A second visit to the new production of "Barber" at the Met reinforced two decidedly opposing opinions: Bartlett Sherr's production is still an uneducated mess, and the Met has assembled a handful of the greatest singers on the planet. Let's go through the list: Handsome tenor who hits stratospheric highs? Juan Diego Florez. Check! Sexy baritone to dominate the stage with a purrfect rendition of one of the world's best known arias? Peter Matthei. A hot as fuck swarthy bass to bring a darkly comic spin to the scene? John Relyea. Check! The one big difference since the premiere is the cast change of Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, replacing Diana Damrau who currently is wowing audiences in "Helena" (see above). For those with memory lapses, DiDonato triumped in "Hercules" a year ago at BAM. Now she's back in New York as the coloratura mezzo maiden. Brava.
