This welcome studio recording of Figaro is note-complete (moreso, actually, since as an appendix, two alternative arias for Susanna are included) and presented in spotless, clear sonics. The instruments are modern and the leadership is sprightly, with all of the characters particularly well-drawn. Indeed, the final scene of the opera–after the five arias in the garden–is the most vivid on disc, perhaps because the singers’ individual voices are easy to distinguish, and therefore the comings and goings are particularly clear. The Figaro of Renato Girolami is dark-voiced and, in fact, serious; by contrast, Bo Skovhus’ Count, somewhat lighter of tone, is an interestingly sleek villain. At the risk of putting too fine a point on it, the voice types and colors seem to underline a class difference that I’m sure would please Mozart and da Ponte.
Judith Halasz’s Susanna is more insistent than cutesy; her tone is warm, oddly dusky-hued, and not even remotely soubrette-ish. (The coloratura in one of her extra arias, K. 577, is not easy for her.) Marina Mescheriakova, a Russian soprano who has been making her name in Verdi roles, is a bit vocally heavy and heavy-handed as the Countess, but she manages some lovely pianissimo shadings along the way. She’s not an ideal Countess and her Italian diction at times is unforgivably mushy. Michelle Breedt’s Cherubino is impeccably sung without being truly memorable, Michael Roider is a firmer-than-usual Basilio, Gabriele Sima sings Marcellina with bright tone and flawless diction, and Janusz Monarcha’s Bartolo is rich-toned enough to be Boris Godunov. Orchestra and chorus are excellent, performing accurately and handsomely. To get back to the conducting, Michael Halasz leads a performance that is devoid of affectations or a particular agenda. This, with the caveats noted and at its marvellously low price, is a terrific buy.
