Customer Reviews

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro

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

 

 

This one was the second I bought, I also had the Solti recording, and I loved it. I thought it was much better than the Solti recording mainly because of that in the Solti recording all the fun was gone.

My only objection with this recording is Carlos Feller who sings Bartolo. His aria in Act 1 was very unsteady. Other than that it was a wonderful experience. I loved Bryn Terfel in the title role. He displayed the comedy extremely well and with Alison Hagley as his Susanna with her beautifully pure innocent voice, were they a wonderful pair.

I also loved Rodney Gilfrey and Hillevi Martinpelto as the Count and Countess. Gardiner really made a magificent performance with these wonderful artists.

I later bought the Kleiber version from Decca Legends and although I loved that recording too, it is this one that always go back to. It was commented that the coughs and laughing were definitive negative aspects of this recording, but I'd say that it adds a lot to the atmosphere. But I'm a guy that loves the live performances, because of the added atmosphere and adrenaline of the live performances.

Once again, a magificent recording.

Come on now. Is there any other conception of this opera that even comes close? Gardiner feels the music, the tempi, the momentum as no other. Yes, I have heard all the classic recordings, but they all sound dead compared to this one. The singers are all at least good (Terfel is great)with the possible exception of the countess who is a liability on most recordings, but she isn't that bad. Gardiner's attention to musical detail (even though somewhat obscured by the live recording) is awesome. I can't stop listening to it.

Despite some flaws this is the best Figaro in the catalogue. Lots of humour and very realistic "noises" makes the opera real, you can almost see the play/acting. When the Count nocks on Susanna's door I get fooled every time and run to my own front-door to see who's there. :-)

For some reason Figaro's essence hasn't been caught on recordings very often. It is meant to be a comedy of manenrs in which the downstairs characters, Susanna and Figaro, are clever, witty, and lovable. They are pitted against a pair of forlorn aristocrats who need to learn to love again. Mozart sees all sides of this quartet with humor, pathos, and wisdom. When all these ingredients are balanced, the result is a miracle of tears and smiles. Naturally, it's extremely hard to achieve this ideal, especially given the musical demands that must also be met.

Gardiner's staged version possesses about half the necessary spirit. It's lively and alert, and one believes in Figaro and Susanna as a pair of clever characters. Musically we get a lot of inventive recitatives and brisk conducting of the various famous set pieces. I only mis the humanity and the fun. Everyone is being too dutiful to Mozart's reputation, and in addiiton Gardiner's pet singers who occupy the principal roles aren't great Mozarteans. Without Bryn Terfel to dominate the proceedings, and an excellent Count from Gilfry, we are left with a pretty average Susanna and Countess, and a Cherubino who exhibits many vocal flaws in her two big arias. The orchestra is quite polished, supporting the persuasive stage work. For all those vitures I'd rate this a very good Marriage of Figaro that falls short of the heights (and depths) of the score.

Everyone, for some reason, seems to complain about Pamela Helen Stephen's Cherubino in this recording. For me, she is the best thing about this production! Her heart-rending reading of "Voi che sapete" in the second act is perfectly evocative of the young boy's amorous inclinations. John Eliot's quick tempo is just what is needed to keep the aria from "wallowing." The rest of the cast is also quite fine, although I find that the Countess is not quite on par with the fine, historically-informed singing of the others in her expressive arias (such as the somewhat swoopy "Porgi amor"). Of course, John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists are at the top of their form. This is, for my money, the best overal Figaro on the market.

This was a great performance, no doubt. It has several great singers in it, but there were also a couple of problems. Terfel's Figaro was fabulously funny, and I love Alison Hagley's Susanna(she is in the video of Figaro with Bernard Haitink, too). Martinpelto is not quite the most tragicly beautiful Countess ever, but she has a very nice voice, and gave an admirable performance. I love Gilfry's Count, too. However, Pamela Helen Stephen's Cherubino was awful. Weak, boring, and wimpy, "Voi che sapete" was made fun of by taking it Allegro. The audience was a bit loud, too. Still, don't let that keep you from buying this cd for the 4 great principles.

I was looking for Karajan's 1953 recording and wasn't really satisfied with any else, when I tried this one in the record shop. There it was, the same spirit, fun and life, with much better sound. This is my favourite Mozart opera now, along with Giulini's Don Giovanni.

This is a "live" recording. Normally I am a great fan not only of Gardiner but also of the Archiv label in general: the recordings are so clear and vivid the listener might believe s/he is sitting in the midst of the orchestra or right onstage. However, with this recording one feels oneself instead sitting way back in the audience somewhere, having to put up with the coughs and giggles of one's fellow opera-goers. I was very disappointed upon first listening, but I decided to keep the recording mainly because I own all of Gardiner's other recordings of Mozart's operas. However, I am still on the lookout for something better. It is a real shame that this could not have been a studio recording made at the same time as the actual performances; "Le Nozze di Figaro" might then have been as perfect a recording as Gardiner's "Entfuehrung" and "Zauberfloete."

Bryn Terfel and Alison Hagley absolutely shine in this production of the Mozart classic. An even better treat is the dvd of the same production where we get to see the beautiful Alison Hagley hold her own playing Susanna to Bryn's Figaro. Considering this is a recording from a live performance, a little stage noise is to be expected and doesn't take anything away from the experience.
I did have a problem with the overly campy rendition of Voi Che Sapete (What were you thinking, Sir John???) but that is a minor complaint.