[Met Performance] CID:282860



Le Nozze di Figaro
Metropolitan Opera House, Wed, December 18, 1985




Le Nozze di Figaro (287)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Lorenzo Da Ponte
Figaro
John Cheek

Susanna
Kathleen Battle

Count Almaviva
Jorma Hynninen

Countess Almaviva
Carol Vaness

Cherubino
Frederica von Stade

Dr. Bartolo
Spiro Malas

Marcellina
Loretta Di Franco

Don Basilio
Michel S?n?chal

Antonio
James Courtney

Barbarina
Dawn Upshaw

Don Curzio
Anthony Laciura


Conductor
James Levine







Review 1:

Review of John Rockwell in The New York Times
Opera: ?Figaro? Cast Changes

The Metropolitan Opera introduced four newcomers into its new Jean-Pierre Ponnelle production of Mozart?s ?Nozze di Figaro? on Wednesday night, among them the two principal male characters.


The most impressive addition to the cast was Jorma Hynninen, the Finnish baritone, as Count Almaviva. His is not the largest or most smoothly produced voice to essay this part. But it is solid enough, technically, and he made the right kind of dramatic showpiece of his big aria. His phrasing and declamation were constantly intelligent, and he looked sternly dashing as a stage presence. An excellent performance.


John Cheek, the new Figaro, was certainly serviceable, but less striking. This is a true bass-baritone performance, with the emphasis on bass. But Mr. Cheek?s voice sounded covered and dull much of the time, for all his industrious acting.


The other two cast changes were the relatively minor roles of Don Bartolo and Marcellina, taken by Spiro Malas and Loretta Di Franco. Mr. Malas got lost in his first act aria and took a while to recover, earning him one resounding boo from the audience. But otherwise he was amiable enough, as was Miss Di Franco.


Otherwise, the cast was headed by the radiant Frederica von Stade and Kathleen Battle and the more placid Carol Vaness, with nice cameos by Michel S?n?chal and James Courtney. James Levine was the warmly idiomatic conductor.



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