On February 28, before the performance of Gioachino Rossini’s opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia starts, the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre invites audiences to the second-floor foyer for its traditional talk, 30 Minutes Before the Show.

The discussion will be led by Lyudmila Gavrilova, a regular theatre lecturer well known to our audiences from previous events. Dr. Gavrilova is Head of the Faculty of Music History at the Hvorostovsky Siberian State Institute of Arts, holds a doctorate in art history, and is a member of the Union of Composers of Russia.

The topic has been chosen with a playful twist and promises to be engaging. This time, along with Lyudmila Gavrilova, guests will explore the question: is it really the Barber of Seville — or the Barber of Sicily? In the Krasnoyarsk production, stage director Irina Lychagina has moved the action of Rossini’s opera from the bustling streets of Seville to sun-drenched Sicily. How does this shift alter the way we perceive the familiar story? What distinguishes Sicilian colour and atmosphere from that of Seville? These and many other questions will be discussed with the audience.