The Marriage of Figaro

Rating:
Summary: Somethings missing
Review: As a newbie to opera I was looking to be educated by a publication that was attractively presented and informative.
However, I was sorry to find that the recordings - described as complete - are in fact NOT what they seem.
The recitatives are missing.
For a newbie this is quite disconcerting, when trying to follow the libretto(which is complete).
You find yourself racing over pages, trying to just keep up with the arias.
Aside from that, the concept of book and cd is good. I also have Tosca and that is great.

Rating:
Summary: Le nozze di Figaro: score one for Mozart
Review: Le nozze di Figaro is one of Mozart's comic opera masterpieces which helped combine the two genres of Italian opera, buffa (comic) and seria (serious) through superb characterization and well-crafted ensemble pieces. This score is great to have if you, like me, love Mozart and his work, and wish to study in depth. Dover Scores are sturdy, so they are good for the music student who will need to use them frequently. They always reprint the music clearly and it is very easy to follow. This particular edition also provides a helpful plot synopsis and background information to Figaro. However, for those who like to have a translation, beware. The libretto is in Italian and German, but not in English. I like the idea of including German, as this opera enjoyed immense popularity in this translation, not to mention the fact that it is the mother tongue of the composer. Looking for a great opera score? You won't go wrong with Le nozze di Figaro.

Rating:
Summary: Incomplete Effort
Review: The performers in this opera are excellent, as well as the orchestra. The problem lies in the fact that the "recitativi" are missing. As a result, you are not actually listening to the opera, but rather a series of highlights from the opera. It is very difficult to follow the opera as it develops, since the recitativi provide the opportunity to develop the plot line.
If you are interested in hearing highlights from this opera, then you will be pleased with this CD and booklet. However, if you would like to listen to the complete opera as composed by Mozart, please look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Incomplete Effort
Review: The performers in this opera are excellent, as well as the orchestra. The problem lies in the fact that the "recitativi" are missing. As a result, you are not actually listening to the opera, but rather a series of highlights from the opera. It is very difficult to follow the opera as it develops, since the recitativi provide the opportunity to develop the plot line.
If you are interested in hearing highlights from this opera, then you will be pleased with this CD and booklet. However, if you would like to listen to the complete opera as composed by Mozart, please look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Incomplete Effort
Review: The performers in this opera are excellent, as well as the orchestra. The problem lies in the fact that the "recitativi" are missing. As a result, you are not actually listening to the opera, but rather a series of highlights from the opera. It is very difficult to follow the opera as it develops, since the recitativi provide the opportunity to develop the plot line.
If you are interested in hearing highlights from this opera, then you will be pleased with this CD and booklet. However, if you would like to listen to the complete opera as composed by Mozart, please look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Nicely printed score
Review: This complete musical score to one of the greatest works of art by mankind comes in quality paper and print that I find quite satisfying. The lack of an English translation is no problem for me personally, because I have separate libretti with translations I can refer to when needed, and I use this book when I want to follow the musical score and sing along with the original Italian verses. One disappointment is that the German verses are in normal print, directly underneath the musical score, while the original Italian is in italics and under the German (therefore harder to read and follow), almost as if the book is intended more for people who want to follow the German, not the Italian. Since the opera is originally in Italian, it makes more sense to me that the German text and Italian text should be switched in terms of location and font. Nevertheless, I'm highly satisfied with the overall quality of this book, and it is definitely one of my favorite books within my music-related library.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Figaro orchestral score ever!
Review: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's comic masterpiece "The Marriage of Figaro" has always been one of the best loved and studied operas today. With a bubbling plot and beautiful music, this opera is sure to delight classical and opera music lovers whether you are just a beginner or a die hard classical fan. However, full orchestral scores, particularly opera scores, have always hard to come by and when they do, the price is often too steep. Now Dover publications makes available the COMPLETE orchestral score of this fabulous opera with an affordable price. As with other Dover scores, this one is a reprint of an older publishing house, Carl Frederich Peters of Leipzig, which means that other than the contents, which Dover translated into English, everything in this score is German and /or Italian ( libretto and stage directions ). However, the beautiful, neat and clear engraving of the score more than makes up for this. The full score would probably be too bulky for opera singers, but it is an indispensable tool for classical music enthusiasts to study and appreciate all the aspects that make up this wonderful comic opera. Buy it! It will make your listening experience all the more enjoyable.