The Barber of Seville opera at the Teatro Argentina in Rome was a disaster: the audience hissed and jeered throughout, and several on-stage accidents occurred. Furthermore, many of the audience were supporters of one of Rossini's rivals, Giovanni Paisiello, who played on mob mentality to provoke the rest of the audience to dislike the opera. Paisiello had already composed "The Barber of Seville" and took Rossini's new version to be an affront to his version. In particular, Paisiello and his followers were opposed to the use of basso buffo, which is common in comic opera. The second performance, however, was successful. The original French
Utah Opera The Costume Department organizes rentals for at least 18–20 full productions every year, and rents out individual pieces or partial shows all year long. Measurements are sent into the shop, and alterations are all completed there to ensure the quality of costumes stay pristine. The total number of costumed productions in storage is 45, with the most popular being "La bohème", "Madama Butterfly", and "The Barber of Seville". The 40th Anniversary Season began with '40 Days of Opera,' a cultural festival with 40 days of local opera events from September 1 – October 15, culminating in the production of La