Herbert Fritsch’s production of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Sivigla filmed at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2021 is strangely ambiguous. At first blush it looks like the sort of hyper traditional production the WSO might have had in repertory for fifty years. There are big wigs, knee breeches and so on but it soon becomes apparent that something more (or less) is going on. Tje costumes are exaggerated. The fabrics are elaborate and shiny and very not early 19th century at all. The wigs are odd colours. Rosina’s dress shows rather a lot of leg. There’s virtually no scenery and the only props I recall in the whole piece are a ladder and Lindoro’s sword at the end of Act 1.
Invocazioni Mariane is a new CD from counter-tenor Andreas Scholl and his long time collaborators the Accademia Bizantina and their conductor Alessandro Tampieri. It consists of 18th century music from Naples; all of which is in some way connected with the Virgin Mary and is mostly drawn from oratorios or similar pieces designed to be performed during Holy Week. Back in the day, with women not permitted on the stage in Naples (or the Papal States) the high parts would have been sung by castrati. That, of course, is where Scholl comes in.
