The Opera Tattler

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Merola Opera Program’s Barber of Seville (Friday)

Barbiere_Aug2-1111 * Notes *
The Merola Opera Program‘s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Act II, Scene 5 with Renée Rapier, Daniel Curran, Peixin Chen, Mark Diamond, and John Maynard pictured left; photograph by Kristen Loken) returned with a second cast on Friday night. The orchestra, conducted by Mark Morash, sounded more comfortable this time around. Again, this group of singers was vocally strong. As a whole, the movements were understated and the acting was not overblown. Marina Boudart Harris (Berta) sang “Il vecchiotto cerca moglie” mournfully. Peixin Chen impressed as Don Basilio, his voice is full and almost bottomless. His “La Calunnia” was robust. John Maynard’s Dr. Bartolo was amusingly imprudent and conniving. Maynard sang smoothly and with ease.

Mark Diamond made for a gallant Figaro, and sang with a certain lightness, yet had good volume. Daniel Curran had trouble at the end of Almaviva’s first aria, but recovered nicely. Curran’s voice has a pingy warmth and much power. Our mezzo-soprano Rosina, Renée Rapier, bubbled and sparkled, but also has a pretty darkness in her low notes.

* Tattling *
There some whispering during the performance, but no obvious electronic noise. Someone’s crutch fell during Act I, house right on the orchestra level, near the front.

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4 responses to “Merola Opera Program’s Barber of Seville (Friday)”

  1. Eric Moise Avatar
    Eric Moise

    I would just like to know what “pingy” means? There is no such word in the dictionary. At least make a review have words with meaning! I thought Mr. Curran’s voice was beautiful. In fact, for such a young man, I am curious to see what his future as a tenor will bring. His voice has such strong emotion behind it. I thought the cast was amazing and performed very well together. They appeared very comfortable with one and other. BRAVO!

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  2. Katie Ding Avatar
    Katie Ding

    Daniel Curran was amazing as Almaviva. He was brilliantly funny with a beautiful voice. The entire production was wonderful and the cast worked so well together. The set decoration was slightly odd but all in all the Opera was a great way to spend my Sunday afternoon.

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  3. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    “Pingy” means bright and bell-like. The sort of sound that cuts through orchestration. As a linguist, I must bemusedly object, dictionaries describe language, so not finding a word in a dictionary does not mean it is not a word.
    Using “pingy” did give me pause (I considered both “ping-like” and “with ping”), but I felt it described Curran’s voice concisely. He does have a pretty sound!

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Barber is always such a delightful opera!

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