World of Chamber OperaInternational Culture Project

In 23 January, 2003, in the Hermitage Theater the World of Chamber Opera Project of the Hermitage Music Academy Foundation presented the premiere of Giovanni Paisiello's opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The opera was written by the Italian composer in St. Petersburg in 1782 when he was the court conductor of Catherine II, and staged at the Hermitage Theater.

Theatrical shows since the 18th century became a tradition of the Czars' Court and accompanied many celebrations. To promote theater in Russia, Catherine II invited famous European composers, musicians, actors, mechanics and designers. When the Hermitage Theater was born, which developed from the Small Hermitage Meetings into a fully-fledged professional theater, the idea of creating a genuine Russian venue became reality.

World of Chamber Opera Project is one of the constituents of the Hermitage Music Academy Program launched by the State Hermitage Museum with the purpose of reviving musical traditions of the Imperial Palace.
The Project is designed to popularize outstanding chamber operas written over the last three centuries with a particular emphasis on oeuvres created specially for the Hermitage Theater, along with the 20th century specimens. In 2000 the Project presented Mozart's singspiel Bastien und Bastienne, in 2001, jointly with the British Council, Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw was staged with the participation of young singers from the Royal Music Academy (London).

The opera was restored in cooperation with the Finnish producer center Tatiana D. Blum Studio and Finnish opera producer Willi Saukkonen. It was staged at the Hermitage Theater with the participation of the State Hermitage Orchestra, soloists of the Jean Sibelius Music Academy (Finland) and Mats Liljefors, conductor of the Baltic Royal Festival (Sweden).
Four performances will be given in total, from 23 to 26 January, 2003. Subsequently the opera will be showed in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
As close to the original as possible, the production will enable the modern audience to feel the unique air of an old performance at the Imperial Theater.

On the stage

Scene from the show

During performance