The Barber of Seville

Herbert Fritsch's production of Barbiere di Siviglia goes back to the roots of the work in the commedia dell'arte in order to create something completely original from there. This creation is initially literally in the hands of the singers, who fill the commedia types from which Rossini and his librettist Sterbini started out with life in the form of the "enlargement" into the grotesque that characterizes Herbert Fritsch's directorial work. All of this is done entirely without props, but with a remarkable set: Victoria Beer's costumes transfer the rococo fashion and the grotesque "Maccaroni" wig fashion of early English dandies from the 18th century into a fantasy world, which is ideally represented in Herbert Fritsch's set design. There, large-scale colored foil panels form constantly changing scenes under computer control: Alleyways, squares, buildings, or simply places that become the stage for the acting characters. The stage is constantly in motion, sometimes more strongly, then more subtly, but without ever standing still. The perfect ambience, but also the perfect metaphor for Rossini's Barbiere di Siviglia .