A wonderful CD set, a dream of beauty, the gold standard!
Strategos | Alexandria, VA United States | 05/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"'Le Nozze di Figaro' ('Figaro's Wedding', usually known as 'The Marriage of Figaro') has a good claim to be the greatest opera ever written. A quickly moving plot based on the excellent da Ponte libretto of Beaumarchais' hit play, marvelous music which sketches characters, an incredible combination of ensemble, arias, and recitative, with typically Mozartian complexity beneath simplicity in the outwitting of the lecherous count and the comedy opera buffa confusion of identities -what more can one ask?
All this is combined with superb conducting by Erick Kleiber (not in one of his sleepier moods) of the Vienna Philharmonic at its best with a stellar cast of singers - Cesare Siepi, a perfect baritone, as Figaro; two of the finest sopranos of the 20th century - Hilda Gueden as Susanna, and Lisa della Casa as the Countess; Alfred Poell as Count Almaviva; and Suzanne Danco as Cherubino. Even the lesser roles are extremely well-sung by a full range. Purists will be delighted to hear Don Curzio played by Hugo Meyer-Wolfing (tenor) with the comic stammer that Mozart wrote for Michael Kelly when the opera was first presented in 1786.
In a word, at least for many, this 3-CD set cannot be surpassed. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars; even after all these years, and the competition of Rene Jacobs' version with period instruments, Kleiber's 1955 version is the very best. The 24-bit high-end remastering leaves nothing to be desired.
Don't pass up the chance to get this set. It's truly fabulous and one of a kind. At $15, it's a steal! If your listening experience would be improved by following the libretto, a free copy is available in Italian with an English translation on
http://www.aria-database.com/translations/figaro.txt
If you'd like to see the opera first on DVD, you have at least two fantastic choices - the classic 1973 Glyndebourne production with Knut Skram as Figaro, Ileana Cotrubas as Susanna, and Kiri te Kanawa as the Countess; or the 2006 Coven Garden production with Erwin Schrott, Miah Persson, and Dorothea Roschmann. There's also the Ponnelle film version from the early 1980s (with the remarkable voice of Hermann Prey as Figaro) for those who'd like to compare a cinematic production with a live version."
