The Barber of Seville 1823, and became the first opera ever to be performed in Italian in New York, when Manuel Garcia (who played Almaviva) and his Italian troupe opened their first season there with "Il barbiere" on 29 November 1825 at the Park Theatre. The cast of eight had three other members of his family, including the 17-year-old Maria-Felicia, later known as Maria Malibran. The role of Rosina was originally written for a contralto. According to music critic Richard Osborne, writing in "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", "it is important to record the degree to which singers have sometimes distorted Rossini’s intentions.
The Blind Man of Seville The Blind Man of Seville The Blind Man of Seville is a 2003 crime novel and thriller by British writer Robert Wilson. The novel is set in the Spanish city of Seville, and is the first book in a quartet featuring protagonist Javier Falcón. The novel was published to much acclaim, and was shortlisted for the 2003 Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year. It is Holy Week in Seville – "Semana Santa", the Easter week of passion and processions. A leading restaurateur is found bound, gagged and dead in front of his television set. The self-inflicted wounds