The Bucharest National Opera proposes a sparkly and very colorful "Barber" in its new staging of the famous Rossinian opera. The preview of the new production, directed by Igor Bergler, took place last night, March 26, 2026. The conducting was ensured by Daniel Jinga, the general manager of the institution. At the press conference preceding the performance, Daniel Jinga emphasized that the purpose of a preview is the first appearance before the audience, after which various adjustments and modifications can still be made until the premiere evening.

Yesterday's cast brought together on stage baritone Sebastian Balaj as Figaro, tenor Bogdan Mihai as Count Almaviva, soprano Oana Șerban (guest) as Rosina, and baritone Vicențiu Țăranu as Don Bartolo. In other roles appeared bass-baritone Daniel Pascariu (guest) as Don Basilio, soprano Daniela Cârstea (guest) as Berta, and baritone Daniel Filipescu in a triple role - Fiorello, the Sergeant, and the Servant.

The other announced performances will take place on March 28th and 29th, with mezzo-soprano Maria Miron Sârbu (guest) as Rosina, tenor Andrei Fermeșanu (guest) as Almaviva, and baritone Iordache Basalic in the score of Figaro, as well as on April 1, with mezzo-soprano Martiniana Antonie (guest) as Rosina, Bogdan Mihai as Almaviva, and Sebastian Balaj as Figaro. A performance taking place on May 20th has also been announced.

During the press conference, Igor Bergler stated that he wanted to incorporate elements of commedia dell'arte into the staging, which could be observed during the performance, in which the opera artists and ballet dancers interacted with the audience (even offering cakes in the hall at the end), danced, and proposed various moments of physical comedy. Probably also in this chapter of inspiration from this old form of Italian theater, one could include the stage presence of an oversized, sequined donkey operated by two people? The director also promised that "it's an opera at which you will laugh a lot, which will be a shock to the system." Of course, humor is very connected to local traditions and cultures, as well as to what we call "personal taste" some are amused by physical comedy, others by caustic lines, irony, some enjoy "dry" jokes, while another category may prefer subtleties, so it is extremely difficult to create a style of humor that resonates with everyone. The audience is also heterogeneous, so some of those in the hall laughed, others... not so much. De gustibus...

"A new Barber," was desired, Daniel Jinga also stated at the press conference, a truly buffo and very colorful one, added set designer Raluca Popa, whom the director asked for "a chromatic fairy tale," in which each color would be associated with an emotion, an idea - Rosina is pink because she is feminine and delicate, Figaro is red because he has the energy of this color, Don Bartolo is green to symbolize jealousy, and so on. Choreographer Bianca Patrichi also participated in creating the performance, and she stated, in turn, that she tried to bring humor to the staging through movement.

I was struck by this declared desire to make us "roll on the floor laughing" (in the director's words) with means external to the score, because in my opinion the music itself and the subject are already very generous in this regard. Of course, the acting interpretation plays a very important role here too, as in any opera production, but the entire staging seems to try too hard. Far too many things happen on stage (we have richly decorated and intensely colored costumes, flying Cupids shooting arrows, dancers, various planes that are impossible to follow in parallel, etc.), the reason why attention is diverted from the music. Everything is exaggerated, thickened, pointed at, some characters are caricatural. Of course, this is the intention... and judging by the frenetic applause of the audience, who had risen to their feet at the end of the performance, it was appreciated by the vast majority.

Musically, I greatly appreciated Sebastian Balaj, a very beautiful, rich baritone voice, which I could also admire in the famous "Largo al factotum" moment. An artist who still has room to grow, in time, both vocally and in stage maturity. Otherwise, a Figaro full of enthusiasm, in a production that is quite physically demanding. Bogdan Mihai celebrated, through this performance, his 400th appearance in the role of Count Almaviva. A score that he has performed on stages around the world and which he obviously knows very well. In Bucharest last night, he seemed to be merely marking it, musically. Or perhaps he was saving his energy for the very demanding final moment, "Cessa di più resistere"? In any case, his voice sounded flat, and the rich vocal ornaments were approached superficially. But, of course, it was a preview evening, and the voice is a fragile instrument. On the preview evening, Rosina was a soprano - Oana Șerban. A very small and metallic voice, with some possibilities of agility. I listened to her singing the Cavatina "Una voce poco fa," the most famous aria of the character Rosina, from a gilded cage. In Don Bartolo, Rosina's tutor, Vicențiu Țăranu showed consistency.

Like any preview evening, this one also had many moments of misalignment (within the orchestra or between the orchestra and the soloists), things that can certainly be remedied once the production "settles in."