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think )tttl knoxx e\er_\thing. _\on ha\e )tttrr' lirxt
eruxh on a ho}. antl rernernher the e\eitement ol~
heing _\onng with no prexxure in lil'e.~
'l‘he tla}x ol' xingerx \xho tleli\ er their rolex the xame \xa}. no matter \xhat. are prett) mtteh long gone. and .\llen eertainl} holtlx no truek \xith that mentalit}. ‘lt ix. though. a xtrange \xorltl.' xa}x .\llen. 'antl people ha\ e tlill'erent itleax. lt'x a meeting ol' mintlx. l’rineipall}. Karen \xill ha\ e l'ormetl her itleax ahottt Roxina in preparing the role. I eertainh lixten to what xhe hax to xa} and
I hope that ax l eome with a eertain amount ol‘
e\perienee. that l ol‘l'er \tlggL‘\lltttt\ antl athiee. lt'x not tinxt \xhat the eharaeter xingx that eotrntx. lt'x the xtttll that’x \tritten het\\een the linex antl it'x m_\ joh to enlighten.‘
l-‘rom hoth. there ix total tletlieation. ('argill. \xho grext up in :\rhroath and thought that xhe might \\ ant to do xomething \\llli her \oiee. poxxihh' intrxie therap}. xttttlietl at the RS.-\.\ll) antl eontinuex to take lexxonx with Pat lla). her teacher there. "l'here lx :tl\\a_\,x .xotllelltlltg he“ to learn. \thether teehnieal or repertoire.‘ ln taking on a part. xhe tentlx to learn \\Ul'tl\ antl muxie together. \xorking \\llli xpeeialixt language L‘ttttcllt‘x liL‘l-Ul'k‘ Lll‘l'lVlllg :tl l'L‘llL‘itl‘xitl. 'l[.\ he}: xhe x:t_\\. ‘You ean't rattle till all thix Italian \\ ithout know ing \xhieh tlireetion it‘x takingf
So, who is this ll barbiere di Sivilgia, or barber of Seville? Read on to find out more
The name Figaro might well ring a hell and. indeed. Ross‘rnr's harher IS the same character as Moran's; in The Altar/rage of Figaro. Both eomposers looked to Btr>aumarehars trilogy of plays. which feature the street-smart Figaro at their heart. Another. earlier. composer, ParSIello. had done lll\€\V|S€. and made one of the plays. The Barber of Sew/re. into an opera ll‘. 1782. It was his work that lllSDll'eCl Mozart to move on to the second plat and compose Le nt .L‘e o’r Figaro in 1786. Rather than take the third play as his SUDJGCI. Rossini preferred the Barber of Sew//e. wrote a better opera
16 THE LIST See «1 C ‘1
‘THE DIRECTOR HAS HIS IDEAS AND YOU HAVE YOUR OWN, SO YOU HAVE TO MEET SOMEWHERE’
l-'or‘ an opera \xith a great tleal ot reertath e. \ ll'lllall} \Iilth'll linex that tell the xtor}. language ix e\er_\thing lor .\llen too. ‘lx’eeitatn e ean he the littllL‘ til I‘L'tlplk'.\ ll\L‘\. litll ll\ tllttlttg‘tlt‘ l\ lllL‘ xeeret ol' the \xhole tltingf he xa_\ x. “h it'x right. ll leatlx on to the emotional eontent ol’ the ariax. the trttth ol' the opera and the xtor_\ \\ e are tr_\ ing to lCll: Rt‘t‘llttllu‘. lio\\e\et‘. tlttt'\ ltttl e‘itllle L';t\_\. l)etail. repetition. tlixeipline. total eoneentration. repeatetl repetition. talxing time to make it \tork are all important. 'l‘m \er} a\\are that it eoultl he tetliottx.‘ xa_\x .\llen. 'hut it'x repetition \\llll knohx on that allo\\ x intpro\ ixation antl tle\elopment. until. l'inall_\. the xinger tnhahitx their role.‘
Roxina ix a role that (‘argill “ill take on with her ax part ol~ her l'uture eareer. ‘l ne\ er thought I had the laeilit} lor the eoloratttraf xhe xa_\x. 'lt'x
lientlixhl_\ tlillit'ult. like g‘}lllll.t\llt‘\ lor the \otte. .\llt‘ l\ paxxtonate. e\eitetl .llltl \l‘t‘.ll\\ ol leeling luelx} in heing ahle to tlo \\llat xhe loxex \llen alxo \[tealxx til ltlelx. tlttolltl}: ‘L'tillk'l' Hat} l’l.t}el \\lto lil\e\\txe lelt \er} luek). hut notetl. too. that luek
xeenietl to ineieaxe the more he \\till\k‘tl
antl aetuall_\ the healtlnext llllll_'_‘ tor rt‘
('atgill‘x eareer rx elearl\ on an upuaitlx traieetor} texulting lrorn Inueli hattl \\tlll\ alreatl_\. .\t il. xhe ix x|\ _\e.nx oltler than .\llen \\ax \\hen he rnatle lnx li’tn/nr o/ \t tr//t tlehut. inaiketl h_\ the prexx .tx ‘a talent to \xateh'. (aigill liax heen in the opera \xorltl'x xightx xtnee \xnnnng the eo\etetl Kathleen l'errier ,\\\aitl at more or lexx the xanie age. hut .\llen‘x atl\ tee lot‘ her eoultl app|_\ to an_\ xtnget at an} age '.\lter a eertain xtagef he x.r_\\. 'the \otee ix there. hut eurroxit} ix the tort'e that lxt'L‘l‘\ e\er_\thtng \ihr’ant .llltl ali\e. luxt he ax interextetl in lite ax one poxxlhl} ean he.‘ ()pera might he a tlillerent \torltl. hut xueli \\ttltl\ ol \\l\tltllll are xurel_\ unnerxal.
ll barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Wed 3, Sat 6, Sat 20, Tue 30 Oct & Thu 1 Nov; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 23, Wed 28 Nov & Sat 1 Dec
BRUSH WITH HISTORY ‘