The comic opera »The Barber of Seville« by Gioachino Rossini, which premiered in 1816, carries the subtitle »The Useless Precaution«, and that’s precisely what it’s all about. Avaricious old Dottore Bartolo tries to keep his ward Rosina at home in order to marry her himself to gain the rich dowry. But his plotting is in vain: In various disguises, and with the help of the barber Figaro, the young and much more desirable Count Almaviva melts the young woman’s heart. »The Barber of Seville« is Rossini’s most popular opera due to its virtuoso arias and fast-paced ensembles, false identities and chicanery, all of which are beautifully realised in Grischa Asagaroff’s funny production.