'The Barber of Seville' At CCP: The cutting crew

The voice of the opera singer is like a thoroughbred. Well, think of a horse galloping through space, across the unmapped groundswells of feelings ineffable and otherwise, full of grace. The voice, you’ve read it somewhere before, is like a muscle; and singers are like athletes.

“You have to be singing all the time to always be on your toes,” explains soprano Rachelle Gerodias. The classical singer, whose collaboration with Mirella Freni makes her the only Filipino to have ever worked with the legendary singer, was recently seen as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Being an opera singer wasn’t exactly the dream of Rachelle when she was younger, but she found herself on the operatic path and hasn’t looked back since.

“What makes a brilliant opera singer? Technique. Experience. You have to be a good actress also,” she says, so as to interpret entire layers of emotions. 

Andrew Fernando, New York-based Filipino baritone, recalls how he was cast when he was nine years old as Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors. “That was the beginning of my encounter with opera, and since then I was sort of like geared toward this genre.”

Very demanding is how he describes the life of an opera singer. “You have to be disciplined because you’re always auditioning for a job. A lot of hard work is involved.” Curiously, the word “opera” means work in Italian.

Now, these two  Rachelle and Andrew  have worked so many times in the past.

“We’ve been singing together since high school,” reveals Rachelle. “The very first opera we did was Rolando Tinio’s adaptation of La Bohéme at the CCP in 1992. The most recent one was La Traviata.” 

Now, the two classical singers are featured in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville on July 13, gala night, and July 14, both shows at 8 p.m. at the CCP. They are slated to perform alongside tenor Arthur Espiritu (the second Filipino to ever perform in La Scala in Milan), as well as visiting multi-awarded Italian baritones Mario Cassi and Marco Filippo Romano. Rachelle plays Rosina, Andrew plays Don Basilio and Arthur takes on the role of the Conte d’Almaviva.

This is how The Barber of Seville is heralded: “Imagine a bashful starlet saddled with a slimy agent who also happens to own the film studio she works at. Throw in a star-struck (and lustful) nobleman and a hairdresser with a flair for intrigues and you have the spicy ingredients of The Barber of Seville  arguably Rossini’s most popular opera with its abundance of fun, and filled with catchy melodies and inventive orchestrations. Described as everything from absurd and touching to witty, hilarious and irresistible, The Barber of Seville is destined to enthrall and entertain Filipino theatergoers.”

Fittingly, this most acclaimed of Italian operas marks the triple celebration of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Italy, the 60th anniversary of Rustan’s (with its reputation for pioneering Italian merchandise in the Philippines) and the 50th anniversary of the Philippine Italian Association (PIA) which promotes cultural exchange between the Philippines and Italy. Rustan’s, the CCP and the official hotel sponsor The Peninsula Manila (which is always supportive of arts and culture), in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy, are joining hands in making this operatic gala possible.

According to Rustan Group of Companies and Philippine Italian Association (PIA) president Zenaida “Nedy” Tantoco, PIA is actively involved in various cultural exchange programs as well as participates in cultural events. “During the celebration of the Italian National Day in June, cultural exchange festivities allow Filipinos to marvel at the wonders of Italian culture.” Last year saw the performance of Italy’s greatest living violinist Uto Ughi, as well as a group that revived the Tarantella, a thousand-year-old ritual from Southern Italy that uses frenetic and infectious music and dance.  

The first cut

Rachelle recalls, “Nedy Tantoco and conductor Ruggero Barbieri approached me. They wanted to feature Arthur and myself. They (wanted to stage an opera production and) were looking for something fresh, something that hasn’t been performed recently. I don’t even remember the last time The Barber of Seville had been performed here.”

Why The Barber in the first place?  

She answers swiftly, “It’s something Filipinos can relate to because it has a Spanish setting. And the story is funny.”

There has been an absence of regular opera performances in the country, observes Andrew. “But this year, the Cultural Center of the Philippines is presenting three pop operas, starting with La Traviata last March; then with the well-loved dramatic opera, Madame Butterfly; and now with The Barber of Seville, one of the funniest and most beautiful musically put-together opera.”

The man just wants Filipinos to give opera a chance.

“For people who haven’t seen opera before, it’s like trying a new dish. You look at it. It looks complicated and you’re not even sure you’re going to like it. Then you try it and, after the first bite, say, ‘Oh my God, there’s something to this and I think I’m going to love it!’ There are a lot of preconceived ideas about what opera is. That only the rich and the educated can understand it. But actually it’s an art form created for people from all walks of life. I encourage people  tired of TV shows and of the usual concerts  to just give opera a try.”

It’s like this: you can plop yourself on the plodding donkey of kitschy shows or run-of-the-mill concerts, or ride the thoroughbred of opera and explore the peaks and valleys of human drama.

Figaro, Figaro….

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Tickets for July 13, gala night, are Orchestra Center at P5,000 and P3,000; Orchestra Sides at P3,000, P2,000, P1,500 and P1,000; Balcony I Center and Sides at P1,000; tickets for July 14, second night are Orchestra Center at P3,000; Orchestra Sides at P2,000; Balcony I Center and Sides at P800; and Balcony II center and sides at P500. Tickets are available at Ticketworld (891-9999); CCP Box Office (832-3704); and Lulu Casas of Rustan’s Secretariat (895-2109; 895-2404).

The Manila production of The Barber of Seville will have as its main beneficiary the Philippine Italian Association Endowment Fund which supports not only cultural events but also the Sister Handmaids of Charity, the Servants of Charity and the Canossian Sons of Charity  three charitable institutions run by Italian Missionaries, devoted to the care of the sick, elderly, special children, abandoned and malnourished children.