The Virginia Opera scored a home run Saturday evening when it brought back Mozart’s always-popular “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Acknowledged as one of opera’s supreme masterpieces, “Figaro” is the ultimate ensemble work. While any of the characters can steal the show, it is only when all the elements are in balance that the opera’s greatness emerges. Saturday evening’s performance showed the company operating at its considerable best. Credit director Lillian Groag and conductor Steven Smith for seeing that the dramatic and musical sides of the performance were well looked after.
Groag contributed a thoughtful note to the program, eschewing cynicism and revolution as dramatic points to be made, and instead focusing on the relationships between the characters – especially the Countess’s forgiveness of her husband. There is a moment at the end when the Count begs his wife’s pardon, and she responds with some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most sublime music. Often, there is laughter from the audience at this point, as if both the Count and Countess are fools. It is to Groag’s credit that this moment was greeted by rapt silence from the audience and Mozart’s music told us all we needed to know.
Groag introduced some stock figures at points to add to the liveliness on stage – they were entertaining without being intrusive and reminded us we were witnessing a comedy. Perhaps the only jarring note was a daffy, Madame DeFarge-like figure from “A Tale of Two Cities” who walked around playing with a toy guillotine and knitting a scarf with the characters’ names on it. Since Groag made a point to downplay the revolutionary aspects of the libretto, one wondered her point.
Smith led a taut, lively reading of the score, with excellent playing by the Richmond Symphony in the pit. Balances were outstanding, and all of Mozart’s beautiful writing for winds and lower strings were clearly voiced. In general, coordination between stage and pit was good, although at times, it seemed that a singer might want a brisker tempo for an aria.
A strong cast was led by the sparkling Susanna of Anne-Carolyn Bird, who displayed a lovely, clear soprano, and whose stage presence was delightful in its sincerity and resourcefulness. Opposite Bird was her real-life husband, Matthew Burns, as the valet Figaro. His incisive bass-baritone captured the full range of Figaro’s emotions, and his energy matched Bird’s. The two brought a great deal of personality to their roles through acting and singing.
They had strong competition from the upstairs couple. As the Countess Almaviva, soprano Katherine Whyte started a bit shakily. She has a rich voice with a strong vibrato which might not be to all tastes but lent a vulnerable sound to her voice and underscored the Countess’s situation. This was a still-youthful woman who had been deeply hurt by her husband.
The Count was in the capable hands of Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, who brought a commanding presence and an attractive baritone to his role, particularly in his Act III vengeance aria.
Karin Mushegain sang the page boy Cherubino and expertly caught the hormonally charged side of this perennial teenager.
Added comedy was provided by Margaret Gawrysiak and Jeffrey Tucker as the elderly couple Marcellina and Dr. Bartolo, and Drew Duncan as the unctuous music master Don Basilio.
Peter Dean Beck’s sets are familiar from previous revivals and continue to demonstrate that a “traditional” production can make a lot of sense when performed, staged and lit – by Bradley King – as well as this one was. This is one “Marriage” you won’t want to miss.
Link to original story
© Paul Sayegh, The Virginian-Pilot 2013
Click here to purchase tickets, read the synopsis, watch videos and more for The Marriage of Figaro!