Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) / Ostmann, Wahlgren, Samuelsson, Drottningholm Court Theatre

Rating:
Summary: Deeply flawed...
Review: I very much enjoyed these same forces in the recently-released DVD of Die Zauberflote, and so was quite excited to see this production. Unfortunately, this is a major disappointment.

First the positive: The production itelf is actually quite wonderful - theatrical and intimate, with charming sets and fantastic acting. The singers (several of the same ones as in the excellent Zauberflote) for the most part, possess light, attractive voices, and throw some much-welcomed gusto into their roles. So I give it two stars for the acting and stage directions alone.

What takes this peformance out of the running, however, is the orchestral playing, and the conducting of Arnold Ostmann. Ostmann flies through the score at breakneck speeds. I have nothing against fast tempos in principal - when done successfully, the "light and fast" approach can be quite exciting in Mozart, as Gardiner and others have shown. However, Ostmann is fast in the extreme, and the orchestra (on 18th century "period" instruments) simply is not up to the task. Ensemble is scrappy throughout, and at several points breaks down altogether. The basic sound of the string section is scrawny, undernourished and out of tune. Balances between strings and winds are all over the place resulting in some important musical lines being inaudible. Often, the orchestra falls grossly out of synch with the singers. In some choice spots, they manage to fall out of synch with the the singers at the same time as they experience a major breakdown in ensemble, resulting in moments of total confusion and cacophony. Such moments actually might have been funny, had I not just paid $$ for this. As things were, I was not amused.

Technically, the DVD itself is also a mess. As in the production of Zauberflote, the picture is grainy and fuzzy with insufficient contrast between light and dark and streaking problems. I can live with that, but the sound presents a major problem as the recording level is extremely low, more so than on Zauberflote. Even when routed through my hi-fi system into two large, full range speakers, I had to turn the volume nob up way past normal, and boost the bass and treble to get anything like a resonable fullness of sound. Even then, I was never able to obtain a satisfying level of sonic impact.

I noticed that this production was recorded in 1981 - towards the beginning of the "historically informed performance" age. I believe that this has a lot to do with the dismal state of the orchestral playing. These same forces recorded Zauberflote 8 years later, in 1989, and the orchestral playing, while not world class, is much more secure than here, and the production is a delight.

In a way, it is a shame, because as I mentioned above, the stage direction and acting is top-notch. If this production had possessed anything close to competant musical execution, it would easily be one of the better Figaros on video. As it is, viewers looking for a good Figaro on DVD would do better with the Lyon Opera production on Kultur, which boasts excellent picture and sound quality, a young, attractive cast with strong singing and acting skills, well-conceived sets and stage-direction, and an alert , full sounding accompaniment from the Lyon Opera Orchestra.

Take a pass on this one...

Rating:
Summary: Deeply flawed...
Review: I very much enjoyed these same forces in the recently-released DVD of Die Zauberflote, and so was quite excited to see this production. Unfortunately, this is a major disappointment.

First the positive: The production itelf is actually quite wonderful - theatrical and intimate, with charming sets and fantastic acting. The singers (several of the same ones as in the excellent Zauberflote) for the most part, possess light, attractive voices, and throw some much-welcomed gusto into their roles. So I give it two stars for the acting and stage directions alone.

What takes this peformance out of the running, however, is the orchestral playing, and the conducting of Arnold Ostmann. Ostmann flies through the score at breakneck speeds. I have nothing against fast tempos in principal - when done successfully, the "light and fast" approach can be quite exciting in Mozart, as Gardiner and others have shown. However, Ostmann is fast in the extreme, and the orchestra (on 18th century "period" instruments) simply is not up to the task. Ensemble is scrappy throughout, and at several points breaks down altogether. The basic sound of the string section is scrawny, undernourished and out of tune. Balances between strings and winds are all over the place resulting in some important musical lines being inaudible. Often, the orchestra falls grossly out of synch with the singers. In some choice spots, they manage to fall out of synch with the the singers at the same time as they experience a major breakdown in ensemble, resulting in moments of total confusion and cacophony. Such moments actually might have been funny, had I not just paid $$ for this. As things were, I was not amused.

Technically, the DVD itself is also a mess. As in the production of Zauberflote, the picture is grainy and fuzzy with insufficient contrast between light and dark and streaking problems. I can live with that, but the sound presents a major problem as the recording level is extremely low, more so than on Zauberflote. Even when routed through my hi-fi system into two large, full range speakers, I had to turn the volume nob up way past normal, and boost the bass and treble to get anything like a resonable fullness of sound. Even then, I was never able to obtain a satisfying level of sonic impact.

I noticed that this production was recorded in 1981 - towards the beginning of the "historically informed performance" age. I believe that this has a lot to do with the dismal state of the orchestral playing. These same forces recorded Zauberflote 8 years later, in 1989, and the orchestral playing, while not world class, is much more secure than here, and the production is a delight.

In a way, it is a shame, because as I mentioned above, the stage direction and acting is top-notch. If this production had possessed anything close to competant musical execution, it would easily be one of the better Figaros on video. As it is, viewers looking for a good Figaro on DVD would do better with the Lyon Opera production on Kultur, which boasts excellent picture and sound quality, a young, attractive cast with strong singing and acting skills, well-conceived sets and stage-direction, and an alert , full sounding accompaniment from the Lyon Opera Orchestra.

Take a pass on this one...