Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) / Jean-Louis Thamin · John Eliot Gardiner · Bryn Terfel · Rodney Gilfry · Théâtre du Chatelet

Le Nozze di Figaro is first and foremost a witty comedy set to incredible music. So many Figaros lose sight of this, with plodding tempi, poor acting, lack of chemistry between the singers, and a generally stuffy atmosphere.This performance of Le Nozze di Figaro does it right. The acting is superb all around, with Gilfry stealing the show as Count Almaviva. The music is fantastic, and the singers are excellent. The tempi are brisk, but of all the versions I've seen of the opera, these tempi are most convincing. This is a comedy, and that comedy can be strangled if the tempis plod.I just can't convey well enough how much I love this performance and how this has become my favorite performance of Figaro. If you are interested in Opera at all, I highly recommend picking this up. Le Nozze di Figaro is rightly proclaimed as one of the greatest operas ever written, and this performance makes a strong, strong argument in support of that assertion.

Bryn Terfel, of course, as Figaro and Alison Hagley as Susanna shine in this production of Le Nozze di Figaro. (I don't pretend to be objective about Alison Hagley but the role of Susanna was tailor-made for her.) The staging is quite sparse but the singing is strong across the board, although I also disagree with the beginning of "Voi che sapete...". Countess Rosina Almaviva, as played by Hillevi Martinpelto, seems to be having too much fun with the intrigue which makes it less than convincing when she launches into "Dove sono i bei momenti..."By the way, catch the unintentional plucking on the guitar by Hagley at the beginning of "Voi che sapete..." when Susanna is supposedly accompanying Cherubino as he sings to Rosina.Rodney Gilfry almost manages to steal the show with his simpering Count Almaviva. (A good comparison is the Glyndebourne Fest. Opera dvd of Figaro with Gerald Finley our protagonist and...Alison Hagley as Susanna. Andreas Schmidt casts a darker shadow as the Count. Both DVDs are worth the $$ to have in your collection.)One little beef about both DVDs and opera dvds in general. The capability of the dvd technology is being wasted when Extra features are not included. How many times have you watched a production on dvd and wished you could see footage from a rehearsal or even a snippet on how certain stage or music direction decision was made? If there is someone from DG reading this, I implore you to give it some thought. Interviews with the principals about how they approached their roles and their thoughts on the production is the type of information that should be on the dvd. (Kudos for having the Italian libretto on this dvd.)How much easier would it be to attract the younger generation if they can be made to understand the opera through comments made by people they see on the screen.My ten year old daughter enjoys watching the Glyndebourne dvd (principally because Finley is "good looking") but she has questions about the production that I can't answer. I, for one, would gladly pay more for the extra features if thats what it takes.

I am a great fan of the 1973 Glyndebourne DVD of this opera starring Kiri Te Kanawa and Ileana Cotrubas, and thought that I would never find another video version of "Figaro" that might rival it. But here is a more recent performance that is in many, many ways just as good. First of all, there simply cannot be a better Figaro than Bryn Terfel. The voice is magnificent, which goes without saying, but his acting is absolutely superb. Equally excellent is Alison Hagley's Susanna, sadder and wiser than Cotrubas, but delightful in every way. Rodney Gilfry and Hillevi Martinpelto make a fine, young Count and Countess (you can really imagine them as the Almaviva and Rosina of Rossini's "Barber"), although Martinpelto doesn't quite have the stamina to sustain her set pieces. In spite of a truly bizarre first few minutes and an Act IV set that doesn't quite work (or make much sense), this is a clever, minimalist production for which the director and John Eliot Gardiner have worked most successfully with the singers to create indelible, three-dimensional characters and performances. All in all, this is a significant "Figaro," one that you will find yourself watching over and over.

Sparkling singing and acting from the entire cast, and the chemistry between Bryn Terfel (Figaro) and Alison Hagley (Susanna) is very believable. Fast-paced, fun, and clever direction with no draggy moments. I teach opera history at a university, and my students love this.

I liked it very much. I possessed the cd version for many years, until it was destroyed by a flood in 2010, now I am watching the beauty of the dvd version!

Ok, i have seen many versions of Nozze di figaro on dvd, and let me tell ya, this is by far the best!!, brynn terfel is woderful!!, alison hagley is incredibally beautiful and makes susanna more likable and charming. Cherubino's arias are priceless.... Pamele helen stephen does a wonderful job, there is more emotion and character in her then any one since Von Stade !!!I am a big fan of the widescreen format, this being filmed in that aspect...makes me love it even more.

YOU SEE, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO PRESENT THIS DIVINE OPERA. WATCH IT !!!!! IT IS MOST AMAZING, TOUCHING, SWEET, BRILLIANT THE BEST

A birthday present for a cousin

... die auch nach dem dritten Geneßen noch fasziniert und glaubwürdig wirkt. Von dieser ebenso minimalistisch wie glaubwürdigen Inszenierung könnten sich all die selbstverwirklichenden "Es muß aber unbedingt eine SS-Staffel dabei sein, sonst kommt DIE BOTSCHAFT nicht rüber"-"Künstler" zehn Scheiben abschneiden, und es würde nur positiv auffallen. Zusammen mit hervorragenden Sängerinnen und Sängern sowie einem wahrhaft mozartesk musizierenden Orchester/Dirigenten ein einmaliger Genuß.

I love this version. The stage direction is brilliant -- great performances from all the well-cast performers. Susanna, Figaro and the Count are the standouts for me, but everyone is excellent, both as actors and singers. There's a real sense of the serious stakes underneath the comedy, although it never tips too far into darkness. Wonderful sexual energy at play, too -- between Figaro and Susanna, Cherubino and the Countess and the Count and everyone.I very much liked the pared down aesthetic of the sets. The costumes were less inspired, except for Basilio, who was marvellously costumed in a very reptilian outfit with a wired queue:)Both musically and dramatically I think this is pretty much perfect.

E' un peccato disporre soltanto di 5 stelle.Bryn Terfel (Figaro) e Alison Hagley (Susanna) sono stupendi, ma l'intero cast (relativamente giovane) e l'orchestra sono eccellenti. Tutti sembrano divertirsi un mondo e danno all'opera il carattere giocoso che le è proprio.La scenografia è minimalista ed occorre un po' di tempo per apprezzarla, ma penso che essa contribuisca al piacere che mi da questo Figaro: musica e canto si apprezzano senza distrazioni.

Enregistrée live au Châtelet, cette version des Noces est une totale réussite. Le premier responsable en est bien sur Gardiner ; muni d'une superbe paire de bretelles, Sir John se régale et nous régale par une lecture incisive, acérée. Tout est constamment juste dans son interprétation, tempi, articulation, phrasé, c'est un Mozart, vivant, naturel et toujours en parfaite harmonie avec les situations théâtrales.Car l'autre grande réussite de cette version est la formidable prestation d'une troupe d'acteurs-chanteurs au diapason de la verve du chef.Non seulement les chanteurs sont excellents vocalement, mais en plus, ce sont de véritables bêtes de scène qui dévorent les planches. Bryn Terfel, qui n'était pas encore la grande vedette qu'il est aujourd'hui, campe un Figaro d'une grande aisance et superbe vocalement ; dire d'Alison Hagley qu'elle est une Susanne idéale est un euphémisme, faussement ingénue, subtilement provocante, sa prestation est un grand moment de théâtre ; le comte de Rodney Gilfry semble sorti tout droit de Barry Lyndon, son interprétation est pour moi l'idéal du rôle, mélange de grandeur aristocratique et de bêtise satisfaite d'elle-même ; et les seconds rôles ne déparent pas l'ensemble, notamment une Marcelline irrésistible qui semble sortie d'un film de Fellini.La mise en scène de Jean Louis Thamin dût paraître bien banale et prosaïque aux spectateurs, on sait que Gardiner goûte peu les fantaisies des metteurs en scène, mais ici on est vraiment dans le minimalisme. Le metteur en scène s'efface devant ses acteurs qui laissent libre cours à leur imagination et l'apport du DVD devient ici essentiel car la captation vidéo d'Olivier Mille s'avère extrêmement virtuose, enchainant les plans avec fluidité et mettant en évidence toute l'expressivité des chanteurs, dès lors peu importe que le metteur en scène n'ait rien à dire car la prestation des acteurs-chanteurs ainsi restituée fait tout le prix de cette version.Cette version est donc tout à fait indispensable et constitue à mon sens la référence en DVD, très loin devant Jacobs ou Harnoncourt qui sont eux largement surestimés à mes yeux.