Rating: 
Summary: A most enjoyable semi-staged performance
Review: John Eliot Gardiner's series of Mozart operas is a most celebrated one. Although I think some other conductors have been offering performances where the expressive scope is wider than this one, it can't be denied it is a really nice experience. The tempi are flowing and the phrasing is stylish. There is also probably the best cast in a recent recorded performance of this opera. Hillevi Martinpelto is a downright and musicianly Countess, Alison Hagley is utterly charming as Susanna, Pamela Stephens is an engaging Cherubino (I only disliked the idea that she should sing the first verse of Voi che sapete out of pitch just to make fun - if Mozart wanted that, he would have written it on the score), Rodney Gilfry is excellent as the count (and also very funny) and, last but not least, Bryn Terfel dominates the action with his well sung and acted Figaro. The secondary roles should have been given for better singers, though.
As I said, it is a semi-staged performance and it seems it worked better live than on video - since sometimes it is too empty ... It is also a pity that conductor and stage director had decided to make it 100% comedy - when there is much more in Beaumarchais play. The Count is made to look quite ridiculous and undangerous, the Countess is extremely well behaved, Cherubino looks rather cute than seductive and Susanna could be having less fun (as you know, she is trying to prevent being "raped" by her boss in her honeymoon...). It is a rather pasteurized approach to the work, but beautifully done, sung, played and acted.
Rating: 
Summary: As a whole, Well...
Review: Singing is good but the picture ( settings rather empty and over-simplified ) is not as good and the orchestra is not so good. The tempo as a whole is fast, particularly the overture. Yes, the audience then preferred a faster pace, but certainly not rushing.
The orchestra was not supportting the singer(s): outpacing or else eclipsing the singers here and there. The odd accentuations added by the conductor totally failed to dramatize but were quite enough to scare the comfort and peace of the audience off. There is no drama, nor poetry, nor lyricism. The whole opera is chopped up into pieces. One gets the feeling that this is just a rehearsal instead of any serious performance save and except some great individual singings. The result: it sounds a mixture of Mozart's metal-scraping giggling and the noble music he promised us!
Rating: 
Summary: A Superb Performance
Review: The most excellent point of this superb production is the conducting and playing by a young orchestra. Every note seems to be there and to have been thought about. The singing, including recitatives for the most part, is done with the same attention to detail. The principles Figaro(Bryn Terfel), Susannah(Allison Hagley), Countess (Hellevi Martinpelto), and Count (Rodney Gilfrey) are all singing (and acting) at this same level of intensity. The less important characters are not all of this level of excellence but they are mostly quite good. The music seems to drive the stage action. For pure beauty, the ensembles that include the two lead sopranos will keep you glued to your seat. And then, who can outdo the beauty of Mozart's music which is always shimmering in this ipera.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful performance, terrible picture...
Review: This is my favourite recording of Le Nozze di Figaro. The soloists are great and the orchestra too. But I did expect the picture quality to be a lot better than this. Hello DG! The DVD isn't cheap. The sound is OK though. It's still worth buying if you want to enjoy an absolutely georgeous performance of a true masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Superb sound, great performance
Review: This is the best performance of Le Nozze di Figaro I have seen and ranks as one of my favorite opera dvds. The sound quality is fantastic (superb balance between voice/orchestra). Too often, great performances of opera are marred on dvd by poor sound and visual quality. Luckily, the engineers at Archiv/Univeral have outdone themselves with this fantastic disc. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Great Figaro, OK DVD
Review: VIDEO & AUDIO:
The video quality is flat out terrible. It is in widescreen, 1.78:1, but is non-anamorphic. The colors are faded and washed out and the picture overall is soft, lacking detail. The audio is slightly better then the CD version, more stereophonic and fuller. Overall, quite good. However, the recording could have been even better had it been remixed in Dolby 5.1. There are times in the recording where the orchestra over takes the singers and vice-versa. This problem could have been fixed with Dolby 5.1 by mixing the track so that the orchestra predominately comes out of the left and right speakers and by having the singing dominate the center speaker, thus creating a much more transparent sound.The subtitles are a good size. Easy to read while never obscuring anything. Like the CD, chapters are well placed, 63 in total. The booklet that comes with the DVD contains brief descriptions of what happens in each chapter. THE RECORDING
While this is labeled as a semi-staged performance, calling it a minimalist production would be more appropriate. Sets normally consists of one dimensional backdrops. The lighting design is equally as straight forward and simple. Personally, I like this approach a lot. Because the opera is so character driven, it can be performed without Ring Cycle-esque sets. Since the camera only has the actors to focus on, the video recording comes off being much more intimate then one filled with lots of wide shots to show off the set designer's handy work. Terfel's Figaro is excellent, probably the best in any modern recording. Hagley's Susanna is equally as good. The production also benefits from the young cast. Because no one is too old for their part, the sexual tension between the characters comes out well. The acting and singing overall is good, with the actors stressing the comic half of the opera quite a bit, but never over the top. As normal, Gardiner's English Baroque Soloist are technically brilliant. FINAL THOUGHTS
If you enjoyed past incarnations of Gardiner's Figaro, you're going to like the DVD. If you're looking for a DVD version of the opera which takes full advantage of the format, move along. At the same time, you do get your money's worth. For the most part the audio is excellent, singing and playing are great, the whole opera is on one disc, you can see the action and there are subtitles. VIDEO: 2/5
AUDIO: 4/5
PRODUCTION: 4/5
RECORDING: 4/5
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