Le nozze di Figaro

Aug 21 1987 N/A 3h 1m
Comedy, Music, Romance

Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is a comedy whose dark undertones explore the blurred boundaries between dying feudalism and emerging Enlightenment. Herman Prey's Figaro is admirably sung in a firm baritone and aptly characterized. So too, is his antagonist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the Count perpetually frustrated by the scheming wiles of Figaro and Susanna, here the perky Mirella Freni, who sings and acts like a dream. The Countess is creamy-voiced Kiri Te Kanawa, and the Cherubino, Maria Ewing, looks just like the horny, teenaged page she's supposed to be. The all-star leads are complemented by worthy supporting singers, the Vienna Philharmonic at the top of its form, and the experienced Mozartian, Karl Böhm conducting a stylishly fleet performance.

Plot

Despite the rather old-fashioned German romantic approach that Böhm takes to the music, this is certainly the most satisfactory recording, with a stellar cast, of the opera. I thought that Maria Ewing was especially convincing as the boy Cherubino and Fischer-Dieskau, Prey, Freni and Te Kanawa both sang and acted beautifully. If you prefer a modern musicological approach, then try elsewhere but for a cast of stars near their peak, this is the one.But I am reminded by another review, that there is one annoying feature of this film: this is the tendency to make everything more "realistic" by having the characters keep their mouths closed while their pre-recorded voices continue to sing. I find this unconvincing and I think the director should have accepted the fact that singing in real situations is not realistic. Forget realism; this is opera!8-10

Written by

Lorenzo da Ponte, Beaumarchais, Jean-Louis Martinoty

Directed by

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

Production Countries

Germany

Production Companies

Universal Pictures, Unitel Classics, Deutsche Grammophon

Languages

Italiano

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
197
Average Rating
8.3 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA