#Largo al Factotum

[adventuresofalgy]

The weather birds had told Algy that there was a great storm on its way to the wild west Highlands of Scotland, and that within a day or so the beautiful autumn leaves would all be gone, and very possibly some of the branches and trees too. They advised him to take cover in his assistants' garden, and to stay away from the shores of the mighty ocean, which was expected to whip itself up into a ferocious frenzy which could destroy a fluffy bird in a moment.

Such a forecast was not easy to believe on a fine October morning, when the wind was relatively calm and the sun burst through between the scattered showers of rain to illuminate all the colours of the fall in a most delightful way. It seemed to be a day for rest and quiet enjoyment of the season…

But long experience of west Highland weather cautioned Algy that such warnings should never be ignored. Preparing himself therefore to face the tempest that was coming, Algy felt even more determined to make the most of the last hurrah of the Scottish Highland autumn while he still could. It was quite definitely a day for singing so, leaning back among the radiant foliage of a large azalea bush, Algy opened his beak as wide as it would go and belted out at the top of his voice…

Figaro here, Figaro there, Figaro up, Figaro down, Swifter and swifter I'm like a spark: I'm the handyman of the city. Ah, bravo Figaro! Bravo, very good; Fortunately for you I will not fail. 😀

[Having a fluffy baritone voice, and feeling full of merry energy, Algy decided to sing the famous Largo al factotum from the beginning of Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, but he has to admit that the late, great baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky … whose hair feathers Algy much admires as well as his tremendous voice – does make a rather better job of it…]

[moodoo-van-spoon]

Figaro's Famous Fanfare | 66 Brilliant Baritones Battle OUT NOW!

Gioachino Rossini’s opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) remains one of the most beloved and enduring works in the operatic repertoire.

Among its many memorable moments, Figaro's entrance aria, "Largo al Factotum," stands out as a tour de force for the baritone voice and a cornerstone for both character development and comedic expression.

The famous "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro" section, performed unaccompanied, exemplifies Rossini's wit, musical humour, and masterful control of operatic timing.

This moment showcases the singer’s vocal precision, agility, and musicianship, while also highlighting their acting skills, characterisation, dramatic flair, and ability to engage the audience.

In this 10-minute video, 66 great operatic baritones bring their own unique interpretations to this iconic a cappella passage.

List of Figaros:

Giuseppe Campanari [1855–1927] — Over 200 Met performances Mattia Battistini [1856–1928] — ‘King of Baritones’ Joseph Winogradoff [1866–1936] — Sang Figaro in Yiddish John Forsell [1868–1941] — Debuted as Figaro Mario Sammarco [1868–1930] — Noted for versatility & acting Emilio De Gogorza [1872–1949] — Recorded prodigiously

Riccardo Stracciari [1875–1955] — Figaro a signature role Giuseppe De Luca [1876–1950] — Created Sharpless & Schicchi Titta Ruffo [1877–1953] — ‘Voice of The Lion’ Pasquale Amato [1878–1942] — Sang at the Met 1908–1921 Peter Dawson* [1882–1961] — Bass-baritone. Over 1500 recordings Carlo Galeffi [1882–1961] — One of the finest interwar baritones

Enrico Molinari [1882–1956] — Sang as bass & baritone Armand Crabbé [1883–1947] — A lead in London 1906–1914, 1937 Giuseppe Danise [1883–1963] — Four Met premieres Anafesto Rossi [1883–1933] — Graduated as a bass Enrico De Franceschi [1885–1945] — Figaro in Turin & Honduras Umberto Urbano [1885–1969] — Recorded ‘marvels of lyric beauty’

Apollo Granforte [1886–1975] — c.1800 performances Giulio Fregosi [1887–1951] — Figaro in Paris Luigi Montesanto [1887–1954] — Created Michele Giacomo Rimini [1887–1952] — Sang Figaro with GalliCurci Heinrich Schlusnus [1888–1952] —Top German interwar lyric baritone Mariano Stabile [1888–1968] — Outstanding singing-actor

Richard Bonelli [1889–1980] — Sang Figaro in early sound film Benvenuto Franci [1891–1985] — A top Figaro interpretator John Charles Thomas [1891–1960] — Hollywood Walk of Fame Mario Basiola [1892–1965] — 66 roles. Taught by Cotogni Giovanni Inghilleri [1894–1959] — Sang with Ponselle & Gigli Lawrence Tibbett [1896–1960] — Legendary singer & actor

Iso Golland [1898–1961] — Respected pedagogue Dennis Noble* [1898–1966] — Bristolian [UK]. Prolific broadcaster Carlo Tagliabue [1898–1978] — Sang Wagner, Excelled at Verdi Ivan Petroff [1899–1963] — Debuted as Figaro Igor Gorin [1904–1982] — Cantor fluent in 8 languages Alexander Sved [1906–1979] — Taught by Sammarco & Stracciari

Frank Valentino [1907–1991] — 26 roles in 21 seasons at the Met Leonard Warren [1911–1960] — Met lead. Had a top C Gino Bechi [1913–1993] — Cast in musical films Tito Gobbi [1913–1984] — 136 roles over 44 years Paolo Silveri [1913–2001] — Sang as bass, baritone & tenor Giuseppe Valdengo [1914–2007] — Debuted as Figaro

Josef Metternich [1915–2005] — Created Hindemith’s Kepler Giuseppe Taddei [1916–2010] — Aged 69 at Met debut Robert Merrill [1917–2004] — Met’s principal baritone Manuel Ausensi [1919–2005] — Famous full recording of this opera Sesto Bruscantini [1919–2003] — Also sang Bartolo Aldo Protti [1920–1995] — Student of Basiola

Ettore Bastianini [1922–1967] — Recorded this opera for Decca Cornell MacNeil [1922–2011] — ‘Rivals, but [..] no equals’ Renato Capecchi [1923–1998] — Singer, actor & director Frank Guarrera [1923–2007] — Figaro a signature role Rolando Panerai [1924–2019] — More than 150 roles. Famed for buffo Piero Cappuccilli [1926–2005] — 17 major Verdi roles

Nicolae Herlea [1927–2014] — Sang Figaro c.550 times Peter Glossop [1928–2008] — A lead in London, Europe & USA Hermann Prey [1929–1998] — Figaro in film and live TV Yuri Gulyayev [1930–1986] — Figaro a best role Yuri Mazurok [1931–2006] — People’s Artist of the USSR Stoyan Popov [1933–2017] — ’The Bulgarian Titto Gobbi’

Sherrill Milnes [1935-] — Recorded Figaro under Levine Franco Pagliazzi [1937–2018] — Became dramatic tenor Silvano Carroli [1939–2020] — Taught by Mario Del Monaco Muslim Magomayev [1942–2008] — ’Soviet Sinatra’ Allan Monk [1942-] — Awarded a Golden Jubilee Medal Amartuvshin Enkhbat [1986-] — Numerous international awards

*Recorded 'Largo al Factotum' in the Key of Bb

Please join me for the premiere of this new video and share your thoughts in the comments and in the chat! I’m curious… Who’s YOUR favourite Figaro?! 🎶

There's a 'notify me' option available on the video page

Feel free to invite anyone else who might enjoy it— I look forward to you joining me there! Moodoo Van Spoon

[baynton-nation]

Mathew Baynton as Figaro in Largo Al Factotum

[aquitainequeen]

Baritenor Michael Spyres sings a blistering Rossini ‘Largo al factotum’ | Classic FM Live

[paul-archibald]

Arias

Arias come in different shapes and sizes but in essence they are  ‘songs’ in an opera and are used by the composer to communicate what characters are thinking and feeling. They are usually a self-contained piece for solo voice with orchestra and, In opera, they mostly appear during a pause in the dramatic action when a character is reflecting on their emotions. Most arias are lyrical and are not…

[kibby-reaper]

modern victor would perfectly sing largo al factotum in the bathroom and roger has to bear with it

- mod kibby

[blapis-blazuli]

Who's been lying on the Disney fan (Breeze)Wiki again? Because that absolutely did not happen.

[supercantaloupe]

oh i didn't get to mention it before sound check but barber of seville act i on the met radio today on my drive to the venue :)

[mayra-quijotescx]

just successfully made lemon chicken. It probably took an hour, I had an instagram video that only half explained amounts of ingredients and process, and I spent the whole time being really unsure about it and praying it'd be edible to the point that I was nearly upset by how good it turned out.

It came out really fucking good.

And also I'd happily pay $15 for a restaurant to do it so I didn't have to go through all that again, but I am happy I know how to make it now and might repeat it in the future.

[3liza]

ok my current delusional daydream is I think I could really really nail Largo al factotum (the Figaro aria from the Barber of Seville). I keep asking my brother for his opera tutor's contact info because I just think it would be so funny. to be a weird little woman and get on a mic and just bust out the most famous tenor aria in the world, perfectly, for no reason

[aporeticelenchus]

While struck down by Covid (alas, alack, etc), I’ve been watching operas on my mom’s Met Opera account. So far we’ve gotten through:

Barber of Seville (2007, Peter Mattei and Joyce DiDonato):

Charming! A delight! I want to spend more time with the music later to get a better sense of individual movements. Largo Al Factotum looms large and is as good as promised. I enjoyed Peter Mattei as Figaro and Joyce DiDonato as Rosina a lot too! Bartolo’s patter songs are fun. Looking forward to hearing those again.

Marriage of Figaro (1998; Bryn Terfel and Cecilia Bartoli as Figaro and Susanna; Renee Fleming and Dwayne Croft as Countess and Count):

Finally watched a Figaro production after listening to it a million times! Also a delight! For some reason they switched out Susanna’s two solo arias, which threw me. I saw some reviewers thought Cecilia Bartoli did a little too much physical comedy, but I really liked her. Renee Fleming was a great countess; Porgi Amor is still a dead bore to me but that’s not her fault. Cherubino was adorable, but seemed to struggle a bit with Non So Piu.

This continues to be my favorite opera, and I enjoyed this as a production. I plan to watch the other two productions available on the Met on Demand later.

Don Giovanni (2000; Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, Solveig Kringelborn, Hei-Kyung Hong):

I’ve now spent enough time with Don Giovanni to have an opinion: it’s good, but I don’t like it nearly as much as Figaro. The plot flow and pacing frustrate me. There are some standout musical moments, but also some parts that drag (hi act 2 Donna Anna). I do love La Ci Darem and Hei-Kyung Hong’s Zerlina was charming. Finch’Han Dal Vino and Deh Vieni A La Finestra are songs I enjoy from Don G, and of course Lepprello’s little list is fun. Donna Elivra generally has good music behind her, as does Act 1 Donna Anna.

Does Don Ottavio need to be in this opera? I’m just…not sure he does….

Every time I hear the Statue sing “Don Giovaaaaaaaannnnniiii” at the end, my brain fills in “from thy dark exile thou art suuuuuuumoned”, and it took me a bit to realize I was pulling that from Iolanthe. I like to think it’s a deliberate musical homage by Sullivan.

I definitely want to watch some more stagings of Don Giovanni; overall I enjoy the opera and I can imagine it changing a lot with different directorial choices.

Die Fledermaus (1986, Kiri Te Kanawa, Judith Blegan, Tatiana Troyanos, and some men probably)

I love an operatta. I love a dumb musical comedy. I love a catchy waltz I can’t get out of my head. Two thumbs up; great use of my time listening, bad use of my time trying to follow the details of the plot because it did not really matter. Special shout out to the Overture for being a jam. It almost renders the rest of the operetta superfluous.

A+ joke having an opera singer character who won’t stop singing during the talky bits. Love that the prince is a trouser role; that helped me through some of the dumb gender stuff elsewhere.

Total blast. I plan to listen to some more recording, including two English-language adaptations. (The POP Opera project did their English-language adaptation set in 1920s Hollywood; that’s on my short list to watch) I think I like J Strauss II!

Carmen (2014; Anita Rachvelishvili and Aleksanders Antonenko)

I’ve seen Carmen before, but it’s been awhile. My mom loves Carmen; I…struggle with it. Maybe it’s just my pro-comedy bias.

The music is very good, of course; the Habañera and Toreador song are some of the most recognizable music today for a reason. The Act 1 overture is great! Short and punchy! I think the opera might be growing on me musically as I listen to it more; I’ve found the group numbers initially overwhelming, but with a little more time i can better parse the music and find parts I really like.

But anyway, I liked most of this production! I thought the Carmen was compelling, and Don Jose was a good singer (I just hate his character a lot). The set deign (1930s Spain vibes) worked for me, which was a pleasant surprise.

Going to see La Boheme tonight! Wish me luck.

[figarotrilogy]

just dreamt of working at an italian opera themed restaurant called Largo al Factotum and customers were just like "uhhhh can I get a cavaradossi steak with fries"

[bluberimufim]

If you ever think that you're stupid, please remember that the first time I listened to Largo al Factotum from "The Barber of Seville", I commented "hey idk why but I think Figaro would get along great with Susanna from Nozze, pity she already has a husband tho".

Susanna.

From "Le Nozze di Figaro".

The person Figaro is supposed to be nozze-ing.

[opera-ghosts]

Erna Sack - Una voce poco fa (The Barber of Seville,Gioacchino Rossini)

Years before Rossini thought of “The Barber of Seville,” Beaumarchais’ subject had been set to music by Paisiello and had become celebrated throughout Italy, so that there was no small stir when it became known that the young Rossini had applied to Paisiello for permission to reset it. He was accused of presumption, but had no choice in the matter, having agreed to compose music to whatever text was supplied him. Paisiello having granted permission, Sterbini wrote a new libretto, and it was as different from Paisiello’s as possible. It took Rossini but thirteen days to compose this masterpiece, during which time he never left the house of Zamboni (the original Figaro), where the work was done. As Sterbini handed him over the wet pages of the hbretto, they were wedded to the joyous music, and then passed on to the copyists. “Not even did I get shaved,” said Rossini to a friend. “It seems strange,” was the reply, “that through ‘the Barber’ you should have gone without shaving.” “If I had shaved,” explained Rossini, “I should have gone out, and if I had gone out I should not have come back in time.”

Donizetti, who wrote with even greater facility than Rossini, and is said to have composed the finest act of “La Favorita” in an evening after dinner, when told that Rossini had written “Il Barbiere” within this time, remarked, “Ah, possibly—he is so lazy!’

Every one knows the story of Rossini’s so-called laziness, though it strikes one as being really a peculiar form of activity—how one day when he was writing in bed, and having finished a duet, let it drop on the floor. Rather than get up to recover it, he wrote another in its place. A friend came in, and Rossini asked him to fish for the sheet of paper under the bed. “I’ve written another,” he said; “just listen and tell me which you think best.’”’ The composer sang the two, and as th., both agreed that the first was the best, Rossini at once turned the second into a trio, then got up, dressed, and went out to breakfast with his friend.

On the night of the first representation of ‘The Barber” the Argentina Theater was crammed with friends and foes, the latter not hesitating to declare openly what they hoped and intended should be the fate of Rossini’s “Barber.” In his “History of the Opera” Sutherland Edwards gives an account of this first performance, and says the composer was weak enough to allow Garcia to sing beneath Rosina’s balcony a Spanish melody of his own arrangement. Garcia maintained that, as the scene was in Spain, the Spanish melody would give the drama an appropriate local color; but unfortunately the artist forgot to tune his guitar before appearing on the stage as Almaviva. He began the operation in the presence of the public. A string broke. The vocalist proceeded to replace it, but before he could do so, laughter and

hisses were heard from all parts of the house. The Spanish air, when Garcia was at last ready to sing it, did not please the Italian audience, and the pit listened to it just enough to be able to give an ironical imitation of it afterward.

The introduction of Figaro’s air seemed to be liked; but when Zamboni entered also with a_ guitar in his hand, a loud laugh was set up, and not a phrase of “Largo al factotum™ was heard. When Rosina made her appearance in the balcony, the public were quite prepared to applaud Madame Giorgi-Righetti in an air which they thought they had a right to expect from her; but only hearing her utter a phrase wi‘: ‘“d to nothing, expressions of disapprobation we… shouted out. The duet between Almaviva and Figt was accompanied throughout with hissing and hoots. The fate of the work seemed now decided. At length Rosina came on, and sang the cavatina which had so long been looked for. Giorgi-Righetti was young, had a fresh, beautiful voice, and was a great favorite with the Roman public. Three long rounds of applause followed the conclusion of her air, and gave some hope that the opera might yet be saved. Rossini, who was at the orchestral piano, then turned toward the singer, and whispered his delight. This happy moment did not last, and the hisses recommenced with the duet between Figaro and Rosina. The noise increased, and it was impossible to hear a note of the finale.

When the curtain fell, Rossini turned toward the public, shrugged his shoulders, and clapped his hands. The audience were deeply offended by this open contempt for their opinion, but they made no reply at the time; the vengeance was reserved for the second act,

of which not a note passed the orchestra. The hubbub was so great that nothing like it had ever been heard at any theater. Rossini meanwhile remained perfectly calm, and afterward went home as composed as if the work, received in so insulting a manner, had been the production of some other musician, After changing their clothes, Giorgi-Righetti, Garcia, Zamboni, and Botticelli went to his house to console him in his misfortune. They found him fast asleep. But there were other troubles. Don Basilio, on entering, stumbled over a trap, which had been left open, bruising his face terribly, and appearing on the stage with his handkerchief up to his nose. The letter-duet miscarried in some way; and, to crown all, a cat appeared on the stage while the grand finale was going on, and in the attempts to drive it off, got so bewildered as to excite the laughter of the artistes themselves.

Such was the reception accorded to Rossini’s happiest work on its first hearing. A week afterward it was applauded to the skies, and it was speedily played on every operatic stage in Europe.

This same year (1816) saw the production of another grand opera, “Otello,” first brought out at Naples. Apart from its capital music, it is celebrated for Rossini’s reforms in opera seria, which it marks. Its orchestration shows what strides the “innovations” were making. Moreover, in “Otello” there were other reforms, among which was the banishment of the pianoforte as an orchestral instrument, the accompani_ ments being played instead by the orchestra, and the increased importance given to the chorus. This opera much pleased the Italians, who considered it the chef-d’wuvre of lyric tragedy.

From Great Composers A Series Of Biographical Studies by Henry T. Finck

[sesanghe-myah]

Momo: Young lady, your handling the of the ✂️ is all wrong! It lacks STAMINA. Give it to me, I have 37 years of singing barbership experience and have trained under the supervision of Maestro Figaro!

Claire: er, Chairman, that’s an opera…and you’re not even 6 years old yet!

Momo: *belts Largo al factotum in Korean* 🎶Stamina! Stamina! Staminaaaaa!!! 🎶😩🤌

[slashfuhrer]

one of the things I really like about Stalker (2012) is the way classical music is used in the soundtrack, it's just such a great experience with how pieces highlight the story while at the same time creating a contrast between the grittiness of what's actually going on and the inner life of the main character (in which he sees himself as epic and elevated, which the music expresses)

Beethoven's Fifth, Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre, Rossini's Largo al Factotum, Allegri's Miserere, Mussorgsky's Hut On Fowl Legs, Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee...It's such an amazing lineup!

And there is something so searingly beautiful about Tommy getting slapped around (and then his bullies) to one of the best parts of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto

Honestly it all warms my lil' classical music nerd heart