Customer Reviews

Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro / Surian, Ciofi, Gallo, Gvazava, Comparato, Donadini, Chama, Bertocchi, Mehta, Florence Opera

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this production of The Marriage of Figaro. The singing and acting of all the players were excellent. In the beginning I thought that Marina Comparato's Cherubino was going to steal the show--she was superb--but it turned out that everyone was superb!!! I mean it. After I saw the Figaro with Erwin Schrott and Mia Persson, I thought no other production could ever please me again. Wrong! This one did!

Lucio Gallo as the Count was fantastic. His gestures alone caused me to laugh out loud several times. The beautiful Eteri Gvazava was a perfect Countess with a beautiful voice. Patrizia Ciofi, as usual, held nothing back and played a vivacious Suzanna. Giorgio Surian as Figaro was very expressive. All the solo parts were great; the ensembles heavenly. While listening to the sextets, I'm thinking, "What a genius Mozart was."

I have only one complaint about this production. Don Basilio's aria about wearing the skin of an ass was omitted. Unless I just missed it somehow...?

In my opinion, this is one of the best Le Nozze Di Figaro productions available and I recommend it highly.

While there was much to like about this version, especially the action and the orchestral, the singing was not good. It is true that Susannah was excellently sung and in ensembles, her voice was the only one that was reliable and the one to be listened for. On the other hand, the other 3 singers in the main quartet (Figaro, Count, Rosina) were not accurate either in pitch or rhythm. I agree with the other review that this Susannah is terrific, but if you want a decent production that is excellent musically then choose either of the other versions with Alison Hagley as Susannah. While she may not be a better singer than this one, the other 3 principle singers are excellent.