Le Nozze di Figaro

Carlo Maria Giulini, Conductor

Eberhard Wächter, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giuseppi Taddei, Anna Moffo, Fiorenza Cossotto
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte

The first time I listened to this recording I really didn't like it much, but it has grown on me a lot after repeated listening. This was actually the first recording of Le Nozze di Figaro that I bought, after finding a great deal on Ebay. As far as I can tell from reading Amazon reviews, this seems to be the favorite recording of many who find the Solti lifeless. If you fall into that category, you should definitely check it out.

I find that the characters are much more emphasized and perhaps stereotypical here than on other recordings. This is what initially irked me, but it is actually very well done. I like to listen to this one as a bouncier alternative to the others.

Eberhard Wächter was better as Don Giovanni than as the Count, but he's still very good. I particularly like his performance during the Act II Finale, and the aria "Hai gia vinta la causa" is very emotionally charged.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf delivers a very solid performance as the Countess, but she just doesn't compare to Te Kanawa or Popp. Either of those two has both a better voice in general and smoother technique.

Giuseppe Taddei's tendency to bellow instead of sing is a little too prevelent in his Figaro, but he's still enjoyable in the role. His "Aprite un po quegli occhi" doesn't live up to Ramey's or Van Dam's, but it's not bad. My favorite Taddei moment is the final scene, when he is pretending to seduce the "Countess." His tendency to overact suddenly works in his favor (since the character is overacting on purpose) and he really brings out the comedy of the scene.

Anna Moffo's Susanna is sometimes a little too smarmy for my taste, but her voice is lovely so it's not really a huge issue.

Nobody stands out from the supporting cast as being exceptional, but together they build up a very solid backdrop behind the four principles with great voices and emotional acting.

Giulini is an excellent interpreter of Mozart, and it is his conducting that draws this album together and makes it great. He takes a fast approach but isn't afraid to slow down when the piece calls for it, and the tempo really brings out the emotions inherent in the piece.

This will never be my favorite Figaro, but I'm still glad I bought it. It has its faults, but it draws together incredibly well anyway and when I play it the faults tend to fade into the background. For those on a tight budget, this is also the most affordable Figaro recording. It goes for about $20-$25 for two cds plus the libretto in both Italian and English, and if you look around for a while you can probably get it a bit cheaper through Ebay, Half.com, or Amazon's zshops.

Originally Reviewed:

Unknown (Early Review)