He’d rather write a new song than get out of bed to pick up dropped sheet music.
Chapter 1

The ultimate fixer and his famous song

Chapter 2

A disastrous premiere and theater secrets

Chapter 3

The tangled love triangle of Seville

Chapter 4

From banned play to operatic masterpiece

YOUR GOAL

Master of The chaotic schemes of the barber of Seville

Ch 2 · A disastrous premiere and theater secrets
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schopenhauer A stray cat disrupts an opera premiere at Rome's Teatro Argentina.

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schopenhauer The Barber of Seville Premiere

They booed the opera till a cat walked in (oh yeah!) / Now it's the biggest hit we've ever seen (uh-huh!)

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He’d rather write a new song than get out of bed to pick up dropped sheet music.

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schopenhauer Gioachino Rossini composes a comic opera under an intense deadline.

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A bloody nose on stage

schopenhauer A bleeding Zenobio Vitarelli sings on stage next to an open trapdoor.

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The night of the wandering cat

schopenhauer Opera actors chase a stray cat across a colorful watercolor stage

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A disastrous premiere and theater secrets
BETA

schopenhauer Decode backstage clues to discover the secrets behind the Barber of Seville's disastrous premiere.

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Fun Fact

Rossini's musical laziness: If Rossini dropped a music sheet from his bed, he would write a new song rather than get up to pick it up.

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Glossary
premiere (noun)
The first public performance of a play, opera, or other theatrical work. Gioachino Rossini's opera debuted to a hostile, disruptive Rome audience on February 20, 1816.

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Gossip

Would you stay during a disastrous premiere?

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Quiz

What mishap befell the singer playing Don Basilio during the opening night?

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schopenhauer Opera singer Zenobio Vitarelli performs with a severe nosebleed on stage

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Quiz

Why was the audience at the 1816 premiere so hostile toward Rossini's new opera?

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schopenhauer The origin of Gioachino Rossini's famous Barber of Seville overture

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Quiz

In which Italian city did 'The Barber of Seville' have its disastrous premiere in 1816?

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Quiz

How did Rossini react to the second performance, which turned out to be a massive success?

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Quiz

How long did it take Gioachino Rossini to compose the entire score for 'The Barber of Seville'?

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Quiz

Which older, rival composer had already written a successful opera based on the same play?

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Quiz

Which animal unexpectedly wandered onto the stage during the chaotic 1816 premiere?

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Quiz

What was the opera's original title, used to avoid offending a rival composer?

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