Notes from the Conductor

NOTES FROM THE CONDUCTOR NATHAN BROCK

In February of 1816, the opera that we recognize as the perfect archetype of the buffa genre was, very literally, booed off the stage.

At only 23 years of age, Gioachino Rossini was regarded as a “maestro di cartello”—a composer whose name alone on the marquee could guarantee a public. His reputation won him a prestigious position as the director of musical activities at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, enabling him to compose regularly for a first-rate ensemble, chorus, and orchestra, with an excellent salary.

While in Rome rehearsing for a Christmas premiere of another work, Rossini was asked on short notice to compose an opera for February’s carnival season. Opening night was a notorious disaster. It was hastily prepared, heavily under-rehearsed, and plagued by mishaps. The local favourite composer, Giovanni Paisiello, had already composed a popular Barber of Seville. Rossini attempted to mollify the Roman public by naming his version of the opera Almaviva. Paisiello’s supporters showed up en masse and booed, hissed, and jeered all evening. Rossini didn’t bother to show up to the second night’s performance, but this time it was a triumph and a new history of The Barber of Seville began.

The opera is characterized by youthful energy and bold wit. It has a delightful plot replete with all the ingredients necessary for comedic chaos. The score is packed with musical jokes which mirror those onstage, and the music itself arises from each character and situation. Rossini is at his finest providing never-ending beautiful melody and ingenious orchestration (guitar and piccolo make special contributions), and his use of the whole orchestra in the storm scene has only one rival, in Beethoven’s 6th Symphony. His sense of structure, pacing, and timing are unrivalled—in this regard, the Act 1 finale is a masterpiece in and of itself. Rossini may have only taken 13 days to compose the opera, but there are many reasons why it has been running non-stop in sold-out houses for over 200 years.

Born in Canada, conductor Nathan Brock is fluent in the style and aesthetic of the traditional European masterworks in all disciplines—opera, concert, and ballet—having trained and spent most of his career working on the continent. He has enjoyed long-term collaborations with the Montreal Symphony, the Hamburg State Opera, and the National Ballet of Canada.