Il Barbiere di Siviglia/ The Barber of Seville

This study score is based on the critical edition of “The Barber of Seville” edited by Patricia B. Brauner and published in 2008 as part of the series “Works of Gioachino Rossini”. But who needs a new critical edition of “The Barber of Seville”? The opera has been performed in theatres throughout the world since 1816 and has never been absent from the repertoire. There are two reasons for a critical new edition: firstly, none of the early editions satisfy modern demands for a scholarly-critical edition.

And secondly, there is a wealth of previously unpublished material relating to this opera, of great interest to both scholars and performers.

Thus the famous overture, which Rossini had already used in his earlier opera “Aureliano in Palmira”, differs noticeably from earlier editions in many places. The new edition enables performers to perform the overture either in its original scoring (as in “Aureliano in Palmira”), which includes two flutes, two oboes and timpani, or in the scoring for the subsequent opera “The Barber of Seville” (with just one flute, one oboe and no timpani).

A series of appendices contain music and information which have been included in no other edition of the opera to date.

• Takes into account all original sources, also including five manuscripts with Rossini’s autograph ornamentation
• Takes into consideration the full extent of Rossini’s personal notational characteristics
• With a detailed foreword (Eng/Ital)