Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Le Nozze di Figaro
Riccardo Fassi (bass) – Figaro
Giulia Semenzato (soprano) – Susanna
Germán E. Alcántra (baritone) – Count Almaviva
Federica Lombardi (soprano) – Countess Almaviva
Hanna Hipp (mezzo-soprano) – Cherubino
Royal Chorus and Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano (fortepiano)
Sir David McVicar – director
rec. live, 11 & 22 January 2022, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
Sung in Italian
Synopsis provided
Opus Arte OA1356D DVD [198]
Figaro is one of only two operas with which I have sufficient familiarity to feel even vaguely confident enough to write a review (Bohème is the other). From the miracle that is the Overture to the final ensemble, it is one of the pinnacles of all music. I know it best from the 1959 Giulini/Glyndebourne EMI recording with a starry cast of Taddei, Moffo and Schwarzkopf. This new release is taken from a pair of Royal Opera House performances from early last year, using David McVicar’s acclaimed and much-used production (it was employed again in 2023, for what I believe was the ninth time). The cast is quite young, even the pairing of Count and Countess. Not being an opera buff, none of the names were familiar to me.
Let me address the production first. Foremost, if you are like me, you will be relieved that it sets the action more or less in the era in which it was written; there are no suits, machine guns, graffiti, large and strangely shaped objects or any other aspects of “modernised” theatre that I have seen. There is a good reason why the McVicar production has been staged so many times: it is simply wonderful. The sets look sumptuous, and allow for background activity (generally anonymous servants) in the “corridor” to accompany the main action and allow for something to be happening as there are set changes. The costumes are equally impressive.
Knowing the work mainly from the music means missing out on the comedy, so seeing it gives you the full impact, and the emphasis on the comedy here is very good, without being overdone. The scene of the servants getting ready for the day, with various bits of slapstick, that happens while the overture plays is worth the price of admission.
Visually, the young cast look very good and act well. Federica Lombardi as the Contessa is quite statuesque, so one has to suspend belief when she and the far more petite Giulia Semenzato’s Susanna are swapping clothes and identities in Act IV. Both Figaro and the Count sport what I would describe as hipster beards – I’m not sure how authentic to the period this is, but it is a minor thing.
Playing Figaro is quite a step up for Riccardo Fassi. His recording career thus far consists of Ferrando in a Verona staging of Il trovatore where Bob Farr described him as “adequate” and Lodovico in Otello (conducted as here by Pappano). He certainly looks the part, and has good chemistry with Giulia Semenzato, but I found his voice rather gruff and not very musical. Giulia Semenzato does have a more extensive presence on record, and her 2022 disc of arias on Alpha Classics, Angelica Diabolica, received some praise on these pages (review). I did like her singing, but not more than some comparisons I made. The same could be said of the other main roles: good, but not outstanding. The closing scene in Act II where the Count confronts Figaro with the anonymous letter can give me shivers down the spine, but that didn’t happen here.
Accompaniment by the orchestra and by Sir Antonio Pappano at the fortepiano is excellent. The orchestra sounds reduced in numbers, though they can make plenty of sound when required. Indeed, at times, the orchestra drowned out the singers, though I did wonder if this was because I was listening through stereo speakers. Perhaps those with 5.1 surround sound might fare better.
The main competition for this release comes from Opus Arte itself: the original McVicar production from 2006, also conducted by Pappano (review). That cast included a number of very prominent and established soloists, among them Erwin Schrott as Figaro and Miah Persson as Susanna. Schrott’s performance of Non più andrai is available on YouTube, and for me, his voice is streets ahead of Fassi’s. The female leads are a little more competitive with those in the earlier production, but the quality of Persson and Dorothea Röschmann shines through. The contrast between the Count of Gerald Finley in the 2006 and Germán E. Alcántra in this new one is quite substantial. Finley is older, dignified and forbidding, Alcántra slimy and something of a buffoon. Each of the characterisations and performances has its merits.
As a film, it works very well. The camera follows the action, though not obsessively, taking the time to catch reactions of some of the watching cast. The two extra features – Antonio Pappano talking about the opera and its characters, and discussing the opera and the new staging with David McVicar – are very interesting, but I wished they were longer than six minutes. The scenes from rehearsal showing everyone wearing masks was a reminder, if one were needed, of the last few years.
Visually, this is a real treat, but the singing doesn’t reach the same standard. Those who already own the 2006 production may feel that they don’t need to add this to their collection.
David Barker
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Other cast & production staff
Gregory Bonfatti – Don Basilio
Monica Bacelli – Marcellina
Gianluca Buratto – Bartolo
Jeremy White – Antonio
Alexandra Lowe – Barbarina
Alasdair Elliott – Don Curzio
Helen Withers, Miranda Westcott – Bridesmaids
William Spalding – Chorus Director
Tanya McCallin – Designer
Paule Constable – Lighting Designer
Leah Hausman – Movement Director
Peter Jones – Video Director
Video details
DVD-9 double layer NTSC, Region 0
16:9 anamorphic
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean
Extra features (13 minutes): Antonio Pappano introduces The Marriage of Figaro, Antonio Pappano and David McVicar discuss The Marriage of Figaro
