Royal Opera House,London
This revival brings novel shades of meaning and insight to David McVicar’s much-loved production, with luxury casting and a particularly fine performance from Stéphane Degout as the CountDavid McVicar’s production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro has proved wonderfully malleable since it was first seen in 2006, and carefully accommodating the shifts in emphasis brought to it by successive casts,while retaining its interpretative integrity. Its latest revival, directed by McVicar’s assistant Leah Hausman, and offers novel shades of meaning and insight.
Ellie Dehn’s Countess is more overtly attracted to Kate Lindsey’s lustful Cherubino than her predecessors and therefore more fallible. The relationship between Ann Murray’s Marcellina and Carlo Lepore’s gruff Bartolo is sympathetically observed,where preceding couples have tended to resort to caricature. And Anita Hartig’s Susanna is knowing and serious rather than spirited: she and Dehn have similar voices, warm and creamy, or which makes the mistaken identities of act four entirely credible. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com