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The season's first performance of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" on Dec. 9 had the intimacy, fine ensemble and warm humanity that distinguished last year's production. There was one vast improvement. The messy sets of last season had been abandoned in favor of the familiar Jonel Jorgulesco sets of 1940, which have at least the merit of allowing the action to proceed smoothly.

Fritz Stiedry conducted with both understanding and affection, and after a nervous, occasionally unsteady first act, the score unfolded with spontaneous ease. Herbert Graf's direction, apart from a few touches of unnecessarily low comedy such as the leaps of Figaro and the clowning in the face-slapping, was consistent and in the spirit of the music.

The only unfamiliar member of the cast was Vilma Georgiou, who sang the role of Barbarina very prettily, in her first appearance in the part at the Metropolitan. Outstanding in finish of style, treatment of the recitatives and expertness of stage technique was George London, as Count Almaviva. His portrait of this extremely jealous and yet extremely unfaithful husband was worked out in minute detail, so that every word he sang made sense. Here is a young artist who never stops working.

Cesare Siepi's Figaro, also, improves steadily from season to season. He sang this time with greater fluency and with more dramatic nuance. "Se vuol ballare" was wryly ironic in feeling; "Non pin andrai" danced along merrily; and in his outburst, "Aprite un po' quegl'occhi," Mr. Siepi won the audience completely. Lisa Della Casa looked lovely as the Countess, and sang with absolute assurance, if not as effortlessly as she had on some previous occasions. A little less stage business during the "Dove sono" would have made it easier for her to keep the music flowing. Nadine Conner was in excellent voice and in high spirits, as Susanna. Some of the most elegant vocalism of the evening was offered by Mildred Miller in Cherubino's arias, "Non so pi? cosa son" (taken successfully at a vertiginous pace) and "Voi che sapete." The others in the cast, all admirable, were Jean Madeira, as Marcellina; Gerhard Pechner, as Don Bartolo; Alessio De Paolis, as Don Basilio; Gabor Carelli, as Don Curzio; Lawrence Davidson, as Antonio; and Maria Leone and Sandra Warfield as two Peasant Girls

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