FULL El Barbero de Sevilla (Gimenez, Nieto) Sevilla 2025 Soraya Méncid, Luz Gutiérrez, Marta García-Morales, Javier Sánchez-Rivas

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: El Barbero de Sevilla   
• Composer: Gerónimo Giménez, Manuel Nieto  
• Libretto: Guillermo Perrín y Vico, Miguel de Palacios    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Teatro Turina, Sevilla, Spain  
• Recorded: December 8, 2025
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Soraya Méncid, Luz Gutiérrez, Marta García-Morales, Javier Sánchez-Rivas, Julio Nomdedeu, Amando Martín, Carlos Ortega Joaquín Caballero
• Conductor: Elena Martínez  
• Orchestra: Orquesta Titular de la Compañía Sevillana de Zarzuela.  
• Chorus: Coro Titular de la Compañía Sevillana de Zarzuela  
• Stage Director: Marta García-Morales  
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: CiaSevillanaZarzuela  
• Date Published: 2025  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: yessubs, essubs, gensubs  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

The Barber of Seville is a zarzuela , in one act, divided into three scenes, with a libretto by Guillermo Perrín y Vico and Miguel de Palacios , and music by Gerónimo Giménez and Manuel Nieto . It premiered at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid on February 5, 1901.

Within the spectrum of the género chico (a type of short, light opera), it is worth highlighting the genre of theater within theater, extensively explored and with such clear examples as * El dúo de La africana * (The African Woman’s Duet) or *El género ínfimo * (The Lowest Genre ), always offering a caricatured and parodic vision , with very successful results. In this case, the librettists employ a familiar device (that of an aspiring singer who encounters opposition from a family member) to create highly comical situations and offer a very well-executed stage production.

In the musical section, it is worth highlighting the collaboration of two great musicians, Miguel Nieto and Gerónimo Giménez, creating a fresh and elaborate score, with elements of opera and vocal treatment, the most famous being the polonaise : “Me llaman la primorosa” ( They call me the exquisite one ).

Argument
The first scene takes place in Madrid, the next two in Burgos , at the time of the premiere (1901).

Single act
First panel

In a modest house, Maestro Bataglia rehearses Elena, a young woman aspiring to be a soprano, with the enthusiasm of her mother Casimira, who is thinking about the girl’s future and how she can lift them out of poverty; but they all encounter the incomprehension of Nicolás, Elena’s father, who cannot tolerate the idea of ​​his daughter, and dismisses the maestro.

Meanwhile, Sánchez, a friend of Nicolás’s, informs him that Nicolás’s lover, an opera singer, is leaving for Burgos, creating a dilemma for Nicolás as he tries to figure out how to get the money for the train ticket. The situation seems hopeless when Martín, Elena’s boyfriend, appears. They borrow the money from him, using the excuse of attending to a business matter in Asturias. After getting the money, he tells his family and packs his suitcase.

In private, Martín confesses to his girlfriend that he isn’t actually an agricultural expert, but an opera singer, which explains his constant comings and goings; he had to do it to avoid angering Nicolás, who hates the theater. Nicolás and Martín leave together for the station, while Elena tells her mother about her boyfriend.

Bataglia arrives with important news: they need a bass and a soprano for an opera company making its debut in Burgos, and it could mean an opportunity for Elena. They accept and leave for Burgos.

Second panel

In a Burgos hotel room, Nicolás and Sánchez try to calm Roldán’s temper after she learns of the new soprano hired to replace her, who calls herself De Lirio . Roldán even promises Nicolás she’ll stage a spectacular performance to ruin Roldán’s debut. Martín has overheard the entire conversation and, seeing Sánchez alone, corners him, revealing the truth and blackmailing him: he won’t reveal his affair with Roldán if he can convince Nicolás to change his mind about the theater and allow his marriage to Elena once he reveals his true profession. Sánchez accepts the deal.

Martín sees Casmira, Bataglia, and Elena arrive. Elena reveals that she is De Lirio, surprising him. Maestro Bataglia explains the reason for his visit and shows him the polonaise he composed for the music lesson scene, sparking a wave of enthusiasm. Martín is left alone with Bataglia, revealing that Nicolás is there as La Roldán’s supposed husband and suggesting they avoid meeting.

On the other hand, Sánchez reveals to Nicolás the meeting with Martín, and tells him about the proposed blackmail; Nicolás accepts the conditions and leaves to prepare the people for the shout that night.

Third panel

In the theater’s dressing room corridor, Elena and Bataglia are getting ready in their respective dressing rooms for that night’s debut. In Roldán’s dressing room, a small gathering is underway, attended by Nicolás and Sánchez. Elena prepares to go on stage, and Bataglia assures Martín that he has warned the producer about the potential uproar; he goes to Elena’s dressing room and encourages her.

Roldán prepares to watch the soprano’s debut from the auditorium; López and Pérez, two journalists, knock on her door to celebrate her success at the Cavalleria and ask for some information for their newspaper. Nicolás takes the opportunity to go to Martín’s room and ask him not to reveal anything about his stay in Burgos. Bataglia receives him and is petrified upon seeing him, commenting on the scandal being orchestrated for the new soprano. Bataglia finds himself in a bind, unable to tell him that the soprano is Elena.

Sánchez arrives running with reports about the debut. It seems Roldán and the soprano’s mother got into an argument, revealing the mother’s identity: Casimira. He immediately connects De Lirio to his daughter, causing a huge scandal. Bataglia goes to calm them down, asking Nicolás to reconsider his refusal; otherwise, he will expose his relationship with Roldán.

To avoid Casimira, Nicolás disguises himself as a priest and slips past her, entering Roldán’s room. Casimira goes to the room to demand an explanation, discovering Nicolás, who then reveals the entire plot, provoking Casimira’s anger. She is ready to hit Nicolás and Sánchez. Elena, seeing this, is astonished, but Nicolás grants her permission to sing and be happy with Martín. The play concludes with everyone’s happiness.

Quoted from Wikipedia

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