Le Nozze di Figaro

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

seen by live streaming from Covent Garden on 5 October 2015

This is a revival of David McVicar's 2006 production overseen by Leah Hausman, designed by Tanya McCallin and conducted by Ivor Bolton, with Erwin Schrott as Figaro, Sophie Bevan as Susanna, Kate Lindsey as Cherubino, Stéphane Degout as the Count and Ellie Dean as the Countess.

In a great but empty room servants are bustling to and fro, flirting while carrying out their duties, and being reprimanded by the housekeeper, while the effervescent overture is played. Figaro is hoisted on the shoulders of his enthusiastic fellows in anticipation of his marriage, but soon he retreats to the room he thinks is convenient since his wife-to-be Susanna can be close to the Countess when she calls, while he can be equally close to the Count. The room, which realistically would be little more than a corridor space sandwiched between the private apartments of the aristocrats, is of course ludicrously large because it is on Covent Garden's stage; but disbelief can be suspended, and all the other scenes are set in the grand rooms whose size may be ignored.

Erwin Schrott portrays an engaging Figaro, rarely threatened in any seriousness by the plots around him, as he assumes he can manage anything thrown his way. Even Susanna's revelation about the Count's designs on her provoke irritation rather than anger, until at the end he becomes more agitated by jealousy during the short time in which he believes her to be unfaithful. Sophie Bevan (filling in at short notice for an indisposed Anita Hartig) was a wonderfully assured Susanna.

Kate Lindsey gave us a boyishly gauche Cherubino, his adolescent hormones believably simmering to his mixed embarrassment and delight. The two concealment scenes, in Figaro's room (onstage) and in the Countess's dressing room (offstage) were amusingly done, while Cherubino's songs were beautifully delivered

Both Ellie Dean as the Countess and Stéphane Degout as the Count gave strong performances, she hurt by the Count's neglect and infidelities but resolute in bringing him to some sense of shame, and he charming while in control but suddenly angered and unpredictable when crossed. Ellie Dean sang the great aria of lost love with real emotion. It was, however, hard to know whether the Count was genuinely contrite at the end, or whether the Countess's forgiveness would lead to a more secure domestic harmony. But there was none of the ambiguity of Fiona Shaw's production for ENO (reviewed last year on the English National Opera page of this blog); the music just about allows for the reconciliation to be genuine.

There was considerable 'business' among the servants, referred to by Erwin Schrott in an interval talk as part of the delight of this production. Unfortunately its effect was very hard to judge from the live streaming since of course the cameras tended to concentrate on the soloists during the arias, or else on individual pieces of the 'business' during instrumental sections (such as the overture). The result was that one could glimpse various servants in silent action at various times, without being able to see the overall picture. Inevitably also, any particular close shots tended to look like overacting dumbshow, though doubtless in the auditorium this would have been seen correctly at the right distance.

This was a bright and uplifting interpretation, skirting the more distasteful questions of the Count's frankly randy behaviour in favour of the pleasure in seeing Figaro and Susanna outwit him. To my taste, ENO's version, less grandiose visually, and with a more melancholy edge amidst the bustle and success of all the stratagems to outwit the Count, was more satisfying; though in this production one could not fault the musicality of the singing and orchestral playing.