Spanish conductor Lucas Macías and Argentine tenor Santiago Ballerini have successfully performed the two performances of Giovanni Paisiello’s “The Barber of Seville”, the first held on 8 May at the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, and the second at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville on 10 May, with both performances selling out.
The critics have praised the production. “A tight-knit ensemble that sounded frankly excellent, whilst being varied, rich in nuance and possessing a silky brilliance, all the while brimming with wholesome energy,” writes ABC.
Under the baton of Lucas Macías, Ballerini has taken on one of his most acclaimed roles: the Count of Almaviva, alongside Aitana Sanz as Rosina, Darío Solari as Figaro, Pietro Spagnoli as Don Basilio and Pablo Ruiz as Bartolo, amongst others.
The original work by the Neapolitan composer Giovanni Paisiello dates from 1782 and is based on Beaumarchais’s comedy, which premiered in St Petersburg in the 18th century. Lucas Macías, conductor of the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada and principal conductor of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, has treated us to this splendid premiere in both cities.
