Search - Bo Skovhus, Renato Girolami, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart :: Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro

A Non-Competitive 'Marriage of Figaro'

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 06/25/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There have been some stellar opera recordings in this series from Naxos: Britten's 'Turn of the Screw' and 'Albert Herring,' Beethoven's 'Fidelio,' and Samuel Barber's 'Vanessa' come to mind. But this isn't one of them. There are some plusses. The orchestra is excellent and the direction by conductor Michael Halász is energetic and flexible. The Countess of Marina Mescheriakova, the Bartolo and Basilio of Janusz Monarcha Michael Roider are fine. The Cherubino of Michelle Breedt is fine in many passages. The Susanna of Judith Halász is a little shaky in spots, but sparkling in others. Unfortunately, the Figaro of Renato Girolami is only so-so. And the only 'name' singer in the bunch, Bo Skovhus, is simply rough and ready (and a bit unsteady) as the Count, a part that require the utmost in suavity both of tone and of personality; he is best in the ensemble pieces. Further, there is no libretto so that someone buying the set as a newcomer tp the opera but on a budget would be left without the sung words.With many other marvelous recordings of the opera available at mid- or budget-price and in acceptable sound - those, say, of Karajan (with Schwarzkopf, George London, Seefried) or Solti (with te Kanawa, Popp, Ramey, Thomas Allen, et al.) - this set simply isn't competitive. Scott Morrison"