MOZART The Marriage of Figaro
Vienna’s 1977 Figaro and the return of Karajan
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Genre:
Opera
Label: Orfeo
Magazine Review Date: 08/2012
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 171
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: C856123D
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Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(Le) nozze di Figaro, '(The) Marriage of Figaro' |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Countess Almaviva, Soprano Frederica von Stade, Cherubino, Mezzo soprano Heinz Zednik, Don Basilio, Tenor Herbert von Karajan, Conductor Ileana Cotrubas, Susanna, Soprano Jane Berbié, Marcellina, Soprano Janet Perry, Barbarina, Soprano José Van Dam, Figaro, Bass Jules Bastin, Bartolo, Bass Kurt Equiluz, Don Curzio, Tenor Tom Krause, Count Almaviva, Baritone Vienna State Opera Chorus Vienna State Opera Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer Zoltan Kélémen, Antonio, Bass |
Author: Richard Lawrence
The expectations and the tension must have been high but, apart from an early entry from Jules Bastin in ‘La vendetta’, there’s no sign of nerves. Karajan inclines to fast tempi but he never drives too hard and he will surprise you now and then by taking a more measured approach, as in Cherubino’s ‘Non so più’ and the Count’s ‘Vedrò, mentr’io sospiro’. He underplays the moment when Figaro outfaces his master in the Act 2 Finale but the mezza voce that follows is spot-on; there’s a similar surefootedness after Figaro has been slapped by Susanna in the sextet. In ‘Aprite, presto aprite’ Karajan gets the merest whisper from the strings while Susanna and Cherubino are paralysed, incapable of action till the final crescendo – brilliant.
José van Dam comes across as a serious Figaro: quick-witted in the early part of the opera but showing real anger as early as ‘Se a casa madama’ and real heartbreak when he thinks that Susanna is deceiving him. Susanna herself, even more resourceful than her husband-to-be, is enchantingly played by Ileana Cotrubas: the smile in her voice as she dresses Cherubino in women’s clothes is irresistible. Frederica von Stade is perfect as the page: a ravishing diminuendo on the held note in ‘Non so più’ and a forthright, confident ‘Voi che sapete’.
Things are not quite as impressive above stairs. Anna Tomowa-Sintow starts ‘Porgi amor’ a little shakily but soon rallies. The reprise of ‘Dove sono’ is delicate but not heart-stopping. Tom Krause, like van Dam a veteran of this production, is formidable in his accompanied recitative and aria but fudges the triplets and the trills. Don Curzio doesn’t stammer; the Raeburn/Moberly reordering of Act 3 is adopted; the arias for Marcellina and Don Basilio are omitted; applause is included. Karajan in the spring, and Karl Böhm returning with Die Frau ohne Schatten in the autumn: Vienna was the place to be that year.
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