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Il barbiere di Siviglia Reviews"Barber is packed with razor sharp humour. A star was born on the first
night of the run when tenor Brad Cooper opened his mouth. You could go round the
world and never hear a better-sung Count Almaviva. His coloratura is second to
none. Toby Stafford-Allen could not have been a more entertaining Figaro, truly
convincing as the general factotum. Eric Roberts looked and acted the part of Dr
Bartolo to perfection. Sarah Redgwick made a huge impression in the small role
of Berta. The quality of the string sound coming from the City of London
Sinfonia was ideally lucid, while the Opera Holland Park Chorus was similarly
elegant in tone." "Toby Stafford-Allen handles the fast-paced libretto with admirable
gusto. Brad Cooper makes a fine Count Almaviva; he is blessed with the
good looks that are essential to the part and is impressive vocally, though the
fiendish runs of coloratura end up a bit woolly. Frances Bourne in the role of Rosina who steals the show. Bourne finds the perfect balance
between naivete and sophistication, and she sings the role gloriously." "Toby Stafford-Allen makes a fine figure of a Figaro. The Rosina of Frances Bourne is a total delight. Brad Cooper proved to be a very fine Count, both vocally, dramatically and comedically. Good support comes from Matthew Hargreaves as Basilio, Robert Burt as Fiorello
and young Jacob Moriarty as Figaro?s assistant. With his unflappable aptitude
for comedy, here is a star in the making. The City of London Sinfonia plays
superbly under Robert Dean?s spirited direction and Roger Butlin?s colourful
designs add another layer of elegance to an already bright production. All in
all, a truly delightful success." "The excellent musicians played crisply under conductor Robert Dean. Toby Stafford-Allen (Figaro), Frances Bourne (Rosina) and Matthew Hargreaves (Basilio) triumphed against the elements." |
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