Click here to visit our new site --> CafeDVD 2.0 Rossini: Barber Of Seville (2001) Rating: Starring: Reinaldo Macias, Vesselina Kasarova, Manuel Lanza Director: Category: Studio: Naxos Subtitles: Spanish, Italian Length: 147 mins     A "firework display of exhilarating comedy" was how one newspaper described this Barber Of Seville from the Zurich Opera, enthusing about the "unforced liveliness" of the cast. But it also praised the efforts of Grischa Asagaroff, director of this new production, to avoid routine slapstick and to give special attention to the characters' psychological situations. His idea of transporting the action to Spain in the early 20th century proved a remarkably effective basis for this undertaking, purging the work of all rococo quaintness while retaining its Mediterranean flair and the charms of a subtle patina. This performance was conducted by Nello Santi, who animated his orchestra to play with both percussion and verve, and who missed not a single point or dab of color in the score. The cast was led by Manuel Lanza as Figaro, Reinaldo Macias as the Count, Carlos Chausson as Bartolo and Nicolai Ghiaurov as Basilio. However, the show really belongs to Vesselina Kasarova's colorful Rosina who, according to the Neue Zurcher Zeitung, "turned this Barber into a major event."