Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Salzburg, 1966)

Cast: Walter Berry (Figaro), Ingvar Wixell (Almaviva), Reri Grist (Susanna), Claire Watson (Rosina), Edith Mathis (Cherubino), Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm (conductor), Günther Rennert (director), Hermann Lanske (video director)

Recorded at Kleines Festspielhaus, Salzburg on 11 August 1966

Issued on DVD by TDK Mediactive in 2003 [DV-KLOPNDF, PAL/All regions, menus in English, subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian]

Technical details
Aspect ratio 4:3
Sound Monaural

Running time: 180 minutes

Sung in Italian
One cannot hope for a single, perfect Figaro, if only because there are so many different ways to view the opera. Seen as an opera buffo, we can come as close as could be hoped in this performance. The comic couple, Suzanna and Figaro, are witty, clever and boisterous; the serious pair, Rosina and Almaviva, are noble even in their diversions. The other characters are 'stock' - stereotypes more than people on the stage. The staging is literal and clever, using a minimum of devices to represent the comings, goings and appearances without intruding on the non-stop action. Even in cases where the staging cannot match the libretto, as in the scene when the women disguise themselves as one another, the difference is exaggerated to underline the point.

The singing is impeccable if undecorated (as was largely the style in that day). The insouciance of Grist sets off the elegance of Watson; the ebullience of Berry complements the formality of Wixell. The image is monochrome, which is a loss; the sound is monaural, which is less of a penalty. Böhm conducts in the style of the production, slightly exaggerating the contrasts with what we would consider today to be an oversized, if impeccable, sound from the orchestra. One must admit that the chorus disappoints, lacking both precision and lightness; perhaps they were less comfortable in Italian than they would have been in German.

For my taste, this production pushes the comedy a bit too hard. However, in its way this is a performance hard to fault. And if your choice in Mozart comedy runs more to guffaws than to chuckles, it is a recording to treasure.
 
Related website:
TDK Mediactive www.tdk-mediactive.com
 
Michael Richter, 14 December 2003
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.