Il barbiere di Siviglia in the mid-20th century

As preparations for our concert performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia continue, we recall the history of Gioachino Rossini’s opera at our theatre.

An original production of Il barbiere di Siviglia was performed on our stage in 1940. This new interpretation, directed by Iosif Pevzner, saw Honoured Artist of Russia Mikhail Rostovtsev excel in the role of Bartolo; the premiere of the production coincided with the 50th anniversary of his career on stage. Before the theatre was evacuated, the opera buffa was performed 62 times. After the war, the production was reinstated and remained part of the repertoire until 1952. The production set was designed according to sketches drawn up by Aleksandr Golovin, the style and charm of which can be admired even in black and white photographs.

In 1952, this version was replaced by Nikolay Smolich’s production, which also used Golovin’s set designs. For the theatre, it was the third version of Il barbiere di Siviglia, and was to become one of the longest-running. In the mid-seventies, the opera was performed for the 350th time. It was in this production that mezzo-soprano Nina Romanova, who later became a People’s Artist of Russia and one of the theatre’s stars, made her debut in the role of Rosina. The part of Figaro was sung by future People’s Artist of Russia Sergei Leiferkus.