Mozart;Wolfgang Amadeus Le Noz [Import]

This 1973 production from the old Glyndebourne Festival theatre has as starry a cast as one could possibly put together at the time and strikes me as well above what passes for top-drawer these days. The cast is simply marvelous. Oddly, it includes a singer as Figaro that I'd never heard of before, one Knut Skram, and I was a little apprehensive about that. I needn't have been. He is a tall handsome 36-year old Norwegian whose bass-baritone is rich and whose acting is superb. He looks the part better and moves more nimbly than any Figaro I've ever seen. And he sings in his arias and ensembles with dash and musicality. As the for the rest of the cast just look who is in it. Kiri te Kanawa, in the first flush of her international stardom, as a Countess who is ravishing both in sound and in looks. Her 'Porgi amor' and 'Dove sono' are radiantly beautiful. Her resistance to the Count's bulldozing is both feminine and strong (not that those are contradictory qualities, of course). Her conspiring with Susanna is delicious. In the final scene, where she forgives the Count, she is noble. Indeed in that scene the entire ensemble right through to 'Corriam tutti' is splendid. Benjamin Luxon is a proper Count who is more than a bit of a rascal. He plays the bullying Lord believably but does not come across as an unlikable heel, and one feels there is the chance that he may indeed change his ways. He is in marvelous voice and acts well both physically and vocally. Mezzo Frederica von Stade has made a specialty of the role of Cherubino, and with good reason. She has both the figure and the voice for it. Add to that the ability to seem both callow and devilish and you have a combination perfect for the role. Her 'Voi che sapete' is perfection. The secondary roles are well cast, well acted, and very well sung. One couldn't ask for a better Don Basilio (John Fryatt) or Don Bartolo (Marius Rintzler of the cavernous bass and the wicked buffo ways; his 'La vendetta' is choice). Nucci Bondo makes a likeable Marcellina and she sounds good, too. Even the Barbarina and Antonio are well-done.

The singer who should come in for the most praise, though, is the young Ileana Cotrubas, who of course went on to major international stardom (she was one of the best Violettas I ever saw), and in this performance she not only sings like an angel, but her comic acting (and think of the timing that's required for the part) is in a league with a Carol Burnett or a Tracy Ullman. Her Act III duet with the count, 'Crudel! Perché finora,' demonstrates not only her superb singing (and Luxon's) but also her teasing way with him. Delicious!

In the pit is the ever-trustworthy John Pritchard conducting the London Philharmonic. The stage production was directed by the legendary Peter Hall. The video production was done by Humphrey Burton, a stalwart of these sorts of television specials, and it was directed with expertise by Dave Heather. The rather traditional, but quite beautiful, production design was by John Bury.

I do not own any other DVDs of 'Marriage of Figaro' and cannot compare this one with the ones available. I find myself not impelled to obtain any others, however. I must comment that the color and stereo sound are of their time, the early 1970s. These are certainly not a hindrance, but one does recognize that this is a classic production.

I predict I will be returning to this performance many times over the years.

1 DVD, TT=185 mins, no extras, subtitles in German, French, English, Spanish, Italian.

Scott Morrison

This is a truly lovely jewel-box of a production that is a triumph of simplicity and traditionalism. "Concept" opera can work, don't get me wrong, but what a treat it is to sit back and wallow in the pleasures of a beautifully staged, designed and -- most importantly -- sung performance as this. There isn't a weak link in the cast. Particularly, Cotrubas may be the best Susanna ever, shining with an inner radiance that brings a smile to your face whenever she's on stage. And Te Kanawa is as beautiful as ever, her customary richness of tone and heartbreaking expressiveness solidly on display. The director has given the perfomance terrific pace and momentum (as does Pritchard in the pit) and has gotten his singers to be terrific actors as well. I was concerned that the picture quality would not be the best (given that this is 30 year old video), but it's clear as can be. The audio is less than wonderful at times (not too bad and not for too long), but that may simply be my copy. In any event, look no further if you want a "Figaro" for the ages, one that honors the intent and brilliance of its creators.

Let me start off by saying that this an early seventies telecast of a Glyndebourne production, so the picture and sound quality aren't as pristine as you're likely get from, say, a recent Met broadcast. The picture is grainy, the colors occasionally garish, with video "ghosts" trailing the performers. The sound isn't as balanced between singers and orchestra as it would be in a modern recording, and the singing sounds rough, just a little, at times. No matter. That shouldn't deter any prospective buyers. This is a great Figaro at a great price. Why? It's Glyndebourne of course. And, more than anything else, it's the singers, baby, the singers!

The three female leads could not have been more ideally cast. Just imagine Kiri te Kanawa as the Countess, Ileana Cortubas as Susanna and Frederica von Stade as Cherubino. Then imagine all three of these lovely, obscenely talented young women in the same cast of the same production. Your heart's already beating a little faster? Okay, imagine them onstage AT THE SAME TIME, as they are during Act Two. Then be prepared to take a trip to Mozartean heaven. Each woman was born to sing her respective role, and it shows here, with nary a false note among them. Von Stade's Voi che sapete and te Kanawa's Dove sono are as fine renditions as you are likely to hear.

The men fare almost as well. I had never heard of Benjamin Luxon before, but his Count simply blew me away! His voice is overpowering, and his dramatic skills just as good, portraying all the arrogance, self-delusion and blustery confusion necessary for an exemplary rendition. Knut Skrum, our Figaro, was another new name for me, and to be honest, I wasn't nearly as excited by his performance as I was with Luxon's. Skrum hits the right notes, and he takes away the buffoonish elements that are often given to the character, which I feel is appropriate, I like seeing Figaro as a suave and savvy individual. I just feel that his portrayal is missing something, both vocally and dramatically, that extra "oomph" that would have sent it into the stratosphere. Still, this is hardly a fatal flaw, or even a flaw at all. When you have a good Figaro, and a great everybody else(the supporting cast is quite good), then this is a Nozze di Figaro for the ages.

John Pritchard leads a jaunty, uncut rendition of the score(all the act four arias are here). The traditional sets are so good as to be inconspicuous; in other words, the set designers have created such a convincing interior of a Count's estate that the singers blend in naturally with the surroundings, and the audience is left to admire the wonderful music.

The other Glyndebourne release of this opera, with Rene Fleming as the Countess, is quite good. Apparently the Met will release its unconventional production very soon(it features a couple of rare arias and a mezzo-soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, in the role of Susanna). Still, this Figaro is the one to own on DVD, it's certainly the one I am likely to return to more than any other.