Customer Reviews

Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) / Haitink, Finley, Hagley, Fleming, Glyndebourne Festival Opera [VHS]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My kids (5 yrs and 2 yrs) love this video, and with good reason. We have three versions of Figaro at home, and this is by far our favorite. It's a feast for the eyes as well as the ears: colorful, bright, well-acted, great sets and costumes, extremely well-directed by Stephen Medcalf. It's interpreted in the best comic, fun-loving tradition. The singing is spectacular, especially that of the four principals. Gerald Finley is the best Figaro I've heard on video. He and Alison Hagley (Susanna), have a wonderful rapport onstage .

Some useful info: This is the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, with Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic. It stars Gerald Finley (Figaro), Alison Hagley (Susanna), Renee Fleming (the Countess), and Andreas Schmidt (the Count). It's a 2-video set (190 minutes), sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Even if you've never seen an opera video, get this one -- you'll love it. It's excellent in all respects.

This is generally a sparkling, enjoyable production. The principal singers do a wonderful job both musically and dramatically, and it's a treat to see people in these roles who are young enough to "fit" the characters properly. [Finley and Hagley are superb!] Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic are an absolute delight.

However, two caveats. The sets are a slightly uneasy mix of flats in Ellsworth-Kelly-esque primary colors and dabs of period furniture; also, the lights dim for "serious" moments, an annoying, superficial touch. Much more problematic is the DVD sound mix. The orchestra comes off superbly, but voices are sometimes lost and muffled-sounding. I actually checked my center channel to see if it was active! Balance-wise, the stereo version is no better. This is just a word of caution to those who like to hear the SINGERS in an opera.

[I am going to add a 2010 postscript to this review. I recently revisited this dvd and found I was much less put off by the sets and lighting. In fact, they're rather creative, and seldom do they obtrude. Same for the distinctive acting/staging touches. My feelings about the sound remain about the same. The voices are occasionally put in the shade by the orchestra, and there's a generic, mp3 quality to many spots. Perhaps this reflects the experience of live performance more accurately than the old practice of spotlighting the vocals for a recording. But the issue is compounded by the digital sound compression that was obviously used in order to squeeze Mozart's 3 hours and 10 minutes of music onto a single dvd.]

Before my review, I just want to respond to a comment made about Gerald Finley's "too good-looking" Figaro. While Rosina is younger at age 19 or so (I agree that I would rather a young Rosina, but Renee Fleming is quite beautiful and I've seen much worse,) Figaro is 30 years old, which is still quite young. In the source for the opera, the Beaumarchais play Le Mariage de Figaro, there are numerous remarks from the cast about how young and handsome he is. So, really, Gerald Finley is more physically accurate of a Figaro than, say, Bryn Terfel.

Reading a synopsis of Le nozze di Figaro really intrigued me about the opera, so when I went to the library to pick up a DVD of Don Giovanni, which my voice teacher wanted me to listen to as I was going to be studying "Batti, batti," I picked up this DVD as well (as well as recordings of those two operas.) It was only when I was in the car that I saw "Renee Fleming" on the cover and let out a delighted shriek, which rather confused my poor mother.

I still remember that I watched it on a Friday night, and I stayed up until an ungodly hour just to finish it. I also remember that I watched it again on Saturday, and pretty much 20 more times after that throughout the week. I was absolutely hooked. In fact, I ended up getting a fine from the library because it was late. Not because I forgot, but because I didn't want to give it back! I suffered for a week or two and then finally decided, "Screw it, I'm buying it." I did so, and it is sitting on my shelf, right next to West Side Story, with all of my other beloved DVDs and videos.

My one regret is that I watched it before my Don Giovanni DVD: after this fantastic one, Don Giovanni (which was an older production of less quality and a rather lackluster cast) could not even compare!

Since that fateful day I watched this DVD, I have since become a gigantic Figaro nerd. I've read the Beaumarchais trilogy countless times, seen the prequel Il barbiere di Siviglia performed live, collected pictures from it, listened to (and own) various recordings, watched this DVD about a thousand more times, seen clips of other productions of it, etc etc. Heck, just yesterday I listened to the Met Opera Broadcast of it. So I thought I would come back and objectively judge (to the best of my ability, anyway,) the DVD that started it all.

Sets and costumes - I have seen better sets and costumes, but these are fine. I like how Rosina isn't dressed very glamorously: most productions fail to realize that she is supposed to be feeling unwell and thus not exactly sumptuously dressed. Though I will admit that the wig is hideous. Fortunately, it isn't on that long, and it makes Fleming look all the more gorgeous in scenes when she isn't wearing it.

Subtitles - I agree that the subtitles aren't the best, but if you read translations of Le nozze di Figaro librettos, these mistakes are also commonly made (someone pointed out the lack of showing Susanna's Freudian slips in "Crudel! Perche finora"... I only found that included in one booklet of a recording I own) in more than just this DVD.

Sound quality - It's not the best, but it's passable. I'm not a great judge of that, though, anyway.

Miscellaneous remark: Yeah, having Renee Fleming rolling around during "Deh vieni" was a bit odd, but, hey.

Cast (Yay, the fun part):
Gerald Finley - He is one of the Figaros I've seen who physically resembles the picture in my head. His portrayal is rife with comedy, though also has an angry edge to it. I'm not fond of that angry edge often found in Figaros in this opera (I think the character was considering it more of a game than a serious problem, until the whole thing with the pin) but he isn't so angry that it detracts much from his performance, and his interpretation remains one of my favorites that I've seen/heard in Figaros. However, his angry edge is brought up amazingly in Atto Quarto: he is incredibly, incredibly, passionate and full of rage. Of course, this disappears once he finds out that Susanna was just tricking him. One of my favorite moments of his that I've never heard in any other Figaros is at the end when he says "Perdono, perdono!" in a very exaggerated manner, so you know he's just completely faking it and having utmost fun. It's so like Figaro that it just makes me smile. And, as others have said, Finley's chemistry with Hagley is just wonderful.

Alison Hagley - There are not enough superlatives in the English language for me to describe how much I love her. First off, she is young and pretty (which I honestly think is a necessity for the role since several guys in the opera lust after her) and, thanks to her, I shall forever picture Susanna as blonde. She handles the comedic bits with ease yet also maintains dignity and grace, not to mention the emotional sincerity and sweetness of the character. She also maintains what many singers playing Susanna forget to: how shrewd and clever the character is. Yet she also shows Susanna's spitfire side well, particularly in the Atto Terzo Sestetto and also the part of Atto Quarto where she thinks Figaro is going to cheat on her. She has some of the most heartbreaking moments in the opera to me, like when she breaks down into tears after "Deh vieni." And, I'm not sure if this was her move or the director's, but it's hilarious when during "Pace, pace, mio dolce tesoro" she hits Figaro when saying "La voce?" even after she knows he was playing around with her. That's so like Susanna! Another great moment of hers is during "Crudel! Perche finora" when she is truly hilarious as she acts all sexy and seductive. She might be the reason that became my favorite duettino from the opera.

Renee Fleming - She is second thus far only to Veronique Gens for me. She is lovely and constantly has an air of sadness to her, which makes her situation all the more tragic. She and Susanna are really cute in their scenes when they're plotting together, and she also showed well, in an understated way (as Rosina would,) lust for Cherubino. She also has moments of girlishness, in which we see glimpses of the Rosina of 3 years ago. Her shining moments for me are "Dove sono i bei momenti" and the last scene of the opera, in which she forgives the Count.

Andreas Schmidt - Well, he's not my favorite Count (Simon Keenlyside!!!) but he does a good job. He is more sympathetic from most, but not to the point where I would side with him or want him to be able to succeed in his plans.

Cherubino (sorry, don't know the name offhand) - While I think Cherubino was lacking the adolescent energy the character requires, this Cherubino had a gorgeous voice and even had chemistry with Renee Fleming. Also, she really made me crack up during Atto Quarto when Cherubino tries to hit on Susanna in the garden.

Bartolo, Marcellina, and don Basilio - They were all quite good; what I liked was that Marcellina was actually physically believable as Figaro's mother. Someone disliked her during her aria in an above review, but I liked it very much.

Barbarina - Okay, this is my one complaint, which is admittedly rather superficial, but this things tend to bother me: She didn't look at all like a pretty, 12-year-old girl. She looked older than Susanna, for heaven's sake. And I didn't find her very charming, either. But, her voice was beautiful and she conveyed sorrow really well during her cavatina "L'ho perduta... me meschina."

So, there you have it. All in all, a great Figaro to have on DVD. Like I said, I owe it for introducing me to such a great opera. So, if you want to fall in love with this opera like I did, I would recommend starting with this DVD.

I can't say enough about this production. The casting and interpretation were just about as close to perfect as my mind's eye could have imagined. Not only do the cast members have beautiful, clear voices, but they can actually act! Facial expressions reacting to the text being sung in the ensembles and recitatives and the action onstage show that each actor knows exactly what his/her character ought to be thinking, and body language supports this. (The scene where we discover the secret of Figaro's parents is played to perfection, and the classic Act II finale has exactly the right give-and-take of emotions to make each change of musical scenery flow into the next.)

Andreas Schmidt's Count Almaviva is a superb Mozart villain; he is able to show the hypocritical nature of the Count's behavior while giving the audience a glimmer of the passion and potential for reform. He is able to project that something (whatever it was) that made the Countess love him once upon a time, and makes her arias hoping for the return of his love all the more poignant. Now indifferent to his spouse and habitually unfaithful--trifling with his servant women--he somehow manages to blush when caught in act while displaying (hypocritical) riteous indignance when he believes his wife is cheating on him. He jealously sneers at his upstart servant Figaro while chasing after his fiancee, and revels in playing this fabulous "bad guy" role with vigor and relish.

Renee Fleming's voice is, as always, heavenly. As the conflicted and long-suffering Countess, she plays the ever-depressed optimist with a mix of sweetness and pathos that transforms her from merely a beautiful singer into a great musical actress.

Gerald Finley and Alison Hagley are absolutely charming as the soon-to-be-married servant couple. The chemistry between them makes the plot believable, and makes it believable that no matter what happens, they will be able to hold everything around them together. From the opening scene, one falls in love with the young couple and is instantly on their side (they are, after all, in the right). Hagley's Susanna projects a character thoughtful and circumspect enough to make up for the clowning posture (which is just as it should be) of Figaro.

The supporting cast is likewise wonderful, from the pompous and vindictive Bartolo to the aging Marcellina, relentless in her quest to make Figaro marry her. The loose morals of Basilio and the bustle of the gardener Antonio (a bit part, granted, but played with comic charm). And Agne-Marie Todorovich's Cherubino steals the stage, projecting just the right mixture of puckish charm and teenage hormones.

Minimalist sets (albeit still projecting a period flavor) and costumes make the perfect backdrop to the colorful characters it was made to hold, supporting the action rather than distracting attention from it.

Of course, the music is sublime. I have spent the better part of two years now studying Italian-language opera of this period, and this is certainly ONE of, if not THE, best of the repertoire. It is arguably Mozart's most beloved opera, and it is conducted and interpreted with such love and care that it shines here just as it ought. (Thank you, Bernard Haitink!)

If you are considering getting a Mozart opera for your video library, THIS IS THE ONE! I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

This is an excellent Figaro DVD. If you're looking for a first Figaro video, this would be an excellent choice: the production is straightforward (albeit standard) with a strong cast and fabulous orchestra.
It is also worth mentioning that it is a VERY complete recording, including even the Fourth Act arias of Figaro, Marcellina, and Don Basilio which are often cut.

Production:
The production is nothing special, but gets the job done is certainly strong enough to support the performances. The staging is effective, and often very funny (though never hilarious).

Singing:
The singing on this DVD is wonderful! Figaro particularly shines, and doesn't seem to tire: his Act Four Aria is especially powerful and captivating. Fleming's Countess is touching and beautiful, though her acting leaves a little to a desire in this performance.

Audio and Video:
The quality of the DVD is excellent. My biggest complaint would be the subtitles, which due to their style were somewhat intruisive. Other than that, an EXCELLENT recording with excellent video quality and superb sound. This DVD shines especially well with a 5.1 Surround System, where the sound from the Orchestra is utterly surrounding.

Orchestra:
What to say about this? The orchestra is a bit loud at time, cover up the singers. Other than that . . . they are PERFECT. Haitnik coaxes an incredible performance from them. Every quick section is precise and unified, and every swell is touching and powerful. The orchestra was, to me, the real highlight of this performance, and elevates the DVD from good to GREAT.

This opera is greatly loved and it is easy to understand why. Although it is quite long, it is full of fabulous music that nearly everyone loves. There is humor, some real passion, with clearly drawn but interesting characters.

This production is full of great performances and is easy to enjoy visually. The camera keeps us involved without making us aware of its work. The costumes are not overly colorful, but I like the subtlety - especially at 190 minutes!

Gerald Finlay is a wonderful Figaro. I love his voice and presence. Alison Hagley has a wonderful voice and sings Susanna with great joy and she can act. Renee Fleming is transcendent as The Countess. Who can praise her enough? She seems to glow and her voice transfixes me. Andreas Schmidt is a wonderfully despicable Almaviva.

The subtitles make it easy for non-Italian speaker who want to follow along to do so. I played this performance for my 11 year-old daughter and 10 year-old son and wondered how long they would last. I thought I would just expose them to the opera. They were mesmerized and didn't want to even take a break between tapes. They were caught up in the story and watching it happen made it much more enjoyable for them than just listening to it.

My only wish is that these tapes would be transferred to DVD. Tapes wear out and bleed over time. Performances as wonderful as this one need to be preserved so we can enjoy them for decades. We need a better medium than VHS tapes.

This is the best production of Figaro that I have seen or heard in a while. Renee Fleming is outstanding with her lyrical voice that melts the heart. Gerald Finley is amazing in the lead role of Figaro. His voice is unfaltering and he easily attaches one to his character. But the best part of this production is Alison Hagley. This soprano was not known to me prior to viewing this production. But after hearing her sing Susanna, I can say she is one of the best sopranos today. Her aria in the final act holds enough emotion to draw tears. I found my skin crawling from the intense beauty of her voice. Hagley and Fleming also sing a duet in the third act where their melding voices sound like Sirens, harmonizing perfectly. If this is what Ulysses heard, then it is understandable why he wanted to crash his boat right into the shores.
Mozart's style is very precise, and as a student of classical music, I can say that all the lead performers know exactly how to perform this great composer. The performers truly bring details to perfection. Bravo!

I love this production at Glyndebourne. It is a top-tier cast, and great orchestra in a wonderfully traditional staging. It's the sound quality that knocks this production down to 4 stars. Singers fade in and out, footsteps are very loud, and the recitatives sometimes get lost. Rest assured though, this DVD is still worthwhile and deserves a place on your shelf.

Renee Fleming is brilliant as the Countess. This was her breakthrough role at the HGO. It is the role that propelled her to stardom, and few can sing it as well as she can. Her two big arias, "Dove sono" and "Porgi amor" will bring tears to your eyes. Alison Hagley is a fabulous Susanna. Her voice is just the right weight; light enough for the character, but with enough substance to balance Renee beautifully. Their duet "Sull'aria" is sublime. Alison is quite pretty, in a very accessible way. In other words, she is a perfect Susanna. Susanna's beau Figaro, was cast very well by utilizing Gerald Finley. He looks and sounds the part. Andreas Schmidt is a fantastic Count. His weighty voice fits the role perfectly. His scenes with Renee were great, both musically and dramatically. Then there is the famous role of Cherubino, a trouser role that all serious mezzos eventually do. This being opera buffa style, there is a huge temptation to play Cherubino over the top. Not so with Marie-Ange Todorovitch. She looked the part of a teenage boy, and was quite a convincing skirt-chaser. She has a nice, unpretentious mezzo instrument reminiscent of another famous Cherubino, the great Frederica Von Stade. Her "Voi che sapete" was very well done.

Try to ignore the sound shortcomings in this DVD and enjoy this straightforward, well-sung, and no-frills production of Figaro. Kudos to the cast, Maestro Haitink, the Orchestra, and the Glyndbourne Festival for this nice production.

Highly recommended.

This Production of Le Nozze di Figaro is an Excellent one (probably among the top two I have ever seen.) The Tempi of Bernard Haitnik is the only problem I had with this production. He takes some things very fast and I like that but he also takes a lot of them very slowly. That is the only big problem I had with this DVD. Even with Mr.Haitink's weird tempi the orchestra plays wonderfully. Now to the singers! Gerald Finley's Figaro is a very menacing one but with his great singing he pulled off the role. Alison Hagley is the best looking Susanna I have ever seen. You can really tell why the Count lusts after her. Her singing is also very good. Renee Fleming is the best Countess I have ever seen (next to Kiri te Kanawa and Hillevi Martinpelto.) She commands her Aria's with stiff dignity and a wonderful voice. Her "Dove sono" is among the best. Andrea Schmidt's Count is the best I have ever seen . He is both menacing (to Figaro and Cherubino) and loving (to Susanna and the Countess-at the end.) His 3rd act aria is very lively and professionally sung. Marie-Ange Todorovitch is a rather lackluster Cherubino but pulls off the role none-the-less. Mandred Röhrl is a very comical Bartolo (to me he kind-of looks like Don Knotts.) His "La vendetta" isn't up to snuff but that can be forgiven. Wendy Hillhouse is among the best Marcellina's I have ever seen. She can be annoying as in "Tutto ancor...Via resti servita" and loving as in her extremely beautiful rendition of "Il capro e la capretta". Robert Tear is the best Basilio I have ever seen. The rest of the cast is good especially the Curzio of John Graham-Hill and the Antonio of Donald Adams (who was the 1st Antonio I actually enjoyed seeing.) The Barbarina of Susan Gritton is acceptable but not the best. Overall excellent performance. Buy it for Fleming alone if you have to. You won't regret it :)

This, along with Bohm's version of Figaro starring Kiri Te Kanawa, is the best performance of this absolute masterpiece that I've had the chance to watch. Beautifully sung and with English subtitles. Renowned conductor (and Mozart expert) Harnoncourt has called Figaro the most beautiful music ever written. Get this video and you'll understand why.