Happy 2023! With the arrival of the new year, the Wiener Staatsoper will continue to celebrate with a revival of Rossini’s masterful comedy “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” The production will feature a mix of veteran performers and rising stars, including Alasdair Kent, who will make his company debut as he continues his rise in the opera world.

Kent will sing the role of Almaviva, which he has performed to great acclaim in Munich, and with which he made his Zurich and Dallas debuts. Critics have raced about his interpretation, stating, “Kent’s lyrical tone was graceful and light, equal to the tasks demanded by the score. His heady mix near the top of the register gave Almaviva’s many high C’s a welcome youthful character.”

Kent has become a specialist in the Bel Canto repertory and in an upcoming interview with Operawire, the tenor, who began singing at an early age said, “The combination of the technical obsession and also my voice mentally being a high tenor just led naturally toward Bel Canto and Rossini as well as Bellini. It was a bit fortuitous. It was very natural.”

For those not in Vienna for his debut, Kent is set to perform with Opera Philadelphia, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera Australia, and Cincinnati Opera this season.

Recordings

Kent is featured in the world premiere recording of “The Thirteenth Child” and on his solo album “The Exquisite Hour.”

Here he is singing an excerpt from “La Cenerentola:”

Here is a clip from “L’Italiana in Algeri.”