One of the Best Opera Videos I've Seen
My kids (5 yrs and 2 yrs) love this video, and with good reason. We have three versions of Figaro at home, and this is by far our favorite. It's a feast for the eyes as well as the ears: colorful, bright, well-acted, great sets and costumes, extremely well-directed by Stephen Medcalf. It's interpreted in the best comic, fun-loving tradition. The singing is spectacular, especially that of the four principals. Gerald Finley is the best Figaro I've heard on video. He and Alison Hagley (Susanna), have a wonderful rapport onstage .
Some useful info: This is the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, with Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic. It stars Gerald Finley (Figaro), Alison Hagley (Susanna), Renee Fleming (the Countess), and Andreas Schmidt (the Count). It's a 2-video set (190 minutes), sung in Italian with English subtitles.
Even if you've never seen an opera video, get this one -- you'll love it. It's excellent in all respects.
Good production, mediocre sound mix
This is generally a sparkling, enjoyable production. The principal singers do a wonderful job both musically and dramatically, and it's a treat to see people in these roles who are young enough to "fit" the characters properly. [Finley and Hagley are superb!] Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic are an absolute delight.
However, two caveats. The sets are a slightly uneasy mix of flats in Ellsworth-Kelly-esque primary colors and dabs of period furniture; also, the lights dim for "serious" moments, an annoying, superficial touch. Much more problematic is the DVD sound mix. The orchestra comes off superbly, but voices are sometimes lost and muffled-sounding. I actually checked my center channel to see if it was active! Balance-wise, the stereo version is no better. This is just a word of caution to those who like to hear the SINGERS in an opera.
[I am going to add a 2010 postscript to this review. I recently revisited this dvd and found I was much less put...
This DVD is like crack for me
Before my review, I just want to respond to a comment made about Gerald Finley's "too good-looking" Figaro. While Rosina is younger at age 19 or so (I agree that I would rather a young Rosina, but Renee Fleming is quite beautiful and I've seen much worse,) Figaro is 30 years old, which is still quite young. In the source for the opera, the Beaumarchais play Le Mariage de Figaro, there are numerous remarks from the cast about how young and handsome he is. So, really, Gerald Finley is more physically accurate of a Figaro than, say, Bryn Terfel.
Reading a synopsis of Le nozze di Figaro really intrigued me about the opera, so when I went to the library to pick up a DVD of Don Giovanni, which my voice teacher wanted me to listen to as I was going to be studying "Batti, batti," I picked up this DVD as well (as well as recordings of those two operas.) It was only when I was in the car that I saw "Renee Fleming" on the cover and let out a delighted shriek, which rather confused...
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