mozart-inspired RU-vid video RAMON HART'S PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME ).
Povero Figaro e povero Rossini, in che mani sono finiti! Mi sembra di rivedere un patetico istrione di provincia per di più vocalmente scomposto e musicalmente banale! E questo baldo giovane inaugura la stagione alla Scala con Don Giovanni? Mah!
