About the work
Lamparilla (Spanish original title 'El barberillo de Lavapiés') is a zarzuela in three acts by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, set to a libretto by Luis Mariano de Larra. It premiered on 19 December 1874 at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid and is set in Madrid in 1766.
Plot
The barber Lamparilla and the seamstress Paloma become caught up in a court intrigue: with the help of a marquesa, a conspiracy is hatched against the hated prime minister Grimaldi to bring about his downfall in favour of the liberal Floridablanca. Amid chases and mistaken identities, the plot succeeds, and Lamparilla and Paloma find their happiness.
Cultural significance
The composer and musicologist Manuel de Falla praised the work as one of Barbieri's finest stage pieces, reflecting the rhythmic and melodic character of Spanish song and dance and influencing later Spanish composers. A German-language adaptation by Paul Knepler and Fred S. Tisch, with a musical arrangement by Roberto Gerhard, premiered on 5 January 1986 at the Städtische Bühnen Münster under the German title 'Lamparilla'.