Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gens ˇ Ciofi ˇ Kirchschlager ˇ Regazzo ˇ Keenlyside ˇ McLaughlin ˇ van Rensburg ˇ Abete ˇ Rial ˇ Concerto Köln ˇ René Jacobs

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
René Jacobs has done it again. Following on the heels of his superb Cosi fan tutte, he now offers a Nozze di Figaro which is alive and vibrant; it seems to be happening in real time. There's so little artifice in the characters' recitatives and the rhythm is so conversational that we get the impression of real people, in a real pickle of a situation. The singing/acting is stunning, with Simon Keenlyside's Count the best on CD (a dangerous man just in control of his anger), Veronique Gens' Countess girlish and womanly in equal measure, the Cherubino of Angelika Kirchschlager extraordinarily well sung and properly boyish, Patrizia Ciofi's Susanna witty and wise and Lorenzo Regazzo's Figaro slightly darker than others, but all the more interesting for it. Throughout, the pianoforte not only accompanies but acts as commentator on the action. I don't find it intrusive but some might. Jacobs' instrumentalists play with real energy and brightness. This is a performance which feels as if it's being seen as well as heard. Just grand. --Robert Levine

Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gens ˇ Ciofi ˇ Kirchschlager ˇ Regazzo ˇ Keenlyside ˇ McLaughlin ˇ van Rensburg ˇ Abete ˇ Rial ˇ Concerto Köln ˇ René Jacobs, Music, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Véronique Gens, Patrizia Ciofi, Angelika Kirchschlager, Lorenzo Regazzo, Simon Keenlyside, Kobie van Rensburg, Antonio Abete, Nuria Rial, Concerto Köln, René Jacobs, Classical, Classical Composers, German/Austrian Classical Period Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio
Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gens · Ciofi · Kirchschlager · Regazzo · Keenlyside · McLaughlin · van Rensburg · Abete · Rial · Concerto Köln · René Jacobs
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Strong ensemble work, some excellent singer, generally strong and even cast.
  • Good Recording But Not The Best There Is!
  • Modern...Young...Fresh...
  • A very effective, if totally unsmiling Figaro, in the period style
  • Outstanding Mozart opera
Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro / Gens · Ciofi · Kirchschlager · Regazzo · Keenlyside · McLaughlin · van Rensburg · Abete · Rial · Concerto Köln · René Jacobs
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Véronique Gens , Patrizia Ciofi , Angelika Kirchschlager , Lorenzo Regazzo , Simon Keenlyside , Kobie van Rensburg , Antonio Abete , Nuria Rial , Concerto Köln , and René Jacobs
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001HZ728
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

  1. Sinfonia
  2. Cinque...Dieci...Venti
  3. Cosa Stai Misurando
  4. Se A Caso Madama
  5. Or Bene Ascolta, E Taci
  6. Se Vuol Ballare
  7. Ed Aspettate Il Giorno
  8. La Vendetta, Oh, La Vendetta
  9. Tutto Ancor Non Ho Perso
  10. Via, Resti Servita
  11. Va La, Vecchia Pedante
  12. Non So Piu Cosa Son
  13. Ah, Son Perduto!
  14. Cosa Sento! Tosto Andante
  15. Basilio, In Traccia Tosto
  16. Giovani Liete
  17. Cose Questa Commedia?
  18. Giovani Liete
  19. Evviva!
  20. Non Piu Andrai

Tracks:

  1. Porgi, Amor
  2. Vieni, Cara Susanna
  3. Quanto Duomi, Susanna
  4. Voi Che Sapete
  5. Bravo! Che Bella Vove!
  6. Venite Inginocchiatevi...
  7. Quante Buffonerie!
  8. Che Novita! Non Fu Mai
  9. Susanna, Or Via, Sortite
  10. Dunque, Voi Non Aprite
  11. Aprite, Presto, Aprite
  12. Or Guarda Il Demonietto!
  13. Tutto E Come Io Lasciai
  14. Esci, Ormai, Garzon Malnato
  15. Signori, Di Fuori
  16. Ah, Signor...Signor
  17. Voi Signor, Che Giusto Siete
  18. Che Imbarazzo E Mai Questo!
  19. Crudel! Perche Finora
  20. E Perche Fosti Meco
  21. Hai Gia Vinta La Causa!

Tracks:

  1. E Decisa La Lite
  2. Riconosci In Questo Amplesso
  3. Eccovi, O Caro Amico
  4. E Susanna Non Vien!
  5. Io Vi Dico, Signor
  6. Su L'aria...
  7. Ricevete, O Padroncina
  8. Queste Sono, Madama
  9. Ecco La Marcia
  10. L'ho Perduta...Me Meschinaa!
  11. Barbarina, Cos' Hai
  12. Il Capro E La Capretta
  13. Nel Padiglione A Manca
  14. In Quegl'anni In Cui Val Poco
  15. Tutto E Disposto
  16. Signora, Ella Mi Disse
  17. Giunse Alfin Il Momento
  18. Perfida! E In Quella Forma
  19. Pian Pianin Le Anfro
  20. Non La Trovo
  21. Gente, Gente

Amazon.com

René Jacobs has done it again. Following on the heels of his superb Cosi fan tutte, he now offers a Nozze di Figaro which is alive and vibrant; it seems to be happening in real time. There's so little artifice in the characters' recitatives and the rhythm is so conversational that we get the impression of real people, in a real pickle of a situation. The singing/acting is stunning, with Simon Keenlyside's Count the best on CD (a dangerous man just in control of his anger), Veronique Gens' Countess girlish and womanly in equal measure, the Cherubino of Angelika Kirchschlager extraordinarily well sung and properly boyish, Patrizia Ciofi's Susanna witty and wise and Lorenzo Regazzo's Figaro slightly darker than others, but all the more interesting for it. Throughout, the pianoforte not only accompanies but acts as commentator on the action. I don't find it intrusive but some might. Jacobs' instrumentalists play with real energy and brightness. This is a performance which feels as if it's being seen as well as heard. Just grand. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Strong ensemble work, some excellent singer, generally strong and even cast. .......2007-02-06

Some say the best recorded Figaro is Levine's, some say Boehm's, some say E. Kleiber's.
Some claim that the best Countess Rosina came from Te Kanawa, some say Schwarzkopf, now some say Veronique Gens.
Well, the foregoings are all very good.
Neverthelss, Rene Jacobs' account in this recording is good in an unique sense.
I could not remember correctly if the Levine version is the one with Anne Sofie von Otter and Barbara Bonney. If that's the case, well, that one is also good in that it has an outstanding ensemble.
Jacobs' version is also strong in emsemble work. The long Act II of Le Nozze di Figaro, if not rehearsed adequately with an even cast of musicians (orchestra and singers alike), could drive audiences mad (or 'up the wall' as some say here). It was recorded that this session alone containes over 900 non-stop measures of music. Jacobs succeeded admirably with his cast in delivering a crystalline piece, rich in harmonies with floating melodies continuously. It was almost like a Wagnerian continuation of unending melodies.
Well, Gens and Ciofi are all more than adequate, though I would hesitate to put them right on top ahead of predecessors like Schwarzkopf, Janowitz, Della Casa, Gueden and Popp and Bonney.
Lorenzo Regazzo did an almost perfect Figaro, just a little bit less in the all-famous 'Non piu andrai', but then only less than Siepi on Kleiber.
The real standout in the cast in my view is Simon Keenlyside's Count di Almaviva.
He has the right tone, the right nuances, the right mood. Don't suppose Almaviva is an out-and-out rogue. This s a conceited, spoilt, calculating yet naive character. Portrayal of such a character is never easy. Keenlyside did just right - no more, no less. You can catch the aristocratic pride from his singing, at the same time his calculating and suspicious nature. Not even George London did it better on Karajan's recording in 1954.

4 out of 5 stars Good Recording But Not The Best There Is!.......2006-05-31

I give this recording 4 stars mainly because of the vocal quality of the soloists. Ciofi, although lacking expressiveness, has a superb voice worth being credited for. She performed better emotionally in the DVD recording of 'The Abduction From the Seraglio' with Zubin Mehta. Rene Jacob's tempo is compatible enough, but I feel that there is a lack of excitement in this version, and it does not reflect the mood of a 'comedy bufa'. Most customers refer to this recording as the best they have heard so far, after comparing it to Giulini, Kleiber, and Bohm's versions. I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned the recording done by James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Now, THAT is the BEST version of Figaro there is, and believe me I have heard quite a few. Levine's tempo is state of the art, the string section of the orchestra played their notes with superb clarity, and the sound recording is flawless. Even the Met's chorus deserves extra mentioning in that recording! So hurry up and buy that set! It's from Deutche Gramophone.

5 out of 5 stars Modern...Young...Fresh..........2006-03-21


Mostly we see the modernization at opera on stage directing, stage design and costumes...To realize that, you have to watch the videos of the operas...This recording gives you that feeling by listening...This is a Young and fresh interpretation of Le nozze di Figaro...Sometimes you feel like you are listening a baroque piece while you are listening to this recording...Thats because the orchestra is using the authentic period instruments...But the way they are playing and the way they are singing is absolutely modern and young...I loved the harpsichord player who accompanies the recitativos...He is just like a cast in le nozze...he is acting with his fingers...Singers are at their top...Jacobs conducting is marvellous...Nice Tempos suited to the performance...And the orchestra makes everything brighter...

The style is young and dynamic...A youthened mature Figaro recording...If you are a figaro collector this must be in your shopping basket...

4 out of 5 stars A very effective, if totally unsmiling Figaro, in the period style.......2006-02-20

It's a shame that Rene Jacobs, who is such a skillful opera conductor in the period style, doesn't see Le Nozze di Figaro as a comedy. I'm pretty sure Da Ponte and Mozart did, but Jacobs brings out the class resentment more than I like. Beaumarchais's point, after all, was that the servants in this topsy-turvy household are wiser and wittier than their masters. A great Figaro gives us a smiling, knowing Susanna with a soft heart but more than a touch of the minx--I hear none of those qualities in the serious, efficient portrayl by Patrizia Ciofi, appealing as she is musically.

Her partner, Figaro, needs to be charming, a bit of a rogue and a hothead, sly, and always a mental step ahead of the Count. He is the lovable underdog who controls the whole scheme right under his master's nose. Lorenzo Ragazzo mildly suggests these qualities without really embodying them; he comes off as a good singer making nice points rather than a natural-born comedian, leader, or scamp.

The strength of this Figaro is the ensemble, since there's not a weak voice or lame actor in the bunch. Jacobs has totally overcome the technical weakness that usually plagues period performances--I felt a confident hand at the helm all the time, eliciting alert, if not deeply felt playing from the orchestra. Of course, deeply felt is the opposite of what period performances aim at in Mozart, sadly. This Figaro sparkles and skips along, which is satisfying in a different way.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding Mozart opera .......2006-02-12

Short and sweet. My favorite recording of this opera. Contrary to one reviewer, I don't think the singers sound at all like oboes! But, then again, I really like oboes.

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