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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underrated!, April 18, 2000
This review is from: Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gallo, McNair, Studer, Skovhus, Bartoli, Abbado (Audio CD)
If you happen to be a "Penguin Guide" reader collecting only 3 full stars recordings, you have all chances to overlook this recording of Figaro with its **(*) rating (** for the highlights). Whatever critics say, this is one of the best "Figaros" I've ever heard - it is marvellously played and sung, with not a single passage treated as unimportant. My attention was constanly focused on the orchestra - you'll rarely hear "Figaro" played with such a finesse. Singing, too, is delightful and of the highest quality! I must admit that I was a little unhappy to see Sylvia McNair in the cast - and in no lesser a role than Susanna herself - but I was immediately won over by her fine characterization. My main concern with McNair is her "off pitch" singing, especially at the end of the musical phrase; the voice itself, however, is simply gorgeous! Here, as Susanna, she sings beautifully and the instances where her "faulty" technique (well, what do I know about the singing technique?) produces the "off pitch" effect are very rare. I really enjoyed her Susanna (and many of her other creations, including Cleopatra in the MET's "Giulio Cesare" last year)! Cecilia as Cherubino is a great asset of this recording and happily so, because her name, I am sure, helped sell this wonderful, but "condemned" by the critics set. I don't intend to bore you with my detailed analysis of all performances on this disc (other reviewers did it much better), let me just say that all the singers involved here did a wonderful job (including much criticized Marcellina and Bartolo with their too young voices - they didn't bother me a bit, especially when sung so well - listen to Dr. Bartolo's aria in the first act!) and the final effect is really admirable and totally convincing. I can't agree that this "Figaro" has little "sparkle or sense of fun" (Penguin Guide). There is certainly enough fun, what together with the highest quality of the preformance makes this "Figaro" one of my favorites. For me it certainly is the best of the modern recordings, right after my personal favorite with H.Prey as Figaro and Bohm conducting (well, I am not really sure about it - I would put them ex aequo on the top of my Figaro list). So, don't let the critics delay your pleasure with this wonderful set - it really is worth hearing and having for repeated listening! And don't forget about Abbado's other underrated Mozartian achievement - his "Don Giovanni" with Bryn Terfel and Simon Keenlyside!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My second favorite version of my favorite work!, July 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gallo, McNair, Studer, Skovhus, Bartoli, Abbado (Audio CD)
Karl Bohm's 1968 version is still the greatest "Figaro" on the face of the earth, but I was incredibly surprised at how wonderful Abbado's version is! There is a critic here at Amazon (David Hurwitz) who is always putting down Abbado, so I held off buying this for a long time. When I finally heard it, I was immediately stunned by the freshness, the energy, and the gorgeous detail in the Overture. The first act opens with the lighter but beautiful-voiced Figaro of Lucio Gallo and the youthful, pure-toned Susanna of Sylvia McNair. Bartolo boom through with a fine aria--not as unique as some, but perfectly acceptable. Marcellina is more graceful than the aging mezzos often placed in this role. Cherubino is--well, Cherubino is Cecilia Bartoli--need I say more? Bo Skovhus is a firm if not over-powering Count and Cheryl Studer oozes tremendous pain in the Countess's first aria. But the most remarkable aspect of this recording is Abbado's thoughtful attention to detail. There is something gentle and humane about this version--it creates a feeling that is completely unique among recordings of "Figaro." For that reason, I find this version to be much superior to Solti's. The singers in Solti's version rival and often surpass those on Abbado's, but Claudio and the Vienna Philharmonic pull you in and make you get into the inner workings (both musically and dramatically) of the opera in a way that Solti's doesn't. Until I heard this version, I thought Barenboim's recording was the best digital one available--but I take that back and now say that Abbado's "Figaro" is the one you'll want to buy after getting Bohm's.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first Figaro and I am delighted, May 27, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gallo, McNair, Studer, Skovhus, Bartoli, Abbado (Audio CD)
Though relatively new to opera, I have some expectations and this Figaro works for me. I will leave it to others more knowledgeable to comment on the relative merits of the individual performances -- being a neophyte my standards are quite simple -- do I like the overall effect? For me, the answer is a resounding YES! I can listen to this Figaro again and again and keep finding new passages that delight me. The overall pace is lively and the voices bright and well-matched. The individual arias are strong and moving, and the duets and ensemble passages are a delight. Unlike some recorded operas, which I find to be repetitious and boring without the visual references of the live performance, this Figaro keeps my attention with the variety and "texture" of the voices. Coming to opera from a much longer passion for symphonic music, I particularly appreciate the fine orchestral performances on this recording. I delight in the way Mozart plays off his female voices against the woodwinds, for example, and this recording does justice to Mozart's genius. Let others argue about the "best" Figaro, this recording has the qualities that make me love opera, and Mozart's in particular.
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