The sparkling charm of the music, the virtuoso parts of the heroes as well as the rapid tempo of the action, have secured Il barbiere di Siviglia a permanent position in the global repertoire.
The author of the comedy Le Barbier de Seville, on which the libretto is based, the celebrated French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais, wrote that he above all wanted “to succumb to his merry temper and return the original joyful mood to theatre”. Rossini’s opera directly links up to this intention.