What is different you may ask? Well first of all, he matches somewhat more closely the singers' ages with the roles they are singing. What a novel idea! What else? He uses period instruments and performance practice, and really what makes these recordings alive, great and SO much better than the others is the recit. He treats the recit as music. Not just the boring stuff that gets you to the next aria, and that is so important in Mozart.
The rhythms and speech patterns mirror the language and conversation so perfectly even those who do not speak Italian can understand to an extent what is going on. It is as if this whole opera is happening in real time. This, of course, all rests on the continuo player on the Pianoforte, Nicolau de Figueiredo. Undoubtedly the best I have ever heard in my life, recorded or live. He keeps the energy going by a constant arpeggio that mirrors the natural tempo of the conversation, he slips in an occasional musical reference from somewhere else in the opera, acting as much as a commentator on the action as he is an accompanist. If this were live, the audience would hardly need supertitles at all.
The one thing that separates these recordings most from all others is a very controversial topic - Ornamentation. A very large number of people in and out of the business are mortally offended by ornamentation in Mozart, which quite frankly is completely ridiculous.
Yes, Mozart was the first to start writing out "exactly" what he wanted, so you can't go as crazy as you would with Handel. But part of that is just because you don't NEED to. The music by itself is phenomenal... not something you can say for most Baroque composers...
But it is indisputable that BAROQUE was the musical world he came from. The performance practices of that time period did NOT just disappear over night. When he wrote operas, he knew that some ornamentation would be happening. That is just what the singers of the time period did. It's a fact. These recordings show us that, and it is all the better for it. Do I love every ornament and embellishment that is done? No. But that's not the point. Each singer has their own take on the music, but how exciting is it to know that it won't be exactly the same as all the other Nozze recordings?!.....and honestly, the decorations and embellishments that are on this disc were chosen very carefully, and not one of them distract from the music.
Now that that's out of the way, on with René Jacobs's recording of Le Nozze di Figaro for Harmonia Mundi.
Lorenzo Regazzo - Figaro
Patrizia Ciofi - Susanna
Véronique Gens - La Contessa
Simon Keenlyside - Il Conte
Angelika Kirchschlager - Cherubino
Marie McLaughlin - Marcellina
Antonio Abete - Bartolo
Kobie van Rensburg - Basilio/Curzio
Everybody who has read this blog knows that I ALWAYS favour older recordings. I personally feel like contemporary singers and especially conductors have lost any sense of individuality. No style of their own. No reason to listen to them. But this has slowly but surely become my favourite Nozze recording. Hands down.
René Jacobs, originally from Ghent, Belgium, started his career as a boy chorister in the cathedral there. When he grew up, he continued to sing and became one of the best countertenors of his time. He made many recordings of lesser known baroque works and as countertenors have a relatively short lifespan, he moved his attentions to conducting. And the world should be thanking him for this.
Lorenzo Regazzo is a fantastic Figaro. They finally got it right. They cast a bass in the role, but a bass that DOESN'T sound like an old man! Even with his dark tone, he sounds young and vibrant with all the the masculine virility that Figaro needs. His expertly executed embellishments in "Non piu andrai" are the only thing keeping me engaged during that aria. Why that is the most famous aria in this opera I will never know. But with his energetic and convivial ornaments, it brings the close of act one to life in a way that draws the listener in. He is a particularly strong Figaro, but encompasses such a wide range of feeling we remember how human these characters are. We get the bitter and aggressive determination in "Se vuol ballare" and gentle, love struck relief at the end with "Pace, pace mio dolce tesoro." The way he interacts with the count is ideal. The constant back and forth, chess-like struggle for power between the two is clearly audible.
It is a back and forth game of wits for the whole opera between Figaro and the Count. And Simon Keenlyside is a perfect match. The energy reminds us that these are two YOUNG guys with a power struggle. One has a title and one has brains. Through Keenlyside's articulation and style alone, one can hear him for what he is. He has inherited all of this very young and he has never wanted for anything... until now. He is spoiled and selfish and because of his wild Spanish temper, he can at times lose control and become dangerous... but at the core, he is just a kid who wants his way. He isn't a horrible person. Keenlyside's may be among the best Counts ever recorded on disc. He is particularly strong in the menacing sections like in the act II trios and the act III duet with Susanna.
Patrizia Ciofi's Susanna is absolutely delightful. I may be inclined to cast a slightly lighter voice in the role, but she handles the lighter colours and playfulness with an excellent distinction. One can almost hear the laughter when she is dressing up Cherubino like a girl. Her "Deh vieni" breathes naturally. The slower tempo accentuates the sensuality that is inherent in this beautiful, secret declaration of love. Some may argue that she slightly over does the embellishments, but whether it is your personal preference or not, it maintains the appropriate style and mood and she executes it beautifully. This aria is where the heavier voice really does pay off in it's rich, warm colours.
Speaking of Cherubino, a better Cherubino has never been heard. Angelika Kirchschlager keeps the adolescent boy alive and well. Every line is delivered with an urgency that truly only exists in the realm of adolescence. Her ornamentation is fantastic and suits the arias perfectly, reminiscent of the version of "Voi che sapete" with the ornaments written out in Mozart's own hand.
Véronique Gens is a great Contessa. Adequately girlish, yet quite obviously on the verge of womanhood. Reminding us all that this is the same Rosina that was wooed only a few years earlier in The Barber of Seville. She was 16 then... so it stands to reason that she can't be any older than 20. Directors and actors alike tend to forget this fact. Her "Porgi amor" is beautifully shaped and moulded, and her "Dove sono" is spirited and lively with an energy of new hope only accentuated by her excellent ornaments.
The rest of the cast is excellent. Bartolo spectacular and Marcellina and Basilio, great enough to get their act 4 arias left in. I do think Nuria Rial has a beautifully rich, warm tone that has no business singing a role like Barbarina. This role should be exclusive territory of soubrettes. That is the only way any of her (small) contribution to the plot makes any sense at all.
Now on to Jacobs conducting, aside from his earth shattering addition of ornamentation... (sarcasm).
His orchestral balance is entirely unusual. Those who are used to a Solti or Karajan-like orchestra will hardly recognize this opera with its wind-heavy orchestral balance. The strings never take a position of having the main line, and this is completely appropriate for Mozart and his time period. A tradition that should have been corrected some time ago. Jacob's tempi are honestly freer than the majority of conductors. The count's authoritative pronouncements are taken at a quicker tempo for an extra kick of decisiveness. There are other moments of this kind of flexibility as well, like in the act 3 duet of Susanna and the Count, and while sometimes they can be disconcerting, they always have excellent dramatic intention... which IS the point, so it is easily forgiven. His tempi on the whole tend to be on the quick side but he knows where to give it time. Notably in Marcellina-Susanna's duet, the fandango and the last scene in G major when the Count begs forgiveness.
René Jacobs is reviving Mozart. Bringing it back to what it was intended to be. Not a museum exhibition, but a living breathing organism that when performed, through it's humanity and life can touch even the coldest hearted and uncultured among us.
- Christopher Michael Kelley
(Next month: Don Giovanni by René Jacobs)
