El barberillo de Lavapiés

El barberillo de Lavapiés is a zarzuela in three acts (Op.56) by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri. The libretto, in Spanish, is by Luis Mariano de Larra. The first performance took place at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid on 18 December 1874, and it became one of the most well-known zarzuelas.[1] Translated as The Little Barber of Lavapiés, the title refers to the occupation of one of the main characters and the humble and neglected area of the Spanish capital called Lavapiés where it is set.

Background

Barbieri had already found success in the zarzuela genre with the pieces Jugar con fuego (Playing with fire) in 1851 and Pan y toros (Bread and bulls) in 1864[2] and would eventually compose around 70 zarzuelas. Numbers in El barberillo de Lavapiés such as the song for Paloma "Como nací en la calle de la Paloma", Lamparilla's patter songs as well as the jota and seguidilla became familiar in Spanish musical culture.[1] De Larra's libretto is considered to be successful and well-constructed, echoing Scribe in some respects.[3]

The work was particularly admired by Manuel de Falla, who described Pan y toros and El barberillo de Lavapiés as Barbieri's most outstanding theatrical works "which reflect the rhythmic-melodic character of Spanish song and dance at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth", and which "undoubtedly exerted an influence on Spanish composers, shaping certain unmistakable features we find in our music from about the middle of the last century until Albéniz and Granados".[4] In his book on operetta Traubner claims that the score is the greatest 19th century zarzuela, possessing a "joyous" score with no dull moments, and while with a Spanish accent, echoes of opéra comique or opera buffa.[2]

Performance history

Outside Spain the work has been produced in Germany under the title Lamparilla, while in England it was broadcast in 1954 by the BBC in a version by Geoffrey Dunn, with amended instrumentation by Roberto Gerhard and a cast that included Maria Perilli and Bruce Boyce as Paloma and Lamparilla, Marjorie Westbury and Thomas Round as the Marquesita and Don Luis, with Ian Wallace as Don Juan.[5]

There have been several recordings, complete conducted by Ataúlfo Argenta (1955), Federico Moreno Torroba (1969) and Víctor Pablo Pérez (1994), and of excerpts.[6]

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere Cast, 18 December 1874[6][7]
(Conductor: Francisco Barbieri)
Lamparilla tenor Miguel Tormo
Paloma mezzo-soprano Dolores Franco de Salas
Estrella, La Marquesita de Bierzo, the Infanta's lady-in-waiting soprano Cecilia Delgado
Don Luis de Haro tenor Rosendo Dalmau
Don Juan de Peralta baritone Loitia
Don Pedro, captain bass Edo
Lope, Lamparilla's assistant spoken González
A sergeant spoken Jordá
Chorus: Students, young women, tradespeople, seamstresses, apprentice barbers, guards.

Synopsis

The action takes place in Madrid, 1766 and based partly on history.[1]

Act 1

In El Pardo park, Lavapiés there are festive crowds of pedlars, young lovers and students bustle around. The dentist-barber Lamparilla enters and sings of his career before aiming his comments at the government. Paloma comes on next, singing; although Lamparilla loves her, she just flirts back at him. Next the Marquesita enters incognito for a secret meeting with Don Juan de Peralta, a fellow conspirator in a plot of the Infanta to get rid of the unpopular prime minister Grimaldi and replace him with Floridablanca. Before they can retire for discussions, Don Luis, the nephew of Grimaldi and her fiancé arrives. He notices the Marquesita with Juan, he fetches guards to challenge him, and a duel seems likely.

La Marquesita asks her seamstress La Paloma what to do to help save Juan, setting out the position. Lamparilla joins them and they agree to dress her up in festive garb as a distant cousin to effect her escape. When Luis returns Lamparilla leads a veiled woman away into a neighbouring house. When the police come to the inn, Lamparilla at first diverts attention, but when Luis tells Don Pedro, the guards' commander of the conspiracy, a sedan chair is carried on to take the prisoners but when it leaves it is Lamparilla who peeks out between the curtains.

Act 2

In the Plaza de Lavapiés, the locals gossip about the disappearance of Lamparilla while guards keep watch. The barber suddenly appears, claiming that he was only held for smashing up street lamps. Paloma meets La Marquesita and thanks her for the money which was used to bribe the jailer, and the Marquesita tries to get Lamparilla to be part of the plot against Grimaldi. She asks Lamparilla to get some louts to destroy the street lamps and divert the guards' attention.

Don Luis arrives to talk of love to the Marquesita, while suspecting her of being unfaithful, but she refuses to see him for four days, then joins the conspirators next door. Luis comes back in disguise, with the other plotters. Paloma and Lamparilla are alone when they notice masked men going into La Marquesita's house. Don Luis and Don Pedro arrive to prepare to snatch them. When the troublemakers come to smash the lamps, Lamparilla begins to sing a seguidille to distract the guards. As the guards prepare to grab the plotters, Paloma warns La Marquesita who is just able to escape through adjoining shops with the co-conspirators. The acts closes in confusion as the guards cannot decide whether to chase the plotters or arrest the troublemakers.

Act 3

In Paloma's attic workshop the seamstresses sing while they work. Since the conspiracy was uncovered Paloma has not been able to see La Marquesita. She secretly hatches her plan to allow Marquesita and Don Luis to flee in disguise from Madrid. Lamparilla has made the final preparations, and brings in Don Luis in his finery; they all anticipate the journey out to the country.

Just in time the four hide in Paloma's chamber as Don Pedro and his guards burst in. But Paloma and the noble couple are soon caught. However, Lamparilla had fled across the rooftops and he rushes back in to announce that Grimaldi has been removed and Floridablanca replaced him as prime minister. As a nephew of Grimaldi, Don Luis is forced to go into exile but La Marquesita decides to join him, while Lamparilla and Paloma pledge their mutual love, and all ends in joy and happiness.

Musical numbers

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

References

  1. 1 2 3 Salter, Lionel. El barberillo de Lavapiés. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  2. 1 2 Traubner, Richard. Operetta — a theatrical history. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1983, p430-431.
  3. ↑ 'Francisco Asenjo Barbieri: El Barberillo de Lavapies'. In: Kaminski, Piotr. Mille et Un Opéras. Fayard, 2003, p54-55.
  4. ↑ De Falla, Manuel. Manuel de Falla - On Music and Musicians, with introduction and notes by Federico Sopeña, translated by David Urman and J M Thomson. Marion Boyars, London, Boston, 1950, 1979, p63.
  5. ↑ Gänzl K, Lamb A. El barberillo de Lavapiés. In: Gänzl's Book of the Musical Theatre. The Bodley Head, London, 1988. 1211.
  6. 1 2 Teatro Lírico Español website, El barberillo de Lavapiés page, accessed 20 February 2015.
  7. ↑ A Toda Zarzuela (First cast and Spanish libretto) accessed 21 February 2015.
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