Ezio Pinza Lily Pons Bruno Landi Il barbiere di Siviglia full opera (1938 live)

Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioacchino Rossini performed in Italian
Conductor Gennaro Papi - 1938(LI)
Figaro - John Charles Thomas
Il Conte Almaviva - Bruno Landi
Rosina - Lily Pons
Dr. Bartolo - Pompilio Malatesta
Don Basilio - Ezio Pinza
Berta - Irra Petina
Fiorello - Wilfred Engelman
Un Ufficiale - Giordano Paltrinieri

[@andyberistain6743]

This is the youngest Rosina I have ever heard from Lily Pons. An absolute delight to listen to, the “Una Voce Poco Fa” is her reference, at the end of the Cavatina the projection of the high note is impressive, like a powerful laser beam. Her acting is delicate, authentic, truly elegant.

[@robertevans8010]

I am related to John Charles Thomas through my Mother. I met him in the 1950's Twice a Charming man . Her family were Preachers in the Welsh Baptist and Methodist Churches a number of whom Emigrated to America from Wales another cousin was the Tenor Evan Williams, through my Grandmother.

[@BestOperaMoments]

A very precious story indeed.

[@delosmike2030]

Review of Francis D. Perkins in the Herald Tribune Lily Pons Sings With Thomas in Rossini Opera Soprano Makes Her Season's Debut in Metropolitan in 'Barbiere di Sviviglia' He Takes Figaro Role Landi, Malatesta and Pinza Heard in Ancient Work Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" had its first performance at the Metropolitan Opera House since February 8, 1932, yesterday afternoon, when a capacity audience heard Lily Pons, making her first appearance of the season as Rosina, and John Charles Thomas, who sang Figaro for the first time in this house. There was also a new Count Almaviva, Bruno Landi, while Pompilio Malatesta and Ezio Pinza, who had been heard with Mme. Pons in the last representation of this perennial opera buffa six years ago, reappeared as Dr. Bartolo and Don Basilio. "Barbiere," which is nearing its 122d. birthday, has grown no older during the past six years, and furnished its hearers with much amusement in yesterday's generally spirited performance under Gennaro Papi's direction. Ideally, a lighter touch and more subtly humorous treatment would probably be more in accord with the spirit and style of Rosin's score, but fairly obvious comedy depending considerably upon stage business can be regarded as more or less inevitable, considering the Metropolitan's vast spaces and the loss of verbal contributions to the development of the comedy for those not familiar with Italian, or with the play of Beaumarchais on which Sterbini's libretto is based. Mme. Pons, in appearance and stature, was a plausible and very attractive Rosina, as in 1931 and 1932, and interpreted the role ably from a dramatic point of view. In "Una voce" she sang 'with her familiar vocal ease and fluency; the clarity and effortlessness of her best tones were often in evidence, but not without exceptions. As, however, the afternoon's schedule prevented a hearing of the Lesson scene, in which she sang Dell' Acqua's "Vilanelle" and an aria from Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio," more comprehensive comment on her singing this season must await a later occasion. Mr. Thomas, whose fine voice had its usual generous sonority and full roundness of tone, was a genial, high-spirited Sevillian barber, in what seemed to be his best Metropolitan impersonation thus far from a histrionic standpoint. His "Largo al factotum," while effectively sung, did not quite reproduce the headlong, rapid-fire effect of the swift-paced Italian syllables at the close in the manner which marked the singing of the cavatina by his predecessor, Giuseppe De Luca, but the American baritone's singing showed a general mastery of the Rossiniesque style in addition to its usual tonal merits. Mr. Landi, in a well acted impersonation of the Count, did not equal the vocal standard of his debut in "Rigoletto" last week. There were well sung passages, but the stronger middle and upper tones sometimes lacked focus and roundness, and it occasionally seemed, in the first act, as if the young tenor was not yet entirely familiar with the acoustic requirements of this house. Mr. Malatesta's divertingly querulous and bemused Bartolo has long been familiar here; likewise the notably stentorian-voiced and vigorously comic Basilio of Mr. Pinza. Irra Petina, as Berta, Wilfred Engelman and Giordano Paltrinieri completed a cast which received ardent applause and numerous curtain calls.

[@davidhansel897]

Thank you for posting this! Overture: 0:00 Act 1, s.1: 7:02 "Largo al factotum": 18:46 Act 1, s.2: 42:15 ("Una voce poco fa") "La calunnia": 55:00 "Dunque io son": 1:03:45 Act 1, s.3: 1:15:26 Act 2, s.1: 1:35:32 Lesson Scene: "Ach, ich liebte" (sung in French): 1:41:51 "Villanelle": 1:47:26 Act 2, s.2: 2:15:56 Curtain Calls: 2:23:09

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

55:01 La Calunnia

[@M.Stabile]

Did he crack at 58.10?

[@OldSchoolOpera]

Imo both Landi and Pinza performed better 3 years later.

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

2:00:37 OMG

[@nawiddiemiec99]

Have you Siepi's Zauberflute (in English) or Hines and Alva (both from MET)?

[@BestOperaMoments]

I'll try and find

[@victorchristy1706]

Did Ezio just went down to a low note 1:30:35?

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

Yes. He’s the only one who interpolated a low E flat in that scene.

[@terrymac6]

Where are you getting these recordings from the 30's?

[@BestOperaMoments]

I found them on a website online earlier, now you can no longer download files from there.

[@terrymac6]

@@BestOperaMoments that's unfortunate, but at least these are on KZbin now

[@BestOperaMoments]

@@terrymac6 don't worry. I've downloaded everything on there that isn't on KZbin yet and I'll be uploading them soon.

[@terrymac6]

@@BestOperaMoments that's awesome, thanks!

[@michaelpapadopoulos5450]

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