Rosina — The Barber of Seville

It is easily forgotten that Callas could be funny. Rosina, the cunning ward of Rossini's Barber of Seville, is the most revealing counter-casting in her gallery: after the priestess, the sorceress and the consumptive courtesan, a young woman who leads everyone by the nose.

She recorded the role in the studio in 1957, conducted by Alceo Galliera, with Tito Gobbi as Figaro — the same Gobbi who would be her Scarpia. The recording surprises anyone who expects only tragedy from her: the irony bites, the coquetry is calculated, every ornament carries an intention. "Una voce poco fa" — a voice, a moment ago — is not a display piece here but a portrait: a woman warning you, with a smile, that she will get what she wants.

It is this aria she chose to lighten the second half of her legendary Paris recital of 19 December 1958, between the "Miserere" from Il trovatore and Act II of Tosca. After tragedy, mischief: she knew how to build a programme, too.

In the Foundation's collection

The 1958 recital, restored in 4K by the Foundation from the reels in its collection, contains one of the rare filmed records of Callas in this repertoire. Discover the collection · Licensing

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