In December the Metropolitan Opera will showcase its Holiday presentation of "The Barber of Seville" starring Isabel Leonard.

The Music

"The Barber of Seville" is Rossini's most popular work as it contains his most popular melodies and easily combines the music with the theatrical nature of the story. The music requires precise vocal technique as singers must dispatch rapid roulades of coloratura but must also be able to sustain long vocal lines. Additionally, the vocal line contains a lot of patter in which the soloists need astounding speed in comic, tongue-twisting lines. There are also a number of complex ensembles including the finale of Act 1 and the quintet in Act 2.

For this presentation the opera will be presented in an abridged English version instead of the original Italian. A number of major solos are cut in half while some others are left out completely.

The History

"The Barber of Seville" has been presented 613 times at the Met and was first performed on Nov. 23, 1883 with Marcella Sembrich and Giuseppe del Fuente.

Sembrich was one of the biggest exponents of the work and performed it a number during her Met career.

Since then many of the most popular artists have performed the work to great acclaim. Among the most famous Rosinas were Amelita Galli-Curci, Lily Pons, Roberta Peters, Reri Grist in her Met debut, Teresa Berganza, Marilyn Horne, Frederica von Stade, Kathleen Battle, Maria Ewing, Susanne Mentzer, Ruth Ann Swenson, and Vivica Genaux.

Among the singers who have performed Count Almaviva are Ferruccio Tagliavini, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Cesare Valletti, Luigi Alva, Enrico Di Giuseppe, Dalmacio Gonzalez, Rockwell Blake, Stanford Olsen, Raúl Giménez, Juan Diego Flórez in his Met debut.

Among the most popular Barbers were Robert Merrill, Mario Sereni, Richard Stilwell, Sherrill Milnes, Pablo Elvira, Leo Nucci, Gino Quilico, Thomas Hampson, Vladimir Chernov and Dwayne Croft.

Other singers who performed the work were Ezio Pinza, Jerome Hines, Cesare Siepi, Fernando Corena, Giorgio Tozzi, Sesto Bruscantini, Enzo Dara, Robert Lloyd, Louis Quilico, Samuel Ramey, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Simone Alaimo and Paul Plishka.

The Production

The Met's current production premiered in 2006 and was directed by Bartlett Sher. The cast included Florez, Diana Damrau, Peter Mattei, John Del Carlo and Samuel Ramey. That season Joyce DiDonato and John Relyea also performed the work with Florez and Mattei.

The production was hailed for its fast pace and for its ability to morph its rotating doors into various sets. The production also introduced a new element to Met audiences as the production has a passerelle that extends from the stage out in front of the orchestra pit. The performers are forced to walk this passarelle various times and it brings the action closer to the audience.

Since the production was introduced four sopranos have dominated it. Damrau and DiDonato have sung the production numerous times to great acclaim. It also saw Elina Garanca's Met debut and Leonard has become one of the most acclaimed Rosinas.

Other singers who have performed in this production include Jose Manuel Zapata, Franco Vassallo, Barry Banks, Rodion Pogossov, Javier Camarena in his Met debut, Maurizio Muraro, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Alek Shrader, Lawrence Brownlee, Christopher Maltman, John Del Carlo and Paata Burchuladze

The production has also been feature twice on the Met's Peabody award winning series Live in HD in movie theaters worldwide.

The Performers

Leonard returns to her acclaimed interpretation of Rosina, a role she has performed in three runs at the Met. She also originated the English version that will be performed this season in 2012. The singer is currently one of the most in-demand Rosinas as she has performed the role at the Vienna State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Dallas Opera.

Ginger Costa-Jackson will alternate with Leonard in two performances.

As the Count Almaviva David Portillo will make his Met debut. The Texan born tenor is a rising start tenor who has performed around the world in many of the leading theaters including Washington National, Festival d'Aix en Provence, Aix-en-Provence, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris and Arizona Opera.

Taylor Stanton will also perform the role of Almaviva.

As Figaro, Elliot Madore will return to the Met and will alternate with David Pershall. Colombian singer Valeriano Lanchas will make his Met debut as Dr. Bartolo and Robert Pomakov as Don Basilio.

Anthony Walker will conduct all nine performances.