Le Nozze di Figaro
March 2007 Reviewed by: Wes Marshall Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

The full title of Le Nozze di Figaro, important but seldom used, is Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata -- The Wedding of Figaro, or The Day of Madness -- an opera in the form of a classic farce about a day of madness. It unfolds around the wedding of servants Figaro (Luca Pisaroni) and Susanna (Rosemary Joshua). The Count (Pietro Spagnoli) has recently abolished the age-old policy of droit du seigneur, which allowed the nobleman first right to bed any of his servant girls on their wedding night. But now that he has the hots for Susanna, he’s considering its reinstatement. Meanwhile, his wife, the Countess (Annette Dasch), is bemoaning her husband’s loss of ardor. Susanna and the Countess hatch a scheme, and fate plays some dirty -- but funny -- tricks on our protagonists. Like any good farce, it’s full of mistaken identities, failed plots, and sex.

The sets and costumes are both exactly right. The stage is steeply raked toward the audience. Scene changes are simply changes of design elements, an inexpensive, effective way to stage an opera. The costumes for Susanna and the Countess reveal that these women have, umm, assets that would attract any easily aroused male.

The singing is top notch. Spagnoli is one of the best Counts in opera today, and Pisaroni’s powerful bass-baritone voice lends Figaro welcome vigor. The female leads both carry off their roles with great attention to musical detail and with the required lusty attitudes. I’ve seen a lot of opera in my time, but I have to admit being startled at the casual groping that goes on in this production. Jacobs and Martinoty’s goal in staging was a production that would have made Mozart feel right at home. Suffice it to say Rosemary Joshua is a good sport.

The only casting oddity is Angelika Kirschlager as Cherubino. This is a pants role, the gender-bender where a woman dressed as a man will probably end up pretending to be a woman. Cherubino is supposed to be young and very horny. Although she sings gorgeously, Kirschlager is just too old for Cherubino,

The DVD comes with a booklet including a short discussion by the director and a long discussion by Rene Jacobs of the meanings and history of the opera. That’s it for extras, though in the stingy world of opera on DVD, that’s a lot. But, boy, do we get charged for it. This BelAir Classiques version costs more than any other Figaro, and by some distance. Its list price is $54.98 (gulp). The next closest is $15 less.

The sound has a specific problem that got to me. The Parisian audience, who should know better, applauds at awkward times, breaking the flow. And the recording is sufficiently close-miked that every footfall, creak, and bang is reproduced clearly. Otherwise, everything is just fine. The orchestra has a wall-to-wall perspective, and, appropriate to their seating, not too much depth. The singers’ voices are well mixed and their text perfectly understandable.

Over 20 Figaros are available on DVD, but only two others demand attention. The Te Kanawa/Luxon/Cotrubas/Skram version from the Glyndebourne Opera series has the luxury of Frederica von Stade as Cherubino. But even if the singing is phenomenal, its video is dated. Another strong cast comes from Deutsche Grammophon, who offers Herman Prey, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mirella Freni, and Kiri Te Kanawam, all conducted by the ace Mozartian Karl Böhm. But it is lip-synced, and poorly so, and was filmed outside the concert hall.

So this new version goes to the top of my list, despite the unsophisticated audience and the creaking stage. I’ll just have to learn to tune them out.

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