BaL 10.05.14 - Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro on DVD

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Sarah Lenton with a personal recommendation from DVDs of Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro".

Available versions:-


Staatsoper Berlin, Daniel Barenboim
VPO Bohm (Unitel)
Vienna State Opera, VPO Bohm (1966)
Paris National Opera, Sylvain Cambreling
Teatro Argentina Rome, Enrico Castigliano
*Teatro Real Madrid, Jesus Lopez Cobos
Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
*Glyndebourne, LPO, Bernard Haitink
*Vienna State Opera, VPO, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Converto Koln, Choeur du Theatre des Champs Elysees, Rene Jacobs
*Paris Opera, Philippe Jordan
La Scala Milan, Gerard Korsten
Vienna State Opera, VPO, Lorin Maazel
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Zubin Mehta
Netherland Opera, Ingo Metzmacher
Komischer Oper Berlin, Geza Oberfrank
Opera National de Lyon, Paulo Olmi
*Royal Opera, Antonion Pappano
Glyndebourne, LPO, Sir John Pritchard
RAI Milan, Nino Sanzoguo
Hamburg State Opera, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
*Opera Australia, Patrick Summers
*Glyndebourne, OAL, Robin Ticciati
Zurich Opera, Hans Welser-Most

* = Blu-ray version available

[mikealdren]

9.30 a.m.
Sarah Lenton with a personal recommendation from DVDs of Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro".

Available versions to follow.

I wonder how she will show examples on Radio!!

Mike

[pastoralguy]

Yes, I wondered about that too!

Anyway, for my money, the ROH version with Miah Persson is terrific. Other people are involved too...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

List of DVDs added.

I particular like the Unitel Bohm version - stunning cast who were then in their prime: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni, Hermann Prey and Maria Ewing.

[Nick Armstrong]

Miah Persson is terrific. Other people are involved too...

[BBMmk2]

One BaL I won't mind missing!! :)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

One BaL I won't mind missing!! :)

it should be televised. Having said that, I have the JEG audio version of the DVD performance, and it's rather good without the pictures.

[Thropplenoggin]

One BaL I won't mind missing!! :)

Thanks for reminding us that you don't like Mozart. Again. Of course, the thread title should have alerted you to its contents.

[waldo]

Thanks for reminding us that you don't like Mozart. Again. Of course, the thread title should have alerted you to its contents.

Not liking the Marriage of Figaro. Very, very hard to fathom. (Unless they don't actually know the piece........)

[Black Swan]

I look forward to this BAL. I have been looking for a DVD or Blue Ray of the Marriage of Figaro.

[antongould]

As a clown coming late to opera, especially WAM opera, which CDs of Marriage would the learned many recommend please?

[pastoralguy]

As a clown coming late to opera, especially WAM opera, which CDs of Marriage would the learned many recommend please?

My personal favourites are the Karl Bohm and Rene Jacobs recordings. Both very different but equally valid.

[waldo]

My personal favourites are the Karl Bohm and Rene Jacobs recordings. Both very different but equally valid.

I'd certainly go along with the Jacobs, which is probably among the best of all time. Great singing all round and thrillingly played. It often comes out a top recommendation among the critics. If there is a weakness, it is perhaps the fact that he underplays the strings, so while you get lots of lovely woodwind detail, you sometimes lose sight of important melodic movements in the strings.

Not sure about the Bohm: that will depend on your taste for old school recordings. Very stately and lots of big band polish in the violins. Not my cup of tea.

My overall favourite is probably the John Eliot Gardiner version. He seems to strike a better balance with the orchestra than Jacobs and the singing is just as good.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My personal favourites are the Karl Bohm and Rene Jacobs recordings. Both very different but equally valid.

Which Bohm do you prefer? The Salzburg Festival one or the Unitel studio version. The latter is imaginative, thougu you have to accept the singers miming to their own voices.

And I notice the return of the term "old school".

[BBMmk2]

Not liking the Marriage of Figaro. Very, very hard to fathom. (Unless they don't actually know the piece........)

I don't like Mozart. There are other board members who have the same opinion, as me.