Abbado conducts Il Barbiere di Siviglia

For more than two centuries, Rossini's 1816 adaptation of Beaumarchais's The Barber of Seville has delighted, amused and astonished audiences around the world. It's a true comic classic and in Figaro, its witty, endlessly resourceful title character, Rossini gave opera one of its most engaging and charismatic heroes. Fittingly, this 1972 film version united two equally innovative and energetic young talents – the French director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and conductor Claudio Abbado – in an exuberant, handsome-looking production based on Ponnelle's classic Salzburg staging, and recorded using the forces of La Scala, Milan. Hermann Prey, Teresa Berganza and Luigi Alva all star in this sparkling account of the supreme bel canto comedy.

Soloists: 

Luigi Alva (Tenor), Teresa Berganza (Mezzo-Soprano), Renato Cesari (Baritone), Enzo Dara (Baritone), Stefania Malagù (Mezzo-Soprano), Paolo Montarsolo (Bass), Hermann Prey (Baritone), Luigi Roni (Bass), Hans Kraemmer (Bass-Baritone)

Ensembles: 

Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

Conductor: 

Claudio Abbado