 |
| (Photo: Mike Hoban) |
"The Royal Opera's 2005 Barber of Seville, staged by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, has been the vehicle for stars including Juan Diego Flórez and Joyce DiDonato. The bill for its latest revival is less glossy, but includes a performance that ought to catapult Aleksandra Kurzak on to the Rossini A-list. Kurzak comes to the role of Rosina as a soprano, rather than a mezzo like her predecessor, and the decorations she adds so liberally to her arias just go up, up and away. Her high notes ping crystal-clear around Christian Fenouillat's high-walled box of a set with a nonchalance that suits the wilful minx she portrays; she has Rosina's sugar and spice held in perfect balance." [Source]
