Tickets:   $65 (students 50% off)*

Season Subscriptions:  $160;  $110 for New York performances only

Beaumarchais wrote his fabulously successful play in 1772; in 1782, Giovanni Paisiello turned the French work into an Italian opera. Paisiello's Il Barbiere di Siviglia debuted in St. Petersburg, where the composer was maestro di capella to Catherine the Great, and it soon became a hit throughout Europe. In Vienna, Paisiello's Barbiere inspired Mozart and Da Ponte to take up La Nozze di Figaro, but even after that masterpiece was composed, Paisiello's work continued to charm countless audiences well into the 19th century, only then to be overaken in popularity by Rossini's brilliant homage. The freshness and imagination of Paisiello's compact, vivacious work are apparent at every turn, from the familiar scenes involving the clever antics of Figaro and Rosina, Bartolo's bluster and the Count's disguises, to a delightful sneezing duet which Rossini must have thought too perfect to imitate.

*Opera Lafayette is pleased to offer free tickets for the April 15 matinee performance to youth (ages 7-17) accompanied by a paying adult. Please call Opera Lafayette at (202) 546-9332 to order free youth tickets.