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Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro - Glyndeborne

NVC Arts/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 189 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Arguably Mozart’s best known and best loved opera, Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage Of Figaro) has been performed countless times since its premiere in Vienna on May 1st, 1786, and extensively recorded during the last century. And as the title illustrates, it’s sung in Italian - which may, to the uninitiated, seem like strange - it’s not Mozart’s native language, after all. But back at the time of this opera’s conception, it was almost de rigueur to use an Italian libretto for opera, even in Austria - a fact that many are aware of from one of the more amusing scenes in Milos Forman’s superb movie Amadeus.

An astonishingly prolific composer, Mozart actually wrote an incredible 22 operas, though only a handful of those are performed regularly. The popularity of Le Nozze Di Figaro can be attributed to two things - its comedic wit (which still raises a smile today) and the proliferation of instantly accessible melodies throughout. With text from a libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte - a gifted Vienna-based writer who would provide the texts for Mozart’s three most important and popular operatic works - but actually based on a banned play by Beaumarchais, this opera tells the story of a somewhat over-sexed Count who attempts to make the fiancée (Susanna) of a servant (Figaro) the next target for his dubious attentions, only to find his plans thrown askew by his own wife as well as others. Yes, even back in the 18th Century soap opera was the order of the day, but Da Ponte’s incessant wit and knack for amusing plot twists makes Le Nozze Di Figaro a joy to discover, even over 200 years after it was written.

Of course, like all of Mozart’s operas, you don’t need to follow the story to enjoy the music - and it’s here that Mozart wrote some of his finest arias, along with some remarkable ensemble work that was nothing less than innovative at the time.

The Glyndebourne Festival Opera chose Le Nozze Di Figaro to open their at-the-time brand new opera house back in 1994, and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in fine form (and led by the redoubtable Bernard Haitink) the performance is a joy to behold - especially with singers of the calibre of Alison Hagley, Renee Fleming, Gerald Finley and Andreas Schmidt there to light up the stage.

If you’ve never explored a Mozart opera before, this is a good one to start with. While staged in an unusually minimalist style, there is no questioning the quality of the performance - it’s a pity that, at the time of writing, John Eliot Gardiner’s performance of this opera with a period orchestra (this one uses “modern” instruments) is not available on DVD.

  Video
Contract

With its 189 minute running time split over two sides of a “flipper” disc (the break comes at what would have been the natural interval in the opera performance, at the end of Act 2), this full-frame rendering of a broadcast quality video source is generally very good, though not as perfect as some later material released by NVC Arts. There’s plenty of detail and everything looks crisp and sharp, and aside from some perhaps inevitable aliasing and moire patterning on “difficult” objects and costumes, this is the closest you’ll come to watching the original master videotape. There’s some low-level video noise, but it’s not distracting and won’t even be noticed by most viewers.

  Audio
Contract

The audio is offered in both 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround; the 5.1 track, though not the default, is greatly preferable, though, even for those listening on two-channel systems. It has much greater presence and clarity, and by comparison the 2.0 track seems flat and lifeless. Surround sound users will be delighted by the sense of involvement the 5.1 track offers, putting the listener in a seat better than even the best seat in the house. The only audio issue that may bother some is the fairly large amount of on-stage noise, particularly the clomping of feet on the stage boards. This, though, is near unavoidable in live opera recordings.

The Italian dialogue is translated for English language viewers via the use of subtitles - which pleasingly are very intelligently done. The idea is that repeated lines are not translated a second time, and that stops the viewing experience from turning into three hours of reading subtitles - this way you get to watch some of the on-stage action as well. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, this subtitling method works exceptionally well.

  Extras
Contract

Aside from a list of characters and a brief synopsis, there are no extras to be found on this disc; the accompanying booklet also only provides a synopsis rather than a full libretto, which is a shame.

  Overall  
Contract

A terrific and somewhat unusual performance of Mozart’s most famous opera, beautifully captured on DVD, this disc of Le Nozze Di Figaro will be welcomed by opera buffs and novices alike.


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      And I quote...
    "A terrific and somewhat unusual performance of Mozart’s most famous opera..."
    - Anthony Horan
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