Le Nozze di Figaro

Mozart has been a mainstay at England's Glyndebourne Festival since it opened in 1934—in fact, the 1786 masterpiece Le Nozze di Figaro has been performed here nearly 500 times. The tradition of excellence is maintained in Michael Grandage's staging for this 2012 production, which updates the action to the 1960s. Granted, the shift doesn't exactly fit with a plot centered on a nobleman's reluctant abandonment of the droit du seigneur before the marriage of two of his servants, and it's also a bit disconcerting to witness the Count and Countess arriving at their Spanish estate during the overture in a sports car (or spy some characters doing what appears to be the Twist during party scenes). Regardless, the work's spirit is undiminished here, while the sets and costumes are colorful and eye-catching. The cast is superb as well—from Vito Priante's virile Figaro, LydiNaxos of Americaa Teuscher's charming Susanna, Sally Matthews' melancholy Countess, and Audun Iversen's blustering Count through the lesser roles—all singing splendidly and proving to be solid actors. One minor weakness is the conducting of the original-instrument Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment by the Festival's new music director, Robin Ticciati—the music shows precision and crispness but fails to fully elicit the work's sense of fun on the one hand and poignancy on the other. But that is simply nitpicking, given the high quality, overall. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes and a cast gallery. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)