Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1793)
Le nozze di Figaro (1783) [153.06]
Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) – Countess; Eberhard Waechter (baritone)
– Count; Giuseppe Taddei (baritone) - Figaro; Anna Moffo (soprano) –
Susanna; Dora Gatta (soprano) – Marcellina; Ivo Vinco (bass) – Bartolo;
Fiorenza Cossotto (mezzo) – Cherubino; Renato Ercolani (tenor) - Basilio,
Curzio; Piero Cappuccilli (bass) – Antonio; Elisabetta Fusco (soprano)
– Barbarina; Gillian Spencer and Diana Gillingham (sopranos) – Bridesmaids
Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini
rec. Kingsway Hall, London, September and November 1959
MAJOR CLASSICS M3CD304 [3 CDs: 41.54 + 44.40 + 66.21]
This is a reissue, presumably transferred from the original four LPs,
of the celebrated Giulini EMI stereo recording issued in 1961 which
has now come out of copyright. In its day it was justly famous, with
a generally excellent cast and Guilini less soft-centred than he later
became. In later years we have had many superb readings of this ever-popular
score, some of which are more historically informed; but the sound of
this performance is never over-laden with romantic heaviness and the
interpretation that the singers bring to their roles remains as fresh
as ever.
This set retains the traditional ordering of the items in Act Three,
where it has more recently been maintained that Mozart’s original scheme,
which was altered to accommodate the double casting at the première
of the same singer in the roles of Basilio and Curzio, should be adopted.
What is more serious is the cutting of the two incidental arias for
Marcellina and Basilio in the final Act. Although these had been included
in EMI’s earlier Glyndebourne set under Gui - reprehensibly cut again
for the CD reissue - it does not appear that Giulini ever recorded these
– at least, I can find no reference to the matter in any of the original
reviews of the LPs to which I have access.
When they transferred the set to CD, EMI managed to cram the complete
recording onto two CDs, but this necessitated making a break in the
Act Two finale which disturbed the dramatic continuity of this extended
movement. Those who are concerned about this should certainly consider
investing in this new transfer, which by employing three CDs avoids
this problem. The sound is certainly as good as on EMI’s original 1990
CD issue – I have not heard the later reissues from 2006 and 2013 –
but the latter may well have been subject to further re-mastering, and
coming as they do on two discs rather than three may also have a price
advantage. Be warned however that Major insert a slight pause in the
Act Two finale - presumably corresponding to an original LP side break
- at the same point that EMI make their break between CDs. Although
not as ruinous as a similar misjudgement in their transfer of the Solti
Tristan which I reviewed recently, this remains a minor annoyance
which rather obviates the point of giving us the finale complete on
one side.
Most of the artists here are well-known quantities, and many prospective
purchasers will have their own views on the interpretations. Dame Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf is her usual perceptive self as the Countess, pointing her
words with her accustomed care and with plenty of sparkle in the recitatives.
Some may find her enunciation over-precious, but her creamy tone remains
a constant pleasure to hear. So also does the voice of the young Anna
Moffo, who has all the required charm for the role of the would-be bride,
and Giuseppe Taddei is a darkly menacing Figaro as well as an ebulliently
chirpy one. Eberhard Waechter is saturnine as the Count, Fiorenza Cossotto
a feminine but very winning page, and the small roles are all efficiently
taken with the young Piero Cappuccilli making a surprise cameo as the
old gardener. Giulini may be rather slow by modern standards in the
more emotional numbers, but better this approach than brisk efficiency.
The harpsichord continuo - no truck with fortepiano here - is nicely
characterised by Helmut Schmidt.
The original mid-price EMI reissue came with full libretto and translation
– I presume that their latest reissue does not – but new purchasers
should be warned that this Major set comes with only a single page of
notes by John Kehoe, more than half of which consists of biographies
of the principal artists. They should therefore be prepared to look
elsewhere for a detailed synopsis of the plot and for Lorenzo da Ponte’s
words. The back cover of the set - and one of the discs - contain an
illustration taken from a modern production of Figaro which
clearly post-dates the performance contained on this recording by some
forty years. With the noted reservations, this remains one of the best
recordings of Figaro in the catalogues and in one version or
another should be in the collection of everyone who loves the delectable
score. The way that Giulini handles the closing scene of reconciliation
is sheerly beautiful in a way that defeats many later and more classically
stylish interpreters.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
