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Overture to The Barber of Seville
Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini, the earliest of the geniuses of the bel canto style of Italian opera, was born in Pesaro on February 29, 1792 and died in Paris on November 13, 1868. Although he composed many tragic operas as well as non-operatic works, he is still most honored for his brilliant comic operas, especially the immortal The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia) of 1816. The opera, with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini, is based upon Beaumarchais’s play of 1775. Its original title was Almaviva, o sia L'inutile precauzione. Rossini retained the subtitle, which translates as “The useless precaution.” It received its first performance on February 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. The popular Overture is scored for piccolo, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion, and strings.


Rossini was an eminently practical fellow, as well as a skilled promoter. When the opera we now know as The Barber of Seville was given its premiere in 1816, Rossini knew that his setting of Beaumarchais’ farcical comedy was controversial, as it had the audacity to replace the popular opera of the same name by Giovanni Paisiello, composed in 1782, still a favorite of Italian audiences of the day. (It is interesting fact to note that Paisiello’s setting served as the model for the vocal ranges for the characters used by Mozart in composing his opera based on Beaumarchais’ sequel, The Marriage of Figaro.) Rossini tried to avoid any conflict by entitling the opera Almaviva, but the audiences at the premiere were not fooled, chanting the name “Pai-si-ell-o, Pai-si-ell-o!” after the performance by way of protest. By the time the opera was performed in Bologna in August of that same year, Paisiello had died, and Rossini now felt emboldened to change the title to The Barber of Seville. Rossini’s setting, of course, has withstood the test of time, leaving Paisiello’s version as an historical curiosity, despite its many fine qualities.


Rossini, who tended to be a rather lazy chap, recycled material from two of his earlier operas, Aureliano in Palmira (1813) and Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra (1815) to serve as the overture to The Barber of Seville. As a result, the overture contains none of the thematic material in the opera itself. This certainly has not detracted from the overture’s popularity. After a striking fanfare intended to grab the audience’s attention. The main body of the overture begins dramatically in the minor mode, but eventually yields to the bright cheerfulness for which Rossini is treasured by audiences, including wonderful virtuoso passages for the winds and horn, as well as the patented Rossini crescendo—a device that provides excitement and never fails to thrill audiences.


Even for those who may not know the opera, the overture has been used in films over the years, ranging from Stanley Kubrick’s sinister A Clockwork Orange (1971) to the delightful Babe: Pig in the City (1998). The Beatles used it for the end credits of Help! (1965) and the great Italian director Federico Fellini borrowed it for a fantasy sequence in his surrealist masterpiece 8½ (1963).


Program note by David B. Levy, © 2020/2026

Overture to The Barber of Seville
Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini, the earliest of the geniuses of the bel canto style of Italian opera, was born in Pesaro on February 29, 1792 and died in Paris on November 13, 1868. Although he composed many tragic operas as well as non-operatic works, he is still most honored for his brilliant comic operas, especially the immortal The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia) of 1816. The opera, with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini, is based upon Beaumarchais’s play of 1775. Its original title was Almaviva, o sia L'inutile precauzione. Rossini retained the subtitle, which translates as “The useless precaution.” It received its first performance on February 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. The popular Overture is scored for piccolo, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion, and strings.


Rossini was an eminently practical fellow, as well as a skilled promoter. When the opera we now know as The Barber of Seville was given its premiere in 1816, Rossini knew that his setting of Beaumarchais’ farcical comedy was controversial, as it had the audacity to replace the popular opera of the same name by Giovanni Paisiello, composed in 1782, still a favorite of Italian audiences of the day. (It is interesting fact to note that Paisiello’s setting served as the model for the vocal ranges for the characters used by Mozart in composing his opera based on Beaumarchais’ sequel, The Marriage of Figaro.) Rossini tried to avoid any conflict by entitling the opera Almaviva, but the audiences at the premiere were not fooled, chanting the name “Pai-si-ell-o, Pai-si-ell-o!” after the performance by way of protest. By the time the opera was performed in Bologna in August of that same year, Paisiello had died, and Rossini now felt emboldened to change the title to The Barber of Seville. Rossini’s setting, of course, has withstood the test of time, leaving Paisiello’s version as an historical curiosity, despite its many fine qualities.


Rossini, who tended to be a rather lazy chap, recycled material from two of his earlier operas, Aureliano in Palmira (1813) and Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra (1815) to serve as the overture to The Barber of Seville. As a result, the overture contains none of the thematic material in the opera itself. This certainly has not detracted from the overture’s popularity. After a striking fanfare intended to grab the audience’s attention. The main body of the overture begins dramatically in the minor mode, but eventually yields to the bright cheerfulness for which Rossini is treasured by audiences, including wonderful virtuoso passages for the winds and horn, as well as the patented Rossini crescendo—a device that provides excitement and never fails to thrill audiences.


Even for those who may not know the opera, the overture has been used in films over the years, ranging from Stanley Kubrick’s sinister A Clockwork Orange (1971) to the delightful Babe: Pig in the City (1998). The Beatles used it for the end credits of Help! (1965) and the great Italian director Federico Fellini borrowed it for a fantasy sequence in his surrealist masterpiece 8½ (1963).


Program note by David B. Levy, © 2020/2026