A sparkling and highly colorful Barber is being presented by the Bucharest National Opera in its new staging of the famous Rossini opera. Last night, on March 26th, 2026, the preview performance of this new production, directed by Igor Bergler, took place. The musical direction was ensured by Daniel Jinga, the institution's general manager. In the press conference preceding the performance, Daniel Jinga emphasized that the purpose of a preview is its first encounter with the audience, after which various adjustments and changes may still be made before the premiere night.

Yesterday's cast brought together 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, bass-baritone Daniel Pascariu (guest) appeared as Don Basilio, soprano Daniela Cârstea (guest) as Berta, and baritone Daniel Filipescu performed a triple role-Fiorello, the Sergeant, and the Servant.

The other announced performances will take place on March 28th and 29th, featuring mezzo-soprano Maria Miron Sârbu (guest) as Rosina, tenor Andrei Fermeșanu (guest) as Almaviva, and baritone Iordache Basalic as Figaro, as well as on April 1st, with mezzo-soprano Martiniana Antonie (guest) as Rosina, Bogdan Mihai as Almaviva, and Sebastian Balaj as Figaro. Another performance is also scheduled for May 20th.

During the press conference, Igor Bergler stated that he wanted to bring elements of commedia dell'arte into the production, something that could be observed during the performance, where opera singers and dancers interacted with the audience (even offering cakes in the hall at the end), danced, and presented various moments of physical comedy. Probably also part of this inspiration from the old Italian theatrical form was the presence on stage 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 for the system." Of course, humor is deeply connected to local traditions and cultures, as well as to what we call "personal taste"; some enjoy physical comedy, others prefer sharp lines and irony, some like dry jokes, while others favor subtlety-so it is extremely difficult to create a style of humor that resonates with everyone. The audience itself is heterogeneous, so while some laughed, others… not so much. De gustibus…

Daniel Jinga also stated that they aimed for "a new Barber," one that is truly buffo, while set designer Raluca Popa added that it is highly colorful. The director asked her for "a chromatic fantasy," in which each color is associated with an emotion or an idea-Rosina is pink because she is feminine and delicate, Figaro is red because he embodies that color's energy, Don Bartolo is green to symbolize jealousy, and so on. Choreographer Bianca Patrichi also contributed to the production of the show, who also stated that she tried to bring humor to the production through movement.

I was struck by this declared intention to make us "roll on the floor laughing" (in the director's words) using means external to the score, because in my view the music itself and the plot are already very generous in this respect. Of course, acting plays a very important role here, as in any opera production, but the entire staging seems to be trying too hard. There are far too many things happening on stage (richly decorated and intensely colored costumes, flying Cupids shooting arrows, dancers, multiple layers of action that are impossible to follow simultaneously, etc.), which distracts attention from the music. Everything is exaggerated, overstated, pointed out explicitly, and some characters become caricatures. Of course, this is intentional-and judging by the frenetic applause from the audience, who stood up at the end of the performance, it was appreciated by the vast majority.

Musically, I greatly appreciated Sebastian Balaj, who has a very beautiful, rich baritone voice, which we could admire in the famous "Largo al factotum." An artist who still has room to grow over time, both vocally and in terms of stage maturity. Nevertheless, an enthusiastic Figaro in a production that is quite physically demanding. Bogdan Mihai celebrated his 400th performance in the role of Count Almaviva with this show-a role he has performed on stages around the world and clearly knows very well. However, in Bucharest last night, he seemed rather restrained musically. Or perhaps he was conserving energy for the very demanding final piece, "Cessa di più resistere"? In any case, his voice sounded somewhat veiled, and the rich vocal ornamentations were approached superficially. Still, it was a preview evening, and the voice is a fragile instrument. At the preview, Rosina was sung by soprano Oana Șerban-a very small, metallic voice with some agility. I listened to her perform the cavatina "Una voce poco fa," the most famous aria of the character Rosina, from a gilded cage. As Don Bartolo, Rosina's guardian, Vicențiu Țăranu proved consistent.

Like any preview night, this one also had its share of timing issues (within the orchestra or between orchestra and soloists), things that will surely be corrected once the production "settles in."