“The Barber of Seville”

“Ugo wants you to play Rosina”, my singing teacher told me, mid-way through a lesson, as
though she had only just remembered. It floored me.

“Sorry???”

“Give him a ring, will you? You have his number…?”

In May, I had participated in vocal masterclasses with Ugo Benelli, a renowned Italian tenor
whose credits included singing in La Scala and recordings for Decca. I knew he was producing “The
Barber of Seville” in Italy in August, but I didn’t expect to be offered a part.

Rosina is the leading female role in “Barber”, and the opportunity to perform it in Italy was too
good to miss. I got a score of the opera and a DVD with Cecilia Bartoli playing the lead. My stomach
churned when I listened to the sort of technically demanding coloratura passages that I had spent my entire
singing career avoiding. This was going to be a huge challenge for me… and I wasn’t at all sure that I’d
make the grade.

Fear is a great incentive. I practised all the fast runs at slow speed with a metronome, then
gradually sped up the beat. I donned headphones and headed out for walks, playing the music over and
over for correct Italian pronunciation and memorization, and rehearsed with any accompanist I could find
in Dublin for the summer. Within a few weeks, I realized I was going to be able to do it, and the
excitement was nearly as thrilling as the invitation itself.

We were based in Belvedere Langhe, a tiny and very authentic Italian village. The cast was
primarily Irish and Italian, and we communicated in bad Italian and English, or, occasionally, in French,
where we had this in common. We bonded like a big family for the two weeks, laughing our way through
shared meals, and supporting each other through the rehearsals and lessons.

I did, however, have some small but significant problems with Italian pronunciation. In one
rehearsal, I innocently reduced all the Italians to uncontrollable mirth during a recitative. I remained in
bewilderment until someone translated my Italian into some incredibly crude English, the subject of which
is unprintable here. Oops.

We had four performances in total – one in a beautiful outdoor theatre in a castle perched on top of
a mountain with amazing views. Two others were in local theatres in different resorts, and the final night
was in Belvedere Langhe itself, as a “thank-you” to all the Italians who had put us up, fed us, or ferried us
around.

Breaking up with a cast is always poignant, as you know you’ll never work with quite this group
of people again. I was particularly sorry to say goodbye to this team, as, despite the language difficulties,
we had really enjoyed working together. It was an incredible time of good company, good food, fabulous
weather and an idyllic setting, and I suspect I’ll be back again before too long.

Aine Mulvey