Rene Barbera is making his ROF debut this summer. He kindly agreed to be interviewed during rehersal period of La Gazza Ladra and we are so excited that yet another American singer will be part of the ROF family!

Q. How did you become a singer? Was there music in your home, a famil
member involved with the arts, or something else?
A – I started singing as a boy soprano in the San Antonio Men & Boys Choir when I was in Elementary School and continued through middle and high school in choirs. During my senior year I auditioned for a scholarship at the University of Texas at San Antonio and was offered a scholarship. It should be noted that I had planned on majoring in Music Education but it was suggested to me that I pursue a performance degree. After about a year I dropped out and decided I didn’t want to sing professionally and moved to Denver to live with my brother and work.
After a few weeks in Denver I managed to be in contact with Martile Rowland in Colorado Springs and, thanks to her offering a scholarship to the Vocal Arts Symposium, I was introduced to many students and teachers from the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts).
Q. What brought you to Rossini? Did you hear a particular performance or
singer that inspired you? Were you guided by a coach or teacher who
recognized this might be a good fit for your voice?
A- Honestly, Rossini came to me. I had never planned to make Rossini a cornerstone of my career. In fact, I have always felt that my voice was best suited for Donizetti and Bellini, but, as it turned out, I apparently am more than capable of singing Rossini. Rossini has always been quite difficult for me to sing and I felt that I was not really very good at it. Evidently I was wrong. haha!
Q. Which Rossini roles have you sung?
A- I have only actually sung three Rossini roles at this point. Almaviva (Barbiere), Don Ramiro (Cenerentola), and Rodrigo (Donna del Lago) and about to debut my fourth here in Pesaro.
Q. We are delighted that you are appearing at the Rossini Opera Festival
this August in “La Gazza Ladra” . This will be the first time for you.
Have you performed with other members of the cast before?
A- I actually have met and sort of worked with two of the cast members before. Teresa Iervolino and Simone Alberghini… We were on the same productions in different casts. Simone in Naples and Teresa in Rome. I look forward to ACTUALLY performing with them as they are quite wonderful people and a lot of fun!
Q. How does preparing a new role work? Do you listen to recordings, watch
Youtube, or strictly “stick to the score?” Do you find when you arrive and
start rehersals that you have to “fine-tune” the vocal aspect of your
performance, or is it simply the dramatic part that needs to be worked on?
A- I usually listen to a recording once at the beginning of the process to get an idea of tempi and the general sound of the piece … after that I stick to the score as best I can and work with pianist once I have spent a little time on my part. There is definitely a time during rehearsals where fine-tuning has to happen. Nothing is ever as you expect when you begin working with other people. Everybody has their own interpretations and you have to adjust and react accordingly both dramatically and vocally.
Q.Singers have suggested that Rossini is particularly difficult and for
that reason some migrate away as their voice ages. Do you have any
thoughts on this, since you are still very young?
A- Rossini is quite difficult and, yes, not something that can usually be sustained for an entire career, at least not the same Rossini roles throughout a career. Most of the time a singer can continue to sing the more serious Rossini pieces later in their career while leaving behind the lighter fare. I can definitely understand the issue of the voice aging and maturing creating a need to move on in the repertoire. Being 31 and on the heels of another vocal shift (generally speaking this is around the time male voices have another change) I can easily identify with the migration. Each passing year I feel my voice leaning toward the desire for more legato and less coloratura or, at least, more variety in musical style. I feel Donizetti and Bellini beginning to whisper my name more loudly and, while I love Rossini, at some point I will have to answer their call. 😀
Q. Are there particular Rossini roles you look forward to adding to your
repertory?
A- In addition to looking forward to adding Giannetto (officially) I am open to whatever else comes my way. Honestly I don’t have anything specific I am chomping at the bit to do. I take what I’m given.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to share with us about singing,
your career, or your motorcycle? Pesaro is very motorcycle friendly BTW!!!
A- I’m somewhat of a motorcycle fanatic and Pesaro is VERY motorcycle friendly… I have taken notice of this already and wish I had a motorcycle here!  I tried to find a way to rent one while in town but had zero luck!   
Thank you for your time!

Simone Alberghini will be at ROF in a few weeks performing in “La Gazza Ladra” Earlier this season we spoke with him after a performance of Cenerentola at Washington National Opera! We’ve been so lucky to enjoy your performances in Pesaro at the Rossini Opera Festival.

During the run of Cenerentola you were interviewed by Raissa Massuda and she has kindly given us permission to use her interview on our RossiniAmerica website. Here is the link to her blog (http://mandolinvision.blogspot.com/2015/04/interview-simone-alberghini.html) So, our questions will be a mixture of follow-up and new!

Q. You mentioned in the previous interview that you find the character of Figaro and Dandini as being full of Rossini. Having recently seen your Dandini, it was easy to believe. Are there particular “lines” or episodes that involve those characters that stand out for people who perhaps aren’t familiar with Rossini?

A: As I said, I think that it’s the continuously breaking the 4th wall that these kind of characters are doing all the time, commenting on the situations; for example, Dandini: already in the cabaletta of the entry aria (“ma al finir della nostra commedia”) he is telling the audience: we are going to have a lot of fun later! And, it is duly happening in the second act, during the second part of the sextet: “I’ve told you, the comedy would become a “tragedy” in the second act!”

Q. The character of Assur in Semiramide is quite a contrast from Figaro and Dandini, but he, too, has beautiful music. How do you see Assur whose importance to the opera is not always recognized. As a follow-up, the opera has some pretty grand duets, particularly between Assur and Semiramide. How much of your interpretation depends on “your” Semiramide?

A:First of all, a joke: You know what is the first note that Assur is singing? A “C”, in italian “Do”; now, on the score you then read: Assur Do: Absurd in italian 🙂 Do you think that is casual or Rossini intended it? I believe the second one!

 The role of Assur is one of my favorite, one of the most demanding vocally and with a quite different kind of agility required from, let say, Dandini. In Assur, most of the coloratura’s or agility are “di forza”, to complete this strong, badass (can I say it?) character. The most beautiful part is already the long aria scene, beautiful dramatic and with a lot of acting required.
The part has also 2 beautiful duets, one with Semiramide and one with Arsace; of course, as always, duets are already a “concertato” way of singing, with the need to melt the 2 voices often as one, as musical instruments; very beautiful music and, of course, changing every time depending from the colleagues, the director and the conductor. 

Q. Speranza Scappuci, mentioned that the performances improve throughout a run. James Levine once said every performance is a rehearsal. But are there some nights when things just seem to come together – and does the audience have anything to do with that?

A: Usually the second performance is the worst one, because everybody release the tensions that we’ve got at opening night…and usually later performances are more interesting musically, because everybody, singers, conductor, orchestra, chorus, got to know each other so well that is able to even feed from each other different musical “inputs”, the little “variations” that we can do overtime on a stage.
Of course, especially while playing comedies, the reactions from the audience are very important, getting us the feeling that our jokes are working and even dictating us, sometimes, the timing for those jokes.
One of the last performance in DC was one of my favorites: during the recitativo before my duet with Magnifico, a little kid in the audience reacted at a joke with a very loud, fresh, joyful laugh: I’ve totally lost it, began to laugh on the stage, and the rest of the audience with me… it was very sweet and funny.

Q. The Font production of Cenerentola has an unusual ending in that it appears that this all has been a dream. You commented that if it was a dream, Cenerentola is also a thief because she still has the bracelets! Perhaps you are already thinking of your appearance in “La Gazza Ladra” in Pesaro this summer?

A: hahaha, maybe, yes! But I’ll not be playing the thief magpie:) I’m looking forward to the summer, of course, to be part once again of a Festival that I love deeply.

Q. This will be the 20th anniversary of your first Pesaro performance. Is there something special about the Rossini Opera Festival you would like to share with us? Any favorite performances there?

A:Well, I loved Pesaro and the Festival so much that I’ve moved to Pesaro 8 years ago from my hometown, Bologna!
I had the luck to perform already many times at the ROF, alongside singers like M. Devia, B. Ford, S. Ganassi, M. Pertusi, D. Takova, J.D. Flores and many others; directed by L. Ronconi, P. Pizzi, D. Michieletto, G. Vick… conducted by G. Gelmetti, D. Gatti, C. Rovaris, M. Mariotti… I’ve been very lucky and I do keep a lot of beautiful memories; If I had to chose the best role I’ve sang here, maybe I’d say Blancac in the very beautiful and funny La Scala di seta production by D. Michieletto.

Q. Understandably Dandini is a favorite of yours and he does have wonderful music. Is there a particular Rossini role you have not sung yet that you would like to perform?

A: Probably the title role in Guillame Tell.
Q. Some singers have commented that Rossini gets harder to sing with age. Perhaps this is a function of their voice type or other repertorie they are singing. Do you have any feeling about this?

A: Rossini is very “athletically” demanding for the voice and do need a lot of freshness; personally, I’m starting, after more then 20 years of career, to explore some Donizetti and Verdi role, but I’ll try to keep as long as possible Rossini and Mozart in the repertoire, because I do believe they’ll help to keep the voice healthy.
Q. Final question – you mentioned the “Rossini” pizza which is only served in Pesaro.. is there a favorite place they serve it – or is it a secret?

A: Well, there are many good restaurant in Pesaro and will be wrong of me to choose just one; let say,  Donn’Amalia, Farina and Dal Geme.

Thank you for your time. See you in Pesaro!!