December 7, 2005
Mozart’s opera, The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) has been Glyndebourne’s ‘signature’ opera since the company was founded in 1934. Based on a libretto by Da Ponte, after Beaumarchais’s play La folle journée, or Le mariage de Figaro, the opera was premiered in Vienna in 1786. Nearly 220 years later it is still a favourite of opera-goers around the world, and the current Glyndebourne on Tour production lives up to this reputation. In the typical opera buffa style, the story is a complex web of interrelationships and elaborate schemes, punctuated with copious instances of people hiding under or behind bits of furniture and characters in disguise. Two of the Count and Countess’s servants, Figaro and Susanna, are engaged to be married. The Count, however, has been making advances towards Susanna, much to the chagrin of both the Countess and Susanna (and Figaro after a fashion, although he is busy hatching plans to foil the Count). Simultaneously the young page Cherubino is in love with the Countess (and every other woman he sees), and, to complicate matters further, Figaro owes money to a woman named Marcellina whom he must either repay or marry – a woman who turns out to be his mother. The opera ends with a convoluted scene in the dark garden with the Countess and Susana dressed in each other’s clothes, various men trying to seduce various women, and finally the exposure of the Count’s infidelity when he discovers that the ‘Susanna’ he is trying to woo is actually his wife, the Countess in disguise.
The Glyndebourne on Tour production of Marriage of Figaro, directed by Jacopo Spirei, is a revival of Graham Vick’s 2000 festival production. It is a very attractive production, styled entirely in black and white, performed amidst a simple, but fantastically versatile and effective set. Even with the consistently high caliber of the cast, there were a few performers who stood apart from the rest. Kate Royal’s Countess was a star performance. She sang with a fantastic presence and warmth of tone, particularly in the poignant 'Dove sono' when the Countess laments the loss of the joy she felt in the early days of her marriage. Amy Freston’s sprightly and feisty Cherubino is a brilliant contrast to the Count’s suave machismo (sung by Jeremy Carpenter). Freston’s rendition of 'Voi che sapete' won over both the Countess and the audience. Iain Paterson’s Figaro and Anna Maria Panzarella’s Susanna worked well together, both vocally and theatrically – displaying obvious chemistry. The orchestra, under the direction of Robert Salter, was on top form, playing with faultless brilliance and agility from the very first notes of the famous overture. The surtitles left something to be desired, but if you are familiar with the story, or have taken the time to read the synopsis beforehand, this is not an insurmountable problem. The New Theatre lacks something of the intimacy and acoustic of the Glyndebourne opera house, but the company has done fine job of adapting this production to a new space. Glyndebourne on Tour will be performing three operas at the New Theatre, Oxford until 10 December.
The Glyndebourne on Tour production of Marriage of Figaro, directed by Jacopo Spirei, is a revival of Graham Vick’s 2000 festival production. It is a very attractive production, styled entirely in black and white, performed amidst a simple, but fantastically versatile and effective set. Even with the consistently high caliber of the cast, there were a few performers who stood apart from the rest. Kate Royal’s Countess was a star performance. She sang with a fantastic presence and warmth of tone, particularly in the poignant 'Dove sono' when the Countess laments the loss of the joy she felt in the early days of her marriage. Amy Freston’s sprightly and feisty Cherubino is a brilliant contrast to the Count’s suave machismo (sung by Jeremy Carpenter). Freston’s rendition of 'Voi che sapete' won over both the Countess and the audience. Iain Paterson’s Figaro and Anna Maria Panzarella’s Susanna worked well together, both vocally and theatrically – displaying obvious chemistry. The orchestra, under the direction of Robert Salter, was on top form, playing with faultless brilliance and agility from the very first notes of the famous overture. The surtitles left something to be desired, but if you are familiar with the story, or have taken the time to read the synopsis beforehand, this is not an insurmountable problem. The New Theatre lacks something of the intimacy and acoustic of the Glyndebourne opera house, but the company has done fine job of adapting this production to a new space. Glyndebourne on Tour will be performing three operas at the New Theatre, Oxford until 10 December.