It was not a ho-hum affair after all, though I had fears that it might be, given the ubiquity of Rossini’s most famous title, to the exclusion of most of Rossini’s massive catalogue of magnificent tragedies — opera audiences simply do not know what they are missing.
Stage director Emilio Sagi came back to town for this revival of his 2013 production, once shared with Lithuania Opera, that was a pared down version of his older Madrid and Los Angeles production. Just now Mr. Sagi (pronounced sah-hee) restored the considerable flash and razzle-dazzle that was somewhat diminished in its 2015 San Francisco Opera resurrection by a revival director.
Stage director Sagi plays quite brilliantly on the idea of Roman comedy, specifically he, with his designer Llorenç Corbella created a street lined with houses making a diagonal line upstage to downstage, leaving a black open area at its side where staging props occasionally emerged from under the comedia dell’arte platform that upheld the street. From time to time a few scenic props fell from the fly loft to suggest interior spaces. In a final coup de théâtre the houses slid off of the platform, leaving on-stage only a shiny red, vintage (1971) sports car ready to transport the youthful couple to eternal happiness.
Stage director Sagi makes much use of commedia dell’arte’s inherent physical theater, referencing Spanish flamenco poses by the 10 member corps de ballet, who began dancing in the later moments of the overture, and fortunately became less involved in the musical numbers as the evening progressed. There were as well the flamenco poses effected by the prima donna, and the hammy accompaniment to Berta’s aria enacted by Ambrogio. And, for that matter, nearly the entire staging was gracefully and wittily effected by the mime-ing antics of the entire, ready-to=entertain cast.
American conductor Benjamin Manis, a Houston Grand Opera protégée, proved himself to be an accomplished Rossinian, easily achieving the ephemeral Rossini delirium in support of the voices, all Rossini proven without exception. If his overture tumbled into mannerisms of prettiness, and extremes of tempos, his mastery of the Rossini vocal ethos was apparent once his singers were on stage. The forty-eight player San Francisco Opera Orchestra obliged with effervescent tone (double winds and brass, percussion, fortepiano and strings).
Leading the cast was Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins, Dresden’s Figaro (Barber), the Met’s Papageno and Almaviva (Nozze), who was as nimble as he was charming as Rossini’s factotum. Seated in close proximity to the stage I was unsure of this size of his voice, though it glistened with bright tone in his incisive phrasing. It was a boyish performance, Figaro as a fun-loving cohort, hardly the revolutionary figure of Beaumarchais’ play on which his character is very loosely based. (Lead photo left to right: Joshua Hopkins as Figaro, Maria Kataeva as Rosina, Levy Sekgapane as Almaviva).
The star of the show was South African tenor Levy Sekgapane, a famed Lindoro/Almaviva on the world’s major stages. A nimble performer as well he effected not only the graceful physical theater required by the production but also exhibited a spirited character who loves singing probably, even certainly more than he loves Rosina, making him a perfect Rossini hero ! His final display, “Cessa di piu resistere” brought the house down in appreciation of his exquisitely executed fioratura, evident from the get-go in his initial “Ecco, ridente in cielo,” serenading us, the audience, portending the immense vocal rewards of this formidable performance.
Rosina was sung by Russian mezzo-soprano Maria Kataeva, a discovery of Pesaro’s (Italy) Rossini Opera Festival where she sang the page Isolier in the 2022 Le Comte Ory and Rosina in its 2024 Barber. A natural comedienne she oozed aplomb both histrionically and vocally, easily achieving her one-dimensional character — though in Pesaro she was asked by the Pier Luigi Pizzi production to be multi-dimensional, a status seemingly beyond her reach. Mme. Kataeva, now 39 years old, is a known Carmen as well as a Rosina.
Baritone Renato Girolami, Dulcamara in San Francisco Opera’s 2023 l’elisir d’amore, returned as Doctor Bartolo, a role he has performed on the world’s major stages. A consummate Rossini buffo he whispered his patter in “A un dottor della mia sorte,” never forsaking full voiced exclamations and even more crazed, well voiced patter as the evening progressed.
Don Basilio was sung by bass Riccardo Fassi in his American debut. Unusual for the role, for any basso buffo role, Mr. Fassi was neither old nor portly, his agile, slender figure bringing a freshness to the character in a voice that rang with youthful splendor. “La calunnia” was delivered as insidious energy rather than as bombastic force, a quality that made the treachery of his role quite comic rather than simply banal.
The cast was completed by the Berta of San Francisco’s beloved Catherine Cook, who did a silent cameo curtain raiser for the second act (literally raising the curtain), and delivered her brief aria in fine, solid voice to the antics of Ambrogio, broadly and amusingly mimed by Puerto Rico born Adler Fellow, baritone Gabriel Natal-Baez. Fiorello was sung by Adler Fellow Olivier Zerouali (Adler Fellows are young San Francisco Opera resident artists).
There are nine performances total of this Barber of Seville, the alternate cast (four performances) comprised of Justin Austin as Figaro, Hongni Wu as Rosina, Jack Swanson as Almaviva (Mr. Swanson was the Lindoro to the Rosina of Maria Kataeva in Pesaro), and Patrick Carfizzi as Bartolo, all artists of similar stature to the above reviewed cast.
Michael Milenski
Additional credits Costume design: Pepa Ojanguren; Lighting: Gary Marder; Original choreographer: Nuria Castejón; Revival choreographer: Colm Seery
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California, June 9, 2026.
All photos copyright Cory Weaver, courtesy of San Francisco Opera.