If, for some completely unknown and off-the-wall reason, you have never bought this complete performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with Giulini, Taddei, Schwarzkopf, et al, the folks at EMI give you another chance. Best of all, they do it at mid price, making the set all the more attractive.This 1959 recording has everything going for it, so it's no wonder it became an instant classic. It's got a dream cast and conductor (Giuseppe Taddei, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Anna Moffo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Eberhard Wachter, and Carlo Maria Giulini), a great orchestra in its prime (the Philharmonia), the legendary Walter Legge as producer, and the capable Douglas Larter as balance engineer.
It is one of the few Figaros I have listened to over and over again on LP and CD, thanks not only to the superb singing but to Giulini's elegant, refined, yet wholly engaging approach to the score. No, it's not the most lighthearted or rollicking interpretation; we wouldn't expect that of Giulini. Instead, it's more of a polished, refined reading. But I find it the most refreshing kind of performance for repeat listening
Taddai seems a touch too basso grave for the role, perhaps, but the ear and mind adjust. Moffo is sprightly and appealing. And Schwarzkopf is simply, well, Schwarzkopf, in her day a reigning queen of the opera stage.
If I have any misgivings about this issue, it's that EMI used the same transfer for it that they made in 1989. Although I was hoping for one of the company's newer ART-technology remasterings, it still sounds good for its age. Or for any age. I also missed a complete libretto. Instead, all we get is an informational booklet with a synopsis of each scene.
Finally, I'm not too keen on the two discs being housed in envelopes and a box, rather than in a normal jewel case. Oh, well.... For the money, it's still worth it.
JJP
That EMI never did an ART tweak: count your blessings! Most of the ARTs are appalling, have pitch and/or editing errors, and sound as though voices have been placed behind a screen. When EMI went bankrupt and was acquired by Warner, they reissued a set from the same master--it even looks identical. Yes, the new disregard for presentation over price is, I find, disrespectful for those of us (often coming from the LP era like me) who want a libretto, a good housing, and are happy to pay for it.
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