Customer Reviews

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro [Blu-ray]

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

 

 

What a missed opportunity! Great performers, great orchestra, in a perverse, misguided direction! An extra character has been introduced who goes around grimacing, juggling, tossing oranges and apples around the set during the action, or caressing or making teasing actions at the characters distracting from the action. And talk about sparse; Susanna sings her opening aria about her hat without wearing or holding one! Most of action takes place on a bare set with no furniture. This is a travesty and a disappointment. I was so hoping for a new production with wide screen, superb sound and top performers but this is not it.

I find this a superb recording of a beautiful opera. The decor is modern and sparse, focusing on your eyes on the excellent acting. This performance is so packed with emotion that I don't see what furniture would add to the experience.

As for the singing, I can't find fault with any of the performers. It's hard to point out a highlight since I really enjoy every second.

I think the extra character is a succesful experiment. His appearance drives home the morale of the opera (in my view) that even if the characters think they are in control of events, they're really being driven by forces out of their realm. His expulsion (by the original characters) at the finale is comforting to us who believe in free will.

If you feel operas are static performances that should be played in their original decor, by all means skip this rendition (or merely buy it for the sharp audio). If you enjoy a good experiment, I'm sure you'll enjoy this edition!

I bought this disc shortly after the purchase of my first Blu-ray player and, as a great Mozart lover, and particularly a lover of this very opera I looked forward to experience lot of high qualities, both in artists' performance and recording technology. Alas, after just first play of this disc I had known already, that only the latter one had basically fulfilled my expectations.

Although some kind of modern scenography - placing the action of the opera in far later times than the original scenery had been conceived by Da Ponte and Woferl, did not disturb me watching the performance, but I found the musical interpretation rather annoying. The one to blame is the director - Mr. Harnoncourt himself, I believe. I have to point strongly, that this is pure my personal opinion and many of the owners of this disc may disagree with me. I also do not try to diminish the fame of the said director, who is obviously better expert in music than myself, but in this particular case his way of performing this opera has nothing to do with its classical spirit and character. What I mean exactly, are specifically the tempos chosen for numerous arias. Even the fabulous Anna Netrebko was not able to change my general opinion.

But, if you don't worry about loosing some money spent of this BD, just try and find out for yourself.

I don't recommend it though.

I entirely agree with M Van Loon. This is a marvellous performance with superb singing from all the artists. While it is probably unfair to single out any one performer I have to give specific praise to Netrebko, Schafer and Roschmann. Simply gorgeous voices and all of these artists have such good acting ability that it brings a new dimension to opera. Over the years having seen many Figaros I have to say that this one is in a league of its own. As to the previous comment which critised the sparseness of the set, I would have to question the rationale of going to the opera. Is it to hear glorious music well sung and acted or is it to see beautiful costumes and colourful sets? To my mind the minimalist staging concentrates the mind on the singing and the performance of the artists. If I want to see authentic costumes I can always go to a museum!

It also has to be said that the quality of the Blu-ray is top notch. Wonderful clarity and detail with stunning sound. Nothing to dislike.

On a personal level I enjoyed the introduction of the Cherub acting as a sort of unauthodox 'guardian angel'. This is a graceful performance which added to my overall enjoyment of the performance. I suppose that strict purists can always take issue with any deviation from the norm. However, I like to regard opera as a continually developing art form. New interpretations can often bring new life into familiar territory without diminishing the appeal of the original.

This disc also has very interesting interviews with the artists and selective excerpts from rehearsal. The disc is excellent value for money, being cheaper than many standard definition opera dvds.

I had great hopes when I bought this disc but they were soon dispelled when I started to watch. I already have several DVD versions of this masterpiece in my collection - for me the best one by far was directed by Jean Pierre Ponnelle in a film studio, back in early 1980s. This blue-ray production borders on being an artistic travesty. It is so bad that I have given it only a one-star rating, the lowest I have ever given an opera on either DVD or Blue-ray. This disc's only redeeming quality is that it is technically excellent - the video direction is exemplary and the DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack outstanding.
Unfortunately, the stage direction and overall presentation are among the worst I have ever seen. It is puzzling that a conductor with the experience and knowledge of Nikolaus Harnoncourt would ever agree to be associated with it. The staging is an unmitigated disaster as are the custumes. The addition of a cherub is both distracting and ridiculous - the stage director (Claus Guth) would have been very wise to present the work the way Mozart wrote it. If this is the best Mr. Guth can do then I think he ought to seriously consider an early retirement and not inflict his bizarre intrepretation of great operas on an unsuspecting public. Quite honestly, the custumes were far too austere and bordered on the absurb. The less written about the monochromatic sets and complete absence of elegant furniture the better.

I don't understand what the bad reviews are about. Why the fuss about how this interpretation "misses the boat" on goals that the production clearly never had? And, not to judge a book by its cover, but if you want Rococo furnishings and all the ladies in hoop skirts or something, maybe don't go for the video with a nearly black-and-white photo on the cover...?

This Blu-ray, in many ways, brings out the best of what opera on Blu-ray can be. As everyone has said, he music and picture quality are dazzling. Also, the high-contrast costuming really makes the characters pop.

The bareness of the stage did a lot for me. It kept me completely engaged in the singing, which is all I want when I've got singers of this caliber. Netrebko's singing is such a delight, and it doesn't hurt that she's enough of a hottie that my boyfriend was willing to sit through the first act with me. I also loved the fact that the lack of stage clutter allowed the characters to sweep from one end of the stage to the other, with cameras chasing them the whole way. It really enhanced the dynamism of the music.

Like some other reviewers, I also appreciated the extra character. Yes, it's a little cheesy in that bordering-on-the-pretentious way, but who cares? Isn't the point of theater -- to have new interpretations? The attitude of "same old, same old" is precisely why people my age don't go to the opera! Which is precisely why people like me can't afford to go now that we don't get student rush tickets!

The only thing I wish were different is Figaro. WTF? (Why The Face?) It's like watching drunk karaoke amateurs trying to reach the top notes of a Journey song. Made me feel mildly constipated whenever I had to watch him. But small price to pay, since here's another great feature of Blu-ray -- I can skip through his bits when I don't want the bother. And it's a really minor bother anyways.

Overall, I think it's an excellent production with quality music and amusing staging. And aren't quality and amusement what Mozart does best?

Harnoncourt and this cast are wonderfully magnificent. But the staging is better described as anti-staging. A wonderful surprise, to me, was the stunningly clear DTS-HD sound on the blu-ray disc. Well worth the price even with the visual left out!