Claudio Abbado / London Symphony Orchestra GIOACCHINO ROSSINI Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Among the operas in the modern repertoire The Barber of Seville has undoubtedly been the one most in need of careful critical revision. Written within a few days by a composer who, although young, had already made his name, Rossini's opera was soon immensely successful. However, as a result of its success, the work was subjected to a great many unwarrantable changes, which have unfortunately been perpetuated ever since in published editions.

The music publishers Ricordi have therefore brought out a new and scrupulously revised edition. This recording based on the new edition corresponds to the composer's intentons un every respect - as regards the original arias, tonalities and instrumentation.

This is a nicely entertaining Barber, with just the right sense of fun running through it to avoid slapstick and still bring a sophisticated smile to one's lips. Teresa Berganza is so right, so unexaggerated, so pyrotechnically capable yet filled with good taste, that it's impossible to find fault with her Rosina. Luigi Alva's Count is classy and honey-toned up to the top of the staff, where the voice simply stops blooming; he's also not as good as one might wish with Rossini's difficult fast music. Hermann Prey's Figaro is similarly impaired - the coloratura is just not pristine - but his style, attitude, and intelligence are pure gold; he's vastly entertaining. The other low-voiced men are ideal Rossinians. Abbado holds the whole thing together - this is a very satisfying performance. (Robert Levine)

Of the many recordings of the Barber, this is one of the very best. Abbado’s 1972 performance scraped away layers of traditional performing practice, revealing the sparkling colours beneath – the whole work was sung in the original keys. The LSO played superlatively well, with an unmatched blend of finesse and panache. The cast was the A-team of the day, performing together regularly on stage with great gain to their work in the recording studio... All in all a vocal fiesta... highly recommendable...  (Patrick Carnegy, BBC Music Magazine)